Lynch: Clinton not investigated for Federal Records Act violations

Any alleged violation of federal record keeping laws by Hillary Clinton was “not under the purview” of the federal investigation into her use of a private email server while secretary of State, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Tuesday.

{mosads}”Do you agree with [FBI Director James Comey] that Mrs. Clinton violated the Federal Records Act?” Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) asked Lynch during her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.

“I don’t recall Director Comey speaking on that point. I’d have to go back and check, so I don’t have a comment on that,” Lynch said.

“Do you feel that she violated the Federal Records Act?” Smith asked.

“I don’t know if that was under the purview of the investigation,” Lynch said. “I don’t recall a specific opinion on that.”

In its May report on Clinton’s email practices, the State Department’s inspector general found that her decision not to use an official department email address “is not an appropriate method” of preserving emails under the Federal Records Act.

Comey himself said at a House Oversight Committee hearing last week that he believed Clinton had violated the law, which governs how officials must create and preserve federal records.

Asked if Clinton had complied with either State’s policies or the Federal Records Act, Comey replied, “I don’t think so. I know you have the State inspector general here, who’s more of an expert on all the department’s policies, but at least in some respects, no.”

But the FBI director made no mention of any potential violations of the law during his formal summary of the investigation, which centered on whether Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, mishandled classified information during her tenure at the State Department.