The FBI gave immunity to former head of the State Department Hillary Clinton Cheryl Mills staff and two other staff members, according to a member of Congress.
The Associated Press reports that immunity agreements were granted in conjunction with the FBI investigation now closed on the server private email Clinton.
Chairman of the House Oversight Jason Chaffetz, who has been studying research Clinton FBI said federal investigators were given access to Mills’ computer, but only provided that the conclusions of the FBI could not be used against him, the AP reports.
“No wonder he could not prosecute a case. They were handing out candy immunity agreements” Chaffetz said.
The other staffers granted immunity were John Bentel, who was director of the State Department’s Office of Information Resources Management, and Clinton aide Heather Samuelson.
Bentel was found to have brushed back State employees’ concerns about Clinton’s email setup, while Samuelson was tasked with determining which Clinton emails would be deleted and which would be retained.
Although the Clinton campaign said the emails were reviewed for any work-related messages, the FBI found that those making the call used search terms in subject lines and body text.
A source familiar with the immunity offers to Mills and Samuelson said they came after the FBI interviewed the two lawyers when investigators asked to go through their computers to see if they still contained classified information.
The source said the offer was not related to their testimony, noting that FBI Director James Comey said there was no evidence of a deletion aimed at frustrating the investigation. The information was disclosed by the FBI on Friday to Chaffetz and Oversight member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
He said others were granted immunity John Bentel, then director of the Office of Information Resource Management State Department and Clinton’s assistant Heather Samuelson.
Two other people were previously identified as receiving offers of immunity.
FBI Director James Comey said in July that the agency determined Clinton was “grossly negligent” in the handling of classified information, but recommended not to press charges against him.
