Lynch: DOJ did everything to handle Clinton probe in ‘non-partisan, impartial’ way

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Thursday defended her actions during the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server.

In a statement, Lynch said she and Justice Department prosecutors “did everything we could to handle a sensitive probe in a highly politicized environment in a way that was non-partisan, impartial, and fair.”

Lynch’s comments came after the Justice Department’s internal watchdog issued a report on the FBI and DOJ’s handling of the Clinton investigation in the months before the 2016 election. 

That report faulted Lynch with making “an error in judgment” by failing to cut short a personal meeting on an airport tarmac with former President Bill Clinton in June 2016.

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It also found that her comments asserting that she would accept the recommendation of career prosecutors in the Clinton investigation “created public confusion and did not adequately address” the appearance of a possible conflict of interest.

In her statement, Lynch thanked Justice Department Inceptor General Michael Horowitz for conducting an “in-depth analysis” of the FBI and DOJ’s actions ahead of the 2016 election.

But she also asserted that she never deviated from Justice Department values and precedents, and insisted that the report cleared her of accusations of political bias in the Clinton investigation. 

“Today’s IG report upholds my fidelity to the rule of law throughout the email investigation and affirms that my actions had no political motivation or bias and complied with DOJ policies,” the former attorney general said.