Why Did FBI Agents Have to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements?
For months, Hillary Clinton and her presidential campaign staff continued to describe the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into her use of a private email server as a “security review.”
Last month, FBI Director James Comey refuted those claims, stating his agency “only conducts investigations,” as its name implies. The recent reports that agents involved in the investigation were required to sign non-disclosure agreements only adds to the seriousness of the situation, which even now the Clinton campaign continues to downplay.
According to former agents who have spoken out about the non-disclosure documents, they are used only in the most serious investigations to control the number of people who have access to the evidence in the case. But, once again, this calls into question Comey’s later statements to the House Oversight Committee that his recommendation not to charge Clinton was based on a perceived lack of intent.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) expressed concerns the documents would have a “chilling effect” on agents who disagreed with the director’s findings. In a letter sent to Comey at the conclusion of the investigation, the chairman said the use of those forms was “troubling” in light of several inconsistencies in his explanation for the lack of recommended charges against Clinton.
