"FBI Dir[ector] just informed me, ‘The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.’ Case reopened," Chaffetz said via Twitter.
FBI Dir just informed me, "The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation." Case reopened
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) 28 октября 2016 г.
The FBI has discovered additional emails sent from Clinton’s private email server, FBI Director James Comey said.
"The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," Comey wrote in a letter. "I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as assess their importance to our investigation."
Comey said that the FBI would examine whether Clinton's emails contain classified information. According to Comey's letter to key Republican committee chairmen in the House of Representatives, it is unclear yet whether the new materials are significant or not.
The FBI chief said that he "cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work."
The news comes amid the Wikileaks' releases of US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta's leaked emails shedding light on the campaign's activity, including coordinated efforts with the US DoS concerning a plan on the coverage of the email scandal.
In 2015, Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and account during her tenure as US Secretary of State for work related purposes, contrary to established rules and regulations, became publicly known.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a criminal probe whether Clinton intended to break US law by using a private server and email account. Director Comey previously concluded that Clinton’s use of a home-based email server for official business as the United States’ top diplomat was "extremely careless," but he did not recommend criminal charges against her.
Clinton had erased 33,000 of her emails after receiving a subpoena to submit them, while her closest associates destroyed at least 13 blackberry and related devices used to communicate.