Hillary Clinton blames renewed FBI scrutiny over emais for defeat

Hillary Clinton is blaming the FBI's decision to revive its examination of her e-mail accounts for her devastating defeat in the presidential election.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton makes a concession speech. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

On a call on Saturday to top campaign donors, Clinton said her campaign was winning until FBI director James Comey sent a letter to Congress on 28 October announcing that the FBI had uncovered emails possibly related to its earlier investigation into her use of a private server as secretary of state.

The new examination was sparked by an unrelated investigation into former New York politician Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of her top aides.

The surprise announcement by the FBI came after three debates in which Republican Donald Trump was widely panned for his performance. Clinton told the donors that her campaign was leading by large margins in nearly every battleground state and was tied in Arizona, a traditionally Republican stronghold, until Comey released his letter.

Trump’s campaign seized on the news, even though it was unclear whether Clinton’s correspondence was tied up in the probe. Comey told lawmakers the Sunday before the election that the bureau found no evidence to warrant criminal charges. His “all clear” message only served to further motivate Trump supporters, Clinton told donors.