Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation could come under the microscope from US federal prosecutors.
Camera IconHillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation could come under the microscope from US federal prosecutors. Credit: AFP, AFP/Brendan Smialowski

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions considering special counsel to investigate Hillary Clinton

APNews Corp Australia

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed overnight to decide quickly whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton’s alleged mishandling of classified materials when she was secretary of state.

Asked in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday whether he would review requests for a prosecutor “fairly and expeditiously,” Mr Sessions confirmed he would.

“You can be sure that they will be done without political influence and they will be done correctly and properly,” Mr Sessions said.

She may have lost the election, but Republicans are still gunning for Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.
Camera IconShe may have lost the election, but Republicans are still gunning for Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. Credit: Getty Images, Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Geisinger Symposium

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On Monday the Justice Department informed the committee it was weighing proposals to name an special independent counsel to investigate the FBI’s handling of a probe last year into Mrs Clinton’s use of a personal server for official and in some cases classified emails, in breach of government rules.

The department also confirmed that it was considering a special counsel to investigate the foundation of former president Bill Clinton, and its ties to companies involved in a deal that sold US uranium rights to a Russian state company.

The Justice Department said in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee on Monday that Mr Sessions had directed senior federal prosecutors to “evaluate certain issues” raised in recent weeks by members of Congress, which include allegations that the Clinton Foundation benefited from a years-old uranium transaction involving a Russian-backed company.

Donald Trump has repeatedly implored the US Justice Department to investigate Hillary Clinton.
Camera IconDonald Trump has repeatedly implored the US Justice Department to investigate Hillary Clinton. Credit: AFP, AFP/Bullit Marquez

President Donald Trump himself has repeatedly implored the Justice Department on social media to investigate the deal, including in a series of Twitter posts this month in which he lamented not having more direct influence over the agency’s affairs.

The prosecutors will report to Sessions and Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein and recommend whether any new investigations should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation require additional resources and whether it might be necessary to appoint a special counsel to oversee a probe, according to a letter the Judiciary Committee’s Republican chairman, Robert Goodlatte.

Any appointment of a new special counsel, particularly in response to calls from members of Congress or from Mr Trump himself, is likely to lead to criticism complaints about an undue political influence on a department that is meant to function outside of any partisan sway or demand.

Though the Justice Department falls within the executive branch, and its priorities are historically in line with those of the president, the White House is not supposed to influence the decisions of prosecutors on any particular cases.

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions is reportedly open the possibility that a special counsel could be appointed to look into Clinton Foundation.
Camera IconUS Attorney-General Jeff Sessions is reportedly open the possibility that a special counsel could be appointed to look into Clinton Foundation. Credit: AP, AP/Richard Drew

The Justice Department sought to address those concerns in its letter, with Assistant Attorney-General Stephen Boyd saying that the department “will never evaluate any matter except on the facts and the law.” “Professionalism, integrity and public confidence in the department’s work is critical for us, and no priority is higher,” he added.

Nonetheless, the action follows a series of critical public statements by Mr Trump that observers said blurred the bright line between the White House and the Justice Department.

In recent weeks, he has repeatedly weighed in on Twitter on Justice Department business to call for investigations of Democrats and has challenged Mr Sessions to be more aggressive in going after his political opponents, expressing particular support for investigating the Clinton Foundation. He has also suggested at times that Mr Sessions’ job could be in jeopardy.

“Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn’t looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems...” Mr Trump tweeted earlier this month.

Mr Boyd’s letter did not say what specific steps might be taken by the Justice Department to address the politicians’ concerns, or whether any of the matters Republicans have seized on might already be under investigation by federal authorities.

The Clinton Foundation could be investigated.
Camera IconThe Clinton Foundation could be investigated. Credit: AFP, Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

Mr Sessions said at his January confirmation hearing that he would recuse himself from any investigations involving Hillary Clinton given his role as a vocal campaign surrogate to Mr Trump.

He similarly recused himself from a separate investigation into potential co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, and in May, the Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead that probe.

House Republicans in recent weeks have launched their own probes into the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Donald and Melania Trump, speak with US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.
Camera IconDonald and Melania Trump, speak with US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions. Credit: AP, AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Some politicians have specifically said they want to know more about whether President Barack Obama’s Justice Department had been investigating the purchase of American uranium mines by a Russian-backed company in 2010. The agreement was reached while Hillary Clinton led the State Department and some investors in the company had relationships with former President Bill Clinton and donated large sums to the Clinton Foundation.

The letter comes one day before Mr Sessions is to appear before the Judiciary panel for a Justice Department oversight hearing. Democrats on the committee have already signalled that they intend to press Sessions on his knowledge of contacts between Russians and aides to the Trump campaign.