For a year, the FBI’s records account was silent on Twitter, leaving many to believe it had been abandoned. Then on Tuesday, a week before the presidential election, it momentarily sprang to life, if only to tweet documents related to a pardon granted by Hillary Clinton’s husband, Bill.
According to ThinkProgress, the FBI’s tweet out of nowhere has prompted an internal investigation. Federal law expressly prohibits the agency from meddling with the election, for obvious reasons. Think Progress reports:
Candice Will, Assistant Director for the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility, said she was referring the matter to the FBI’s Inspection Division for an “investigation.” Upon completion of the investigation, the Office of Professional Responsibility will be referred back to the Office of Professional Responsibility for “adjudication.”
Marc Rich, a former hedge-fund trader indicted on multiple counts of tax evasion, was pardoned by then-President Clinton in 2001, a controversial decision given that Rich’s ex-wife, Denise, had given millions to the Democratic Party, including $100,000 to Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign. Rich had fled to Switzerland in 1983 facing more than 50 counts of fraud, racketeering, and tax evasion. He was also wanted for purchasing oil from Iran while the country was under an American embargo.
The president later said he regretted the pardon, which was also pushed for by the prime minister of Israel, who undoubtedly recalled Rich’s philanthropy, not to mention his unique ability to help Israeli intelligence agents get a foothold in Iran.
The bureau closed its investigation into the Rich pardon in 2005, finding the president had used his powers of clemency appropriately. On, Tuesday, the bureau posted 129 pages from its investigation, a seemingly random occurrence that inflamed Democrats already incensed by FBI Director Comey.
H/T Think Progress
