Readers have likely heard of the controversy swirling around Hillary Clinton regarding her use of private email accounts to conduct official business during her time as Secretary of State. Clinton was also accused of deleting thousands of emails she felt were private. The problem, it was argued, was that Clinton's activities violated State Department procedures, as well as federal laws and regulations dealing with record-keeping.
The FBI became involved in the case when it was discovered that the private email server supporting Clinton's accounts contained classified information. It is apparently settled that at least 1,340 classified emails had been identified by authorities. In addition to this, the FBI investigation has recently expanded to include a probe regarding potential violation of public corruption laws.
One of the questions in the investigation is whether regular processes were followed in the dispensation of State Department contracts, or whether there may have been connections to donations to the Clinton Foundation. Clinton has denied allegations that she acted improperly, and has claimed in her defense that she acted on advice from inside the State Department.
News is circulating that an unnamed FBI source claims that there have been many previous public corruption cases which have gone forward on less evidence than already exists in the Clinton probe. It remains to be seen whether the FBI will end up pursuing public corruption charges, but from the looks of its website, the agency is highly committed to taking on such cases. Such a prosecution obviously wouldn't do anything to help out Clinton's presidential campaign.
Public corruption charges can have an enormous impact on a public servant's career, and those who face such charges should always work with an experienced legal advocate to protect their rights.
Sources:
New York Post, "FBI expands probe of Clinton to include public corruption track," Catherine Herridge, Pamela Browne, Jan. 11, 2016.
The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Emails Take Long Path to Controversy," Scott Shane and Michael S. Schmidt, August 8, 2015.
Breitbart, "Report: FBI Has Enough Evidence to Prosecute Hillary Clinton for Public Corruption," John Sexton, Jan. 11, 2016.