FBI’s 2016 Clinton Cases Blocked by Obama DOJ, Memo Shows

An unsealed 2017 memo, obtained by FBI Director Kash Patel, chronicles a sinister pattern of obstruction by top Obama-era Justice Department officials and FBI management, who systematically shut down agents working in New York, Little Rock, and Washington, D.C., from investigating potential pay-to-play corruption related to Hillary Clinton’s family foundation during the 2016 election cycle.

 

The memo, authored by a Justice Department attorney who was assigned to the FBI under then-FBI Director James Comey, describes how career agents were relentlessly thwarted by their superiors, including then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

 

According to the memo, Yates instructed agents to “shut it down” in early 2016, and McCabe imposed strict limits, requiring his personal approval for any investigative step against the Clinton Foundation.

 

The memo, which was received by Patel’s staff along with corroborating internal emails, is brusque and portrays resistance.

 

Three cities had agents investigating if the Clinton Foundation, which had hundreds of millions of foreign and domestic donors with business in front of the State Department during Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, had engaged in a scheme of corruption. Yet, as early as February 2016, the Justice Department signaled it would not back the FBI’s efforts, with prosecutors in New York’s Southern and Eastern Districts also refusing support by August 2016, offering no clear rationale.

 

The timeline highlights a series of roadblocks: in mid-February 2016, McCabe directed that “no overt investigative steps” could proceed without his authorization—a directive he reportedly reiterated multiple times. By March, the U.S. Little Rock Attorney’s Office, having been elevated to full criminal investigation, was ordered to close down by Yates. The delays stretched out the investigation past the 2016 election, and DOJ officials later used statute of limitations issues in the Trump administration, essentially calling for closure.

 

This revelation arrives, however, as Attorney General Pam Bondi has greenlit a strike force and grand jury to examine potential law enforcement abuses over the past decade, including whether a conspiracy existed to shield prominent Democrats like Clinton and Joe Biden while targeting former President Trump and his supporters.

 

According to sources who spoke with Just the News, both current and former prosecutors and agents are prepared to cooperate in probing possible obstruction of the Clinton Foundation investigation.

 

The memo documents early efforts at investigation, spurred in part by allegations in Peter Schweizer’s 2015 book Clinton Cash.

 

Through January 2016, the New York, Little Rock, and Washington field offices of the FBI had opened preliminary or full investigations, according to reports of foreign countries offering foundation donations in hopes of influence from Clinton. Despite this, resistance within DOJ persisted, with one official in February 2016 grumbling over conflicts of interest due to perceived Democratic Party loyalties among DOJ agents.

 

McCabe’s function in this debacle is unique. The timeline states that he chaired a February 2016 meeting where he barred overt investigative actions without his approval even as agents reported on information from a confidential informant. The Durham report later noted McCabe’s initial push to close the investigations entirely, only relenting after pushback but still requiring his sign-off for any progress. Paul Abbate, then-head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, described McCabe as visibly frustrated, questioning the investigations’ necessity given DOJ’s dismissal.

 

The memo also skirted the broader context of the Clinton email probe, as then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s politically charged June 2016 tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton caused shockwaves. Although no investigative issues were discussed, said Lynch, the DOJ ethics unit ruled that none of her recusal was necessary.

 

Meanwhile, Comey’s July 2016 public clearing of Clinton on email-related charges, while voicing criticism of her “extremely careless” behavior, further removed examination of the foundation from consideration. FBI agent Peter Strzok later conceded the email probe was deprioritized, citing a lack of foundation-related emails due to a DOJ deal with Clinton counsel.

 

By November 1, 2016, just days before the election, McCabe recused himself from the foundation investigation, but not before leaking its existence to The Wall Street Journal, a move later characterized as misconduct by the DOJ Inspector General.

 

The investigation was essentially put on hold, with DOJ officials in 2017 continuing to deny approval to take further action, citing previous orders to “stand down.”

 

Patel’s discovery underscores a stark contrast in how the FBI and DOJ handled cases involving Clinton versus Trump, with the latter facing an aggressive Russia collusion probe launched in July 2016. Special Counsel John Durham later criticized the FBI’s cautious approach to the Clinton Foundation case compared to the swift escalation of the Trump investigation.

Thank you for your support.

If you appreciate the work we do to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, please consider giving a gift to help us continue this work. Maranatha!