May 25, 2017

Clinton, Comey and the "dubious" intel received by FBI

Win McNamee / AP

The Washington Post is out with a report about "dubious" intel the FBI received about Hillary Clinton while she was a presidential candidate in 2016. Here are the details boiled down:

The intel: The FBI received information, purportedly linked to Russian intelligence, about Hillary Clinton and her email servers. It described an alleged email between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and someone on the Clinton campaign, implying that the DOJ would not investigate her too closely.
The "dubious" nature: The FBI reviewed the intel and determined it was "bad intelligence," maybe even a fake.
The Comey connection: Current and former officials said the intel was important in then-FBI Director James Comey's decision to break protocol and announce the investigation into Clinton's emails was over without consulting the DOJ, though "others familiar with the document disagree sharply" with those claims.

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In 24 hours, signs of a pre-election postal slowdown have moved from the shadows to the spotlight, with evidence emerging all over the country that this isn't a just a potential threat, but is happening before our eyes.

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

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Mike Allen

2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

USPS pushes election officials to pay more for mail ballots

Protesters gather in Kalorama Park in D.C. today before demonstrating outside the condo of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Photo: Cheriss May/Reuters

The Postal Service has urged state election officials to pay first class for mail ballots, which Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says could nearly triple the cost.

Why it matters: Senate Democrats claim that "it has been the practice of USPS to treat all election mail as First Class mail regardless of the paid class of service."