Internal FBI and DOJ documents show that federal investigators probing potential foreign influence through the Clinton Foundation and related State Department actions during Hillary Clinton’s tenure faced repeated obstruction from agency leadership. The inquiries, dating back to 2010–2016, examined whether donations to the foundation influenced U.S. foreign policy, including approvals of deals such as Uranium One and the Abu Dhabi pre-clearance airport facility.
According to the timeline released by Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, FBI field offices in New York, Little Rock, and Washington opened preliminary investigations and recommended full probes into multiple foreign-linked matters, including contributions from Canadian businessmen Frank Giustra and Ian Telfer, UAE donations tied to the Abu Dhabi airport facility, and payments from billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. Many investigative steps were delayed or blocked by senior officials, including then-Deputy AG Sally Yates and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, leaving numerous leads unexplored.
The documents show agents sought to question Clinton directly about the foundation’s foreign donations, potential pay-to-play arrangements, and related State Department decisions. Investigators also explored connections between Clinton Foundation donors and U.S. contracts, including deals benefiting Boeing, Magna International, and Haitian mining interests. Multiple emails, confidential source interviews, and internal reports indicated possible criminal activity, but leadership decisions to limit subpoenas and delay actions effectively stalled the probes.
No charges were ultimately brought against Clinton or the foundation. The newly released files shed light on the breadth of the investigations and the degree to which FBI and DOJ leadership allegedly hindered career agents from pursuing them, even as the agencies simultaneously launched the Russia collusion inquiry that dominated Donald Trump’s presidency.
