Hints of sexting led to FBI's relook at Hillary Clinton emails

Washington: The FBI on Friday announced that it recently came upon new emails that may be pertinent to the Hillary Clinton private email server investigation. According to reports, the new emails were reportedly uncovered after it seized electronic devices belonging to Clinton aide Huma Abedin and her husband, Anthony Weiner.

According to The New York Times, law enforcement officials said the FBI reopened the investigation after seizure of the devices, and the discovery of emails that were previously not part of the FBI investigation.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the emails emerged through the FBI’s separate sexting probe of Mr Weiner, who is separated from Clinton confidant Huma Abedin. She served as deputy chief of staff at the State Department and is still a key player in Ms Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The two separated earlier this year after Weiner was caught in 2011, 2013 and again in 2016 sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs of himself undressed to numerous women using the alias “Carlos Danger.”

Federal authorities in New York and North Carolina are investigating online communications between Mr Weiner and a 15-year-old girl. The U.S. official was familiar with the investigation but was not authorised to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Ms Clinton challenged the FBI to defend its renewed probe into emails sent to her private account, declaring herself confident it would find no wrongdoing. The Democratic candidate, who is seeking to be elected America’s first female president on November 8, launched a blistering fightback.

“We are 11 days out from, perhaps, the most important national election of our lifetime,” Ms Clinton told reporters, complaining that the FBI announcement posed more questions than answers.