According to NBC News, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered a review of the evidence collected by the FBI in the inactive investigation into the so-called “Uranium One” deal, which many critics link to Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and the Clinton Foundation. (However, it must be noted that Fox News’ Shepard Smith recently dismantled his own network’s sensational treatment of what is essentially a far-right conspiracy.) Prosecutors with Sessions’ Justice Department are currently interviewing the FBI agents who collected said evidence, specifically asking them to “explain” it in light of the apparent scandal’s lackluster status.
So, despite the fact that Clinton loss the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump over one year ago, why is this happening now?
The current review, as NBC News points out, is an effort by Sessions to deliver on a promise made to Congress in November, when he floated the idea of appointing a second special prosecutor to look into the questionable uranium deal with Russia. Embattled Rep. Devin Nunes (R-California) had previously announced a House probe into the matter, though the conservative chest-thumping over the matter really began when Trump complained about it at an October press conference. “I think that’s your Russia story,” he said while discussing unrelated matters in Puerto Rico. “That’s your real Russia story.”
So what is the Uranium One deal? Specifically, it concerns a 2010 transaction between the United States and Russia’s state nuclear energy company that was approved by President Obama’s administration. Because Hillary Clinton was the head of the State Department at the time, and because the State Department was one of several agencies that signed off on the deal, critics have insisted on an investigation into the matter. To make matters worse for the Clintons and their foundation, a 2015 New York Times report also linked them to several individuals who profited greatly from the Uranium One deal.
However, Snopes has pointed out that Clinton did not approve the deal, although that did not stop Trump from bringing up the matter throughout his campaign, including an ad that said Clinton “gave American uranium rights to the Russians.”
(Via NBC News)