(CNN) FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Sunday the agency hasn't changed its opinion that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails. 
 
 "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," Comey wrote in the new letter to congressional committee chairmen. 
 
 Comey dropped a bombshell on the presidential race last month when he sent a letter to Congress saying the FBI had discovered emails in a separate investigation that could be connected to the now-closed probe of whether Clinton mishandled classified information. The move infuriated Democrats and emboldened Republican nominee Donald Trump. 
 
 It's impossible to know before results are tallied what impact Comey's actions -- first raising a vaguely worded red flag 11 days out, and then lowering it two days from the election -- will have on the contest. But the news could help Clinton put to rest a controversy that has dogged her in the 2016 race's closing days, helping Trump narrow a polling gap nationally and in key battleground states. 
 
 Trump assailed the FBI's handling of the matter, though he did not directly address Comey's announcement at a rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan. 
 
 "You can't review 650,000 new emails in eight days. You can't do it, folks," Trump said, adding, "Hillary Clinton is guilty. She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it, and now it's up to the American people to deliver justice at the ballot box on November 8." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Cooper to Conway: Fine to speculate without facts? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cooper to Conway: Fine to speculate without facts? 02:17 
 
 Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, blasted Comey's handling of the review. 
 
 "Today's letter makes Director Comey's actions nine days ago even more troubling," Feinstein said in a statement. "There's no doubt that it created a false impression about the nature of the agency's inquiry." 
 
 She added: "The Justice Department needs to take a look at its procedures to prevent similar actions that could influence future elections." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Franken: Comey should answer Congress' questions Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Franken: Comey should answer Congress' questions 02:40 
 
 'As fast as we could' 
 
 Comey's letter was the culmination of a fast-paced review of the newly discovered email, law enforcement sources said Sunday. 
 
 "We went through this as fast as we could," a senior law enforcement official told CNN, with another law enforcement official saying investigators worked "around the clock" to review the large volume of emails. 
 
 The FBI found the new emails as part of its separate investigation into a sexting incident by Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. 
 
 The thousands of new emails were mostly personal and duplicates of what had already been seen, law enforcement officials said in explaining how the conclusion was reached so quickly. The laptop which was found was about a decade old with lots of personal content on it not relevant to the investigation, according to one source. 
 
 The probe is considered over with regard to Clinton. Though with not all the deleted emails recovered and not all the devices in FBI's possession, it is always possible something else could turn up that would require more review. 
 
 There were some classified emails found, but law enforcement officials stressed the issue is not the classified information so much as proving intent. The sources would not specify if the the classified messages were new or duplicates of ones already reviewed, nor would would officials say how many there were and what levels at which they were classified. 
 
 "Keep in mind we are focused on intent," the official said. "We know there are classified materials, but that doesn't change the conclusion reached back in July." 
 
 As for others who were part of the probe, including Abedin, the FBI is still working on some remaining aspects of the review, including determining how the emails ended up on the laptop in the first place. Abedin's attorneys have said she doesn't know why these emails were there because this wasn't a computer she used. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Who is Huma Abedin? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who is Huma Abedin? 03:25 
 
 The expectation remains that investigators will have to talk to Abedin again. 
 
 It isn't uncommon to come across new evidence after concluding a probe -- which is what happened here in October. Normally, investigators take a look to see if anything changes in their conclusions and it's not a controversial issue. This case isn't a normal case, given the election and the stakes. 
 
 DOJ informed of decision 
 
 Comey sent the letter as soon as possible, the senior law enforcement official said. He was "very careful" about how the letter was crafted given the sensitivities. 
 
 Attorney General Loretta Lynch was informed ahead of time that the FBI director was sending the updated letter to Congress informing them of that there would be no change in the FBI stance on Hillary Clinton, a Justice official told CNN on Sunday. 
 
 Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates disagreed with Comey's earlier decision to notify Congress. The attorney general backed Comey's move Sunday. 
 
 "Everyone is on the same page," the source said. 
 
 Since there is no change to the original findings, the Justice Department has no need to weigh in further, the official said. 
 
 "The Department of Justice and the FBI dedicated all necessary resources to conduct this review expeditiously," the Justice Department said in a brief statement released Sunday afternoon. 
 
 Campaigns weigh in 
 
 Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said her campaign is validated in its belief that nothing would change. 
 
 We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed ithttps://t.co/BMQQx9eRzw — Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) November 6, 2016 
 
 "We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it," he tweeted. 
 
 The Trump campaign quickly slammed Comey. 
 
 "We thought that Director Comey and the FBI were wrong when they made their initial recommendation in July, and we think that they're wrong now," Trump spokesman Jason Miller told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." 
 
 GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence sought to keep the pressure on Clinton. 
 
 "Mishandling classified information is a crime," he said at a rally in an airport hanger in Hickory, North Carolina. "Hillary Clinton said that she never sent or received any classified information and the director of the FBI told the Congress classified information was sent." 
 
 In Michigan, Trump called Clinton "the most corrupt person ever to seek the office of the presidency of the United States." 
 
 But the Republican nominee, who has expressed hope in the last week that the FBI's review of new emails might yield an indictment, emphasized to his supporters Sunday that Clinton is "protected" by powerful forces. 
 
 "Well, you have to understand it's a rigged system and she's protected," Trump said in Minnesota, though he offered no evidence to back up his theory. 
 
 'It opened a wound' 
 
 A senior Democrat close to Clinton's campaign told CNN that "it's impossible to fully undo the damage of the last nine days." 
 
 Internal campaign polling, the source said, found that some independents and Republican women fled Clinton after the original Comey announcement, robbing her of a constituency that she'd hoped would turn her contest with Trump into a blowout. 
 
 "It opened a wound that cannot be quickly healed," the Democrat said. 
 
 However, the Democrat called it a relief that the "matter is resolved" and said Clinton's campaign plans to "make everyone know about" Comey's Sunday letter. 
 
 Comey's last-minute announcement gives Clinton an opportunity for an I-told-you-so moment. 
 
 "We have seen Director Comey's latest letter to the Hill," said Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton's communications director, speaking with reporters after the news broke. "We are glad to see that he has found, as we were confident that he would, that he had confirmed the conclusions he reached in July and we are glad that this matter is resolved." 
 
 Trump and his allies have seized on that announcement, using it to claim Clinton was likely to face criminal charges. 
 
 "If she were to win, it would create an unprecedented constitutional crisis," Trump claimed Saturday night in Reno, Nevada. "In that situation we could very well have a sitting president under felony indictment and ultimately a criminal trial. It would grind government to a halt." 
 
 Political benefit 
 
 The political benefit for Trump has been that Republicans who'd been skeptical of their party's nominee have largely followed vice presidential nominee Mike Pence's calls to "come home" to the party -- finding Trump less objectionable than Clinton. 
 
 It's not just Trump's campaign that seized on Comey's actions. Down-ballot Republicans -- particularly Senate candidates who had been forced to answer for Trump's statements for months -- used the moment to change the topic, shifting to the more comfortable ground of attacking Clinton. 
 
 The last-minute Sunday move from Comey could also provide new fuel for Trump's claims of a "rigged" system -- allowing him to cast the FBI director's intervention in the presidential election in a new light. 
 
 Comey and the FBI went from Trump's scapegoat to the Republican nominee's hero, with Trump claiming Comey had redeemed himself just in time. 
 
 Newt Gingrich, a top Trump ally, tweeted "Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this." 
 
 Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know. — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) November 6, 2016 
 
 Dems, GOP react 
 
 House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed the significance of Comey's latest letter. 
 
 "Regardless of this decision, the undisputed finding of the FBI's investigation is that Secretary Clinton put our nation's secrets at risk and in doing so compromised our national security," Ryan said in a statement. "Fortunately, the American people have the opportunity to ensure Secretary Clinton never gets her hands on classified information again." 
 
 Capitol Hill Democrats praised Comey's decision to release more information. 
 
 "While the original letter should never have been sent so close to an election, the expeditious review of these emails should put to rest -- once and for all -- the irresponsible speculation indulged in by the Trump campaign and others," Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said. "Voters can now make their decision based on the merits, and that decision should be simple: it is the choice between a woman superbly qualified to be commander in chief, and a man patently unfit for office." 
 
 Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus issued a statement saying, "None of this changes the fact that the FBI continues to investigate the Clinton Foundation for corruption involving her tenure as secretary of state. Hillary Clinton should never be president." ||||| Please share and comment. Right after the news that FBI director James Comey was reopening the case into Hillary Clinton's email server, Rush Limbaugh speculated that it was all a distraction to take away focus from the Wikileaks and that Comey would clear Hillary Clinton. After today's revelation that theory seemed to have proven true Mediate.com reported: Responding to the news Friday that the FBI was rekindling its investigation into Clinton’s emails, Rush Limbaugh speculated that the bureau was simply trying to redirect voters’ attention away from Wikileaks’ ongoing release of emails hacked from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta. FBI Director James Comey “is going to make everybody think for the next three or four days that there’s really something to be forthcoming here,” Limbaugh said. Limbaugh said that the revelations in the Wikileaks material were “starting to hurt” the Clintons and that the renewed interest in an FBI investigation into her private email server would be a fruitless distraction. The radio host likened Comey to the “Lone Ranger,” riding to the Clinton campaign’s rescue. He added that Comey was “still carrying water for Clinton and is trying to get everybody to stop paying attentions to the Wikileaks dump.” Read more @ (Link: www.mediaite.com) After today's revelation it would appear that Rush may have been correct. Please Share and Comment ||||| (CNN) Hillary Clinton on Saturday questioned FBI Director James Comey's decision to write to congressional leaders about emails uncovered in the bureau's probe into Anthony Weiner, saying the timing of such a move was "unprecedented" and "deeply troubling." 
 
 "It's pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election," Clinton told supporters in Daytona Beach, Florida, where the crowd booed at the mention of Comey's letter. "In fact, it's not just strange, it's unprecedented and it's deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts." 
 
 Clinton called on Comey to swiftly release more information, saying he must "explain everything right away, put it all right on the table." 
 
 Clinton also swiped at Republican rival Donald Trump, saying he's "doing his best to confuse, mislead and discourage the American people" over the issue. 
 
 "Of course, Donald Trump is already making up lies about this," Clinton said. 
 
 The Democratic nominee's comments here marked an escalation in the Clinton campaign's full-out war against Comey in the final 10 days of the election. 
 
 Earlier in the day, just hours after Comey made the stunning announcement on Friday that the FBI is examining newly unveiled emails that appear to be "pertinent" to the now-closed investigation into Clinton's private server, top campaign officials unleashed a blistering attack on the FBI director, accusing him of being irresponsibly "light on facts" and "heavy on innuendo." 
 
 On a conference call with reporters, Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta accused Comey of failing to be "forthcoming with the facts." Podesta blasted both the timing and contents of the letter Comey sent to congressional leaders on Friday, summing the director's actions as "providing selective information." 
 
 Campaign manager Robby Mook echoed Podesta's call for more information from Comey and suggested that the FBI has now waded into political territory. 
 
 "The Justice Department's longstanding practice is: Don't do anything seen as trying to influence an election," Mook said. "It's completely unfair to Secretary Clinton and it's really unfair to the voters." 
 
 'Hillary's not going to be distracted' 
 
 The sharp criticism marked an extraordinary rebuke of the head of an agency historically known for its political independence. And it guarantees that Comey -- already a polarizing presence for his role in probing Clinton's email use as secretary of state -- will be a central political figure in the election's final days. 
 
 As Clinton prepared to fly to Florida for a two-day swing through the battleground state, Podesta was defiant: "We're not going to be distracted and Hillary's not going to be distracted in the final days of this election over nothing." 
 
 Both Podesta and Mook emphasized the possibility that the emails that the FBI is now examining -- uncovered as part of the bureau's investigation into Clinton aide Huma Abedin's estranged husband, Anthony Weiner -- may not reveal new information. 
 
 "Reports indicate that many of these emails are likely to be duplicates," Podesta said. "It's in fact entirely possible all the emails in question are just that -- duplicates." 
 
 Donald Trump continued to trumpet the news at a campaign stop in Golden, Colorado, Saturday afternoon, wondering if Clinton would keep Abedin as an adviser. 
 
 "Huma's been a problem," Trump said. "I wonder if Huma's going to stay there. I hope they haven't given Huma immunity because it seemed that everybody that walked down the sidewalk got immunity. She knows the real story. She knows what's going on." 
 
 Abedin, one of Clinton's closest confidantes, regularly travels with Clinton and was with the candidate on Friday when the FBI news broke. However, Abedin was notably absent on Saturday as Clinton traveled to Florida. 
 
 Comey was sworn in as FBI director in 2013 for a 10-year term. That means if Clinton were to win in November, Comey would serve under her administration unless she chose to remove him. 
 
 A Clinton aide later said Saturday that Clinton took the FBI news "like a champ." The aide added that Clinton and her top aides were well aware that the last two weeks of the campaign would not be entirely smooth and that Clinton's reaction reflected that. 
 
 "She is in a good state of mind," the aide added. 
 
 Sudden turn 
 
 The new attacks on Comey are a sudden turn for Clinton's campaign, which sang the FBI director's praises for his initial findings in the Clinton email case. 
 
 Clinton aides, in conversations with reporters and in statements, highlighted the fact that Comey was a Republican known for his fierce independence, touting him -- and his investigators -- as career professionals. Surrogates were told to highlight Comey's testimony to Congress and note his political affiliation and track record. 
 
 In an interview on CNN's "Situation Room" in July, Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon went after Republicans for criticizing Comey after the FBI concluded it would not press criminal charges against Clinton. 
 
 "It seems they were disappointed with the outcome of the FBI investigation so they decided to put the director in a hot seat and second-guess his decision," Fallon said at the time. "I think it is a bad look for House Republicans to be second-guessing a career prosecutor who is a registered Republican, No. 2 official at the Justice Department under George Bush and was even deputy council on the committee investigating the Clintons in the 1990s." 
 
 On Sunday, Fallon said the issues that the Clinton campaign is now raising are different from attempts by Republicans to smear the bureau as "corrupt" and "engaging in a nonexistent conspiracy." 
 
 "We are taking issue with a decision to publicly surface FBI activities on the eve of an election, which is an undisputed violation of protocol that both the current Attorney General and Republicans like George Terwilliger have acknowledged," Fallon said. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Clinton campaign now finds itself voicing similar concerns as some Republicans when it comes to the FBI's handling of emails uncovered in its Weiner investigation. 
 
 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an outspoken Trump supporter, wrote on Twitter Saturday: "If there are really more than 10,000 emails in the weiner-Abedin computer the FBI should release all Monday. Americans have a right to know," he wrote. 
 
 Gingrich added: "We should not be forced to vote with ten thousand or more emails still hidden by the FBI. John Podesta and Hillary Clinton are right." ||||| Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta listens backstage to the democratic nominee at a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Jan. 30, 2016. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) 
 
 This post has been updated with Hillary Clinton's comments. 
 
 Hillary Clinton's campaign could have gone a few different ways with its response to the bombshell news that the FBI is looking into more emails related to its investigation of the Democratic nominee. 
 
 It went with angry. 
 
 The campaign's just-released statement, from chairman John Podesta, is remarkable. It begins by not-so-subtly suggesting that this is at least partially a political response to Republicans' continued second-guessing of how the FBI handled its investigation, along with FBI Director James B. Comey's July conclusion that no "reasonable prosecutor" would bring charges against Clinton. 
 
 "Upon completing this investigation more than three months ago, FBI Director Comey declared no reasonable prosecutor would move forward with a case like this and added that it was not even a close call," Podesta said. "In the months since, Donald Trump and his Republican allies have been baselessly second-guessing the FBI and, in both public and private, browbeating the career officials there to revisit their conclusion in a desperate attempt to harm Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign." 
 
 Podesta then called on the FBI to offer more details about what exactly is happening with the emails, which sources have told The Washington Post are actually from an unrelated investigation into disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who has separated from his wife, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. 
 
 Podesta also sounds furious that the FBI basically let people draw their own conclusions -- and let Republicans mischaracterize the announcement -- based on a three-paragraph letter and didn't provide more detail. 
 
 "Already, we have seen characterizations that the FBI is 'reopening' an investigation, but Comey's words do not match that characterization," Podesta said. "Director Comey's letter refers to emails that have come to light in an unrelated case, but we have no idea what those emails are, and the director himself notes they may not even be significant." 
 
 Podesta concludes: "It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election. The director owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what he is now examining. We are confident this will not produce any conclusions different from the one the FBI reached in July." 
 
 FBI Director James Comey testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee July 7, about the recommendation that Hillary Clinton not be prosecuted for her handling of government emails on a private server. (Reuters) 
 
 To be clear, the Clinton campaign has decided to fight this politically — not to play it off as some small thing and wait for more information. It is serving notice that Republicans won't be the only ones applying political pressure to the FBI as it decides what to do over the next two weeks. 
 
 Podesta's first comments really drive that home. There is a reason the statement begins by pointing to the fact that this matter had been concluded before Republicans sought to keep re-raising it. Podesta saying that Republicans are "browbeating" career (i.e. nonpolitical) officials to "revisit their conclusion" suggests strongly that he's accused the FBI of reacting to that pressure — even if he doesn't directly say that. 
 
 Expect more of this combative tone in the days ahead. 
 
 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters Oct. 28 in Des Moines. (The Washington Post) 
 
 Update: Clinton herself echoed Podesta's call for more disclosure in a delivered statement Friday night -- and also appeared somewhat exasperated by the lack of detail. 
 
 "We've heard these rumors, and we don't know what to believe, and I'm sure there will be even more rumors. That's why it is incumbent upon the FBI to tell us what they are talking about," Clinton, said, drawing out her syllables for emphasis. "Because right now, your guess is as good as mine, and I don't think that's good enough." 
 
 Clinton said these details should be released "without any delay." 
 
 "Even Director Comey said that this information may not be significant," she said, "so let's get it out." 
 
 Other Democrats offered similarly critical comments about the FBI. 
 
 DNC Chair Donna Brazile called the announcement "irresponsible." 
 
 "Now, 11 days away from the election, [Comey] released a vague letter that immediately led to rampant speculation in the news media," Brazile said. "This would be an irresponsible action at any time and, unsurprisingly, Donald Trump and Republicans are rushing to politicize this episode without any of the facts. 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), meanwhile, called it "appalling." 
 
 "The FBI has a history of extreme caution near Election Day so as not to influence the results," Feinstein said. "Today’s break from that tradition is appalling.” ||||| Editor’s note: This post has been republished from 10/28/16. 
 
 — — 
 
 Responding to the news Friday that the FBI was rekindling its investigation into Clinton’s emails, Rush Limbaugh speculated that the bureau was simply trying to redirect voters’ attention away from Wikileaks’ ongoing release of emails hacked from Clinton campaign manager John Podesta. 
 
 FBI Director James Comey “is going to make everybody think for the next three or four days that there’s really something to be forthcoming here,” Limbaugh said. 
 
 Limbaugh said that the revelations in the Wikileaks material were “starting to hurt” the Clintons and that the renewed interest in an FBI investigation into her private email server would be a fruitless distraction. 
 
 The radio host likened Comey to the “Lone Ranger,” riding to the Clinton campaign’s rescue. He added that Comey was “still carrying water for Clinton and is trying to get everybody to stop paying attentions to the Wikileaks dump.” 
 
 Limbaugh qualified that this was the “cynical” interpretation of recent events. 
 
 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| Immediately after breaking news hit that FBI director James Comey wasn’t changing any conclusions when it came to Hillary Clinton‘s use of a private email server, essentially stating that nothing will come from the previous letter he sent last month, Twitter went absolutely berserk. 
 
 Considering the partisan nature of the story, and it coming just two days before the presidential election, it all depended on who was sending the tweet on what kind of reaction you’d see. 
 
 We had the acknowledgement of how Democrats and Republican would immediately shift allegiances and their views of Comey. 
 
 Now Ds who were savaging Comey a few days ago will praise him & GOPers who were behind him will turn on him again. https://t.co/WGsT8fp1rf — David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 6, 2016 
 
 *the sound of everyone switching sides on comey again* — Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) November 6, 2016 
 
 The anticipation of how Donald Trump and his campaign would react. 
 
 Rudy Giuliani probably just threw his glass of Metamucil against a wall — john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) November 6, 2016 
 
 CNN’s Jim Acosta reminded us all how much Trump praised Comey after the first letter. 
 
 Trump last Monday: "It took guts for Director Comey to make the move he made… What he did, he brought back his reputation." — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) November 6, 2016 
 
 And there was a little humor regarding last night’s Reno rally. 
 
 James Comey saw a sign and yelled "Gun!" — Matt Browner Hamlin (@mattkbh) November 6, 2016 
 
 Then we got journalists weighing in. 
 
 Ive said, given chaos Comey created, he better be able to indict Clinton. Now he says "never mind." I dont curse on this feed, but fuck 'im. — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 6, 2016 
 
 BREAKING: “What an ass!!!!” -my father, on Comey’s 2nd letter — Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 6, 2016 
 
 Hey, guys! Remember these things called "weekends"? #MakeTheNewsSlowAgain — Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 6, 2016 
 
 Kellyanne Conway's positronic motherboard scrambling to compile spin for Trump's "worse than Watergate" blurtings about Comey/emails. — Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) November 6, 2016 
 
 FBI really handled this one well — Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) November 6, 2016 
 
 Okay Trump and Clinton, back to your default positions on Comey… — Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) November 6, 2016 
 
 Thought neighbor stole my wrench. So I wrote a letter to all the neighbors letting them know i was investigating. But nm, he totes didn’t. — Ben Howe (@BenHowe) November 6, 2016 
 
 And just in case you wanted to know how Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich felt. 
 
 Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know. — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 4:24 p.m. ET: NBC’s Alex Seitz-Wald noted Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway‘s first televised reaction to the news: 
 
 .@KellyannePolls on MSNBC on Comey: "He's mishandled this investigation from the very beginning." — Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) November 6, 2016 
 
 She previously gave her thoughts on the development with this tweet: 
 
 Then why did you, your colleagues, and your candidate attack Comey and his credibility? https://t.co/GjPeV8pWsr — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 4:36 p.m. ET: House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Republican National Committee have also responded to the news: 
 
 NEW: @SpeakerRyan issues statement in response to FBI letter on Clinton email review: https://t.co/cVXPro91CB pic.twitter.com/xAA1g0aGDl — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 6, 2016 
 
 RNC reaction to news FBI is not changing its conclusions after reviewing newly-discovered Clinton emails: pic.twitter.com/W2OjssAPkg — Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 4:46 p.m. ET: Former congressman and current Trump advocate Joe Walsh had this to say: 
 
 Comey never should've opened his mouth in July. He never should've opened his mouth Oct 28th. Now 2 days b4 Election Day he cleans it up. — Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 4:46 p.m. ET: Wayne Allyn Root, who spoke at one of Trump’s recent rallies, offered some thoughts: 
 
 Crooked Hillary, what did you offer to Crooked Comey? American public no longer trusts FBI. What a legacy for Crooked Comey. — Wayne Allyn Root (@WayneRoot) November 6, 2016 
 
 Fox News host and frequent Trump booster Sean Hannity also got in on this: 
 
 If law enforcement or congress ever ask for e mails regarding an investigation, the FBI now says it's OK to delete them with "Bleach Bit" — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 6, 2016 
 
 As for #NeverTrumper Bill Kristol: 
 
 Am I the only person in America (or at least on Twitter) who thinks each of Comey's three decisions (or announcements) is defensible? — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 5:20 p.m. ET: Drudge Report creator Matt Drudge made a rare Twitter appearance to give his personal take: 
 
 Comey's head-fake fake just made the hornets nest even crazier! 48 hours of madness upcoming!! — MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) November 6, 2016 
 
 UPDATE – 6:40 p.m. ET: CNN’s Chris Cuomo also weighed in: 
 
 Kind of just as big a surprise as last arguably inappropriate disclosure https://t.co/XxZAGWjVxX — Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) November 6, 2016 
 
 [image via screengrab] 
 
 – 
 
 Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona 
 
 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 / Updated By Pete Williams, Kasie Hunt and Corky Siemaszko 
 
 The FBI revealed Friday it was reviewing a new batch of emails that “appear to be pertinent” to its previous investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server — and multiple federal officials told NBC News they were found as part of an on-going probe of disgraced former New York congressman Anthony Weiner. 
 
 The emails were found on a laptop that Weiner allegedly used to send inappropriate text messages and pictures to an underage girl, the sources told NBC News. 
 
 Investigators also discovered Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, had used the same laptop to send emails to Clinton and now they are checking those messages to see if there was any classified information on them, the sources said. 
 
 Abedin, who is Clinton's closest aide, is separated from Weiner. 
 
 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks with senior aide Huma Abedin aboard her campaign plane at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., on Oct. 28, 2016, before traveling to Iowa for rallies. Andrew Harnik / AP 
 
 Clinton said the FBI has not been in touch with her and called on Director James Comey to release whatever emails they found immediately. She said she has no idea what they might be but added, "I'm confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July." 
 
 The Democratic nominee was referring to the FBI investigation of her use of a private email server while secretary of state which ended with no criminal charges against her. 
 
 "Voting is already underway, so the American people deserve to get the full facts immediately," she said during a brief press conference. 
 
 Asked if it will affect the election, which most polls show her winning, Clinton said, "I think people made up their minds a long time ago." 
 
 In his letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee announcing the discovery of the emails, Comey made no mention of Weiner, who resigned in disgrace in a sexting scandal. 
 
 "In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," Comey wrote. "I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation." 
 
 A senior law enforcement official told NBC News Friday that the Comey letter was sent to the Hill "out of an abundance of caution" and to be extra-thorough. 
 
 There's no indication, the official said, that Clinton, her campaign or the State Department withheld information about the contents on Weiner's laptop. 
 
 FBI Director James Comey testifies before a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 7, 2016. YURI GRIPAS / AFP - Getty Images 
 
 The politically explosive revelation came just 11 days before Election Day and a top Clinton aide told NBC News that neither the candidate nor the campaign got any advance warning that Comey's letter was coming. 
 
 "It boggles the mind why this step was taken with just 11 days to go," Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said. 
 
 Comey should "provide the American public more information than is contained in the letter he sent to eight Republican committee chairmen," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said in a statement. 
 
 "Already, we have seen characterizations that the FBI is 'reopening' an investigation but Comey's words do not match that characterization," he said. "Director Comey's letter refers to emails that have come to light in an unrelated case, but we have no idea what those emails are and the Director himself notes they may not even be significant. It is extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election." 
 
 Tim Kaine, Clinton's vice presidential running mate, who was at an early voting site in Tallahassee on Friday, told reporters "gotta read a little more, gotta read a little more" before continuing on. 
 
 Related: Read the Letter 
 
 Donald Trump called the revelation "bigger than Watergate" and praised the FBI for having "the courage to right the horrible mistake they made," an apparent reference to the agency's decision earlier this year to not press criminal charges against Clinton. 
 
 "I need to open with a very critical breaking news announcement," Trump said at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. "The FBI has just sent a letter to Congress informing them that they have discovered new emails pertaining to the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's investigation." 
 
 "This was a grave miscarriage of justice," he said, "it is about to be corrected." 
 
 The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee also applauded the FBI's move. 
 
 “The FBI’s decision to reopen its investigation into Secretary Clinton reinforces what the House Judiciary Committee has been saying for months: the more we learn about Secretary Clinton’s use of a private email server, the clearer it becomes that she and her associates committed wrongdoing and jeopardized national security," the Judiciary Committee said in a statement. 
 
 Related: FBI Releases Notes From Interview With Hillary Clinton Over Emails 
 
 But Comey, who is also a Republican and who took a lot of heat in July for his agency's decision to not charge Clinton with a crime, did not say in the letter that he was reexamining the FBI's previous finding, which concluded that her handling of the emails was sloppy but not criminal. 
 
 Documents related to the case were released just before the Labor Day weekend and included a summary of Clinton's July interview with the FBI about her private email server, as well as a detailed investigative summary of the case. 
 
 It is unusual for the FBI to tell Congress, as Comey did, that it is looking over newly discovered evidence in a criminal inquiry that was otherwise closed. 
 
 Federal practice is not to comment on ongoing investigations, or discuss details of concluded investigations. Comey previously explained his departure from that practice in his earlier congressional testimony, given the special nature of this case and congressional oversight inquiries. 
 
 Still, some congressional Democrats told NBC News Friday that they are frustrated that Comey issued the letter reopening this issue without providing much in the way of specifics.
– Just as quickly as the bombshell was dropped, it disappeared: FBI Director James Comey said in a letter Sunday to the top Republicans on the House Oversight Committee that after reviewing newly discovered Hillary Clinton emails, the bureau still believes there's no reason for Clinton to be criminally charged. "Based on our review, we have not changed our conclusions that we expressed in July," the letter reads, per CNN. Clinton spokesperson Brian Fallon tweeted in response: "We were always confident nothing would cause the July decision to be revisited. Now Director Comey has confirmed it." Twitter went nuts after the news broke; Mediaite and the Raw Story have a sampling of the reaction, much of it backlash against Comey and the FBI. Newt Gingrich tweeted, "Comey must be under enormous political pressure to cave like this and announce something he cant possibly know." Mediaite notes that when news of the review of the new emails was first announced, Rush Limbaugh had speculated the announcement was just a stunt to distract everyone from the WikiLeaks release of John Podesta's emails. "[Comey] is going to make everybody think for the next three or four days that there’s really something to be forthcoming here," Limbaugh said, only for nothing to ultimately come of it. At least one blog says Sunday's letter proves Limbaugh correct.