Clinton Email Probe Fraught With Political Consequences

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department will have to decide whether Hillary Clinton or any subordinates could face legal consequences for using a private email server, a decision with serious political repercussions.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch has said there is no artificial deadline for concluding the investigation.

Even so, the Obama administration is in the unenviable position of a conducting an election-year probe.

No matter the outcome or reassurances to the contrary, the investigation will likely result in complaints about its impact on the presidential election.

The FBI for months has investigated whether sensitive information that flowed through Clinton’s email server was mishandled. Both Lynch and FBI Director James Comey have said the investigation is being handled without regard for politics.