E-mail server row: Hillary walks free, Republicans fume

In a big relief to Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Loretta Lynch has said the Democratic presidential candidate would not face any charges over allegations that she violated rules by using a private email server while she was US Secretary of State.

In a statement, much to the relief of the Clinton campaign, Lynch said she has accepted the recommendation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this regard.

"Late this (Wednesday) afternoon, I met with FBI Director James Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted the
investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email system during her time as Secretary of State," she said.

"I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year-long investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation," Lynch said in a statement, which legally closes the case against the former Secretary of State.

However, the Republican party plans to make it a political issue during the rest of the campaigning period till the November general elections. This was evident by the statement issued by Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus and several other GOP leaders.

"This decision by President Obama's attorney general is a slap in the face to the many Americans entrusted with classified information who play by the rules and those who have been punished for lesser offenses," Priebus said.

"Many Americans will understandably have a difficult time believing the Obama Justice Department conducted a fair and impartial investigation when you have the attorney general secretly meeting with Bill Clinton and the Clinton campaign leaking Lynch could remain as AG, all just days before it was announced charges would not be pursued," he said.

"Those who have mishandled classified information have had their security clearances revoked, lost their jobs, faced fines, and even been sent to prison, yet Hillary Clinton is being allowed to play by a different set of rules," he alleged.

In a letter to the FBI, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sought further details regarding the FBI's decision not to recommend charges in the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

In a separate statement, Senator Tim Scott the FBI's findings made it "painfully obvious" that Clinton put US national security and classified information at risk, and even that her email was probably hacked by foreign operatives.

"We have seen other examples of people who have, maliciously or not, put classified information at risk, and they did not receive the same treatment. This shows if your last name is Clinton, you are clearly playing by a different set of rules. This is not what America stands for, period," he said.