FBI being sued over role in Donald Trump US presidential election victory

Vice News is suing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over its refusal to release documents relating to its conduct during the US presidential election.

The news website says the Bureau turned down 50 of its requests, made under the Freedom of Information Act, for files on the FBI’s discussions about Donald Trump.

The requests were made in an attempt to shed light on the FBI's decision, a week before polling day, to make public new information relating to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

The FBI used a previously inactive Twitter account to release files about Mr Clinton’s controversial pardon of Marc Rich, a hedge fund manager who was charged with tax evasion and making business deals with Iran, in 2001.

The Vice lawsuit, filed in conjunction with Ryan Shapiro, a research affiliate at Harvard University, states: “[Vice News] seeks public disclosure of specified government records to make sense of the pivotal role of the FBI, as well as of other agencies, in perhaps the most controversial presidential election in modern US history.

“Despite subsequent disclosures of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, since its inception, the FBI staunchly maintained it was a purely apolitical entity.

“However, numerous leading political and news media figures from across the political spectrum explicitly assert the FBI repeatedly and with significant impact affected the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election.”

Vice is seeking information on FBI discussions about its investigations into Mrs Clinton’s use of a private email server, alleged leaks by FBI officials to the media and “political operatives”, and all FBI communications with several prominent Republican figures.

It has also asked for documents showing all communications between the Bureau and far-right website Breitbart News, including its former executive chairman, Steve Bannon, who is now Mr Trump’s chief strategist.

Vice News and Mr Shapiro have filed three previous lawsuits seeking information from US law enforcement agencies relating to the 2016 presidential election and Mr Trump’s financial dealings.

The FBI's release of documents relating to President Clinton’s pardon of Mr Rich came four days after it controversially announced it was investigating new emails as part of its probe into Mrs Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as US Secretary of State.

That announcement, 11 days before polling day, was met with a barrage of condemnation from former Justice Department officials, Democrat politicians and other commentators.

FBI Director James Comey faced accusations he was attempting to influence the outcome of the election but said it was simply his duty to inform Congress of the new enquiries.

The FBI announced the day before polls opened that it had found nothing in the new emails to warrant further investigation of Mrs Clinton.

Earlier this week, election analyst Nate Silver said the FBI announcing of its new enquiries had cost Hillary Clinton the election.

Mr Silver said: “Comey had a large, measurable impact on the race…Lace-deciding voters broke strongly against Clinton in swing states, enough to cost her Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.”