Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on FBI Director James Comey’s conclusion that charges are not appropriate for Secretary Clinton’s use of a private email server:

“After months of painstaking work, FBI Director Comey today announced that charges against Secretary Clinton for her use of a private email server would not be appropriate and that ‘no reasonable prosecutor’ would pursue a case.

“While Secretary Clinton admitted the private server was a mistake, it’s clear there was no intent to violate laws governing the handling of classified information, so this is the proper conclusion.

“The efforts by Republicans over the past year to malign Secretary Clinton have been nothing short of shameful. The email review process was repeatedly distorted by Republicans for political gain with little care for the facts. So I’m especially grateful to the FBI and Director Comey—who previously served as a U.S. Attorney and deputy attorney general during the Bush administration—for a thorough, objective review.

“One lesson to draw from this process is that our system for classifying information is confusing and imprecise. Whether it’s rampant overclassification or the subjective process of ‘upclassifying’ information, these important issues deserve another look. I’m hopeful that we can finally close this distasteful chapter and direct our attention and resources to more productive areas.”