Tough days ahead for Clinton: Batra

Washington, Oct 31: The FBI's decision to re-open email scandal investigation has opened a new web of legal challenges for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton which could end up in her impeachment if she becomes the next US president, a top Indian-American attorney has claimed.

"The effect of this Friday re-opening is earth shattering: the criminal investigation is re-opened, and it is not limited to Weiner's laptop. Its open-ended," Ravi Batra told PTI.

"This may well peter out having narrowed Hillary's win and lead her post-Oath as POTUS (president of the United States) to face opposition from House Republicans that will seem to kiss impeachment post-Day One," warned Batra, a Democrat who has been closely following 69-year-old Clinton's alleged email scandal.

Batra said Huma Abedin, who is at the center of the current storm that has engulfed Clinton, 10 days ahead of the elections, is at the risk of having lied to the FBI.

"Hillary's "shadow" Huma, is at risk of having lied to federal FBI - which if she did, is a felony. Worse, is if she hires her own lawyer, not one paid for by Hillary. For if Huma seeks immunity, the House of Cards will unravel in ways unimaginable in American history," he said yesterday.

Batra, who now chairs National Advisory Council South Asian Affairs, said just when the 2016 presidential election was coming to a merciful close, it all blew up on Friday with FBI Director Jim Comey's Letter to Congress. In the letter Comey informed the Congress that he was re-opening the email investigation of Clinton.

"Comey is a man who will vindicate the law and the Constitution, and by so doing, redeem every ounce of his honour that was bled on the partisan political battlefield," he said.

Comey is under an unprecedented attack from the Clinton Campaign and the Democratic Party for taking such a decision. Batra said Comey took the decision after it was referred to him by Indian-American Preet Bharara, who was looking into the investigation of an alleged sexting case of former Congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Abedin. During the investigation, the FBI agents seized a laptop of Weiner which he shared with Abedin.

According to media reports, the laptop has more than 650,000 emails, many of which could be of Abedin's work related and this form part of the email scandal investigation.

"The bottom line of Comey's unprecedented go-it-alone decision to re-open Hillary's criminal investigation based upon Preet's referral to him of Weiner's laptop is nothing short of his rebuke of those who dared to fool him, and then, maybe, even gloat," Batra said.

"I and the world expected Hillary or Biden to become the Democratic Nominee and to win the presidency. Unfortunately, all of us who appreciate experienced people to lead nations, who are proportionate and calibrated in their actions and deliberated governance, have been let down," he said.

"One can only hope that the Early Voting will buffer the Friday Comey letter and Hillary wins, Trump loses, and then America can well self-correct to a better future," he said.

PTI