Prosecutor on Jack Smith team discouraged FBI from investigating Clinton Foundation in 2016

 A top prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith's team discouraged the FBI from investigating the Clinton Foundation in 2016 because of what he saw as negligible evidence despite multiple Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign transactions. Fox News Digital has learned.

Ray Hulser, former head of the DOJ's Public Integrity Section (PIN), who currently serves on Smith's team prosecuting former President Trump, was identified in Special Counsel John Durham's 2016 report on the Clinton Foundation's "refusal to prosecute" Was appointed as the executing officer.

According to the Durham Report, in January 2016, "three separate FBI field offices, the New York Field Office, the Washington Field Office, and the Little Rock Field Office, began investigating possible criminal activity involving the Clinton Foundation."

The report shows that the case was opened citing an intelligence product and financial reporting that confirmed that a particular commercial "industry involved a federal public official in the flow of a benefit scheme, that is, a non -Large monetary contributions were made to a for-profit entity under the direct and indirect control of a federal public official in exchange for favorable government action and/or influence."

The investigation out of Washington was initiated as a "preliminary investigation", as the case agent wanted to determine whether he was involved in the case, before trying to turn it around, according to the recently published book 'Clinton Cash' by Peter Schweizer. May develop additional information to corroborate the allegations. For a thorough investigation,” the report said.

But the New York and Little Rock investigations included "prediction based on source reporting that identified foreign governments that had contributed, or offered to contribute, to the foundation in exchange for favorable or preferential treatment from Clinton."

The Durham Report revealed that since three separate FBI field offices had opened investigations related to the Clinton Foundation, coordination meetings had to be conducted between "the field offices, FBI Headquarters and appropriate U.S. Attorney's offices" as well as "constituents." The need was felt. From Chief Justice Department.

"These meetings were perhaps considered particularly important because the investigation was taking place in an election year in which Clinton was the declared candidate for president," the report, which included details of those meetings, said.

A meeting detailed in the report took place on February 1, 2016. Also present at that meeting were several FBI officials, as well as Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell and Hulser, who was then head of the Public Integrity Section.

Durham interviewed Hulser as part of his investigation. Hulser told Durham that the FBI briefing on the Clinton Foundation was "poorly presented and inadequately predictive of an investigation at least in part because of its reliance on allegations contained in a book."

"Hulser downplayed the information provided by the New York Field Office CHS [Confidential Human Source] and reminded that the amount included in the financial reporting was 'minimal,'" the report said.

A footnote in the Durham report states, "The reporting, which is not in itself evidence of wrongdoing, was a story describing multiple fund transfers, some of which involved international bank accounts that were charged with bribery or gratuity violations." There was suspicion of facilitating." “The transactions involved occurred between 2012 and 2014 and totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

The Durham report does not explicitly mention the term "suspicious activity report", however, the activity described is one that would typically be the subject of such a report.

However, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that multiple SARs related to the Clinton Foundation were filed during that time. In 2012, Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State.

Banks have a duty to file SARs, but it is up to the Department of Justice to determine whether there is any criminality.

Because of the Clinton name, accounts held by the Clinton Foundation or related to the Clintons are likely to receive the "PEP" designation within financial institutions. PEP is short for Politically Exposed Person, meaning that the individual, through his or her prominent position or relationships, may be more vulnerable to involvement in bribery or corruption.

The Hunter Biden federal criminal investigation was based, in part, on money received by the SAR from "China and other foreign countries". Those SARs have been reviewed as part of the House impeachment investigation against President Biden, led by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and the Ways and Means Committee. Chairman Jason Smith, R. -Mo.

Meanwhile, the Durham report states that during a February 2016 meeting, Hulser "declined to prosecute" the Clinton Foundation on behalf of the DOJ's Public Integrity Section.

However, Hulser told Durham during his interview that he "made it clear" that "his decision was not binding on the various U.S. Attorney's offices or FBI field divisions."

In an interview with another person present at the meeting, Durham learned that the Justice Department's reaction to the Clinton Foundation briefing was "hostile."

Former federal prosecutor and Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy said, "There are strong indications that the Obama Justice Department slowed and discouraged the investigation of the Clinton Foundation, including discouraging the FBI from pursuing it."

Regarding Hulser, McCarthy told Fox News Digital that "It has been clear from the beginning that the decision by the Biden Justice Department to appoint a special counsel was entirely political and intended to distance the attorney general and the president from the decision." it was done." "To make allegations against Trump, that Smith conducted this with the election calendar in mind."

McCarthy said, "No one should be surprised if people on Smith's staff have been involved in situations that would make their involvement politically controversial."

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to Smith's investigation as well as his case related to classified records related to the January 6 and 2020 election interference.

The office of special counsel Jack Smith declined to comment for this story.

As for the Clinton Foundation investigation, at another meeting in February 2016, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe "initially directed field offices to close their cases, but after objections, reconsidered the final disposition of the cases." Agreed to do."

At the end of the meeting, it was announced that McCabe's approval would be required "for any direct investigative steps to be taken."

Meanwhile, by May 2016, then-FBI Director James Comey directed the FBI's New York Field Office to "cease and desist" from investigating the Clinton Foundation due to "some undisclosed counter-intelligence concern."

Durham "was not able to determine what the counterintelligence issue raised by Comey was."