US presidential front runner Hillary Clinton has declared that the FBI's decision to announce a renewed probe into her use of email just ahead of voting was "unprecedented" and "deeply troubling."
"It's pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election," she complained, addressing cheering supporters at a rally in the must-win state of Florida.
Earlier today top aides to Mrs Clinton insisted there is "no evidence of wrongdoing" following the FBI's notification to the US Congress yesterday that it is again looking at Mrs Clinton's use of a private server for emails when she was secretary of state.
"There's no evidence of wrongdoing, no charge of wrongdoing," Mrs Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told reporters by telephone.
Mr Podesta, following up on calls by Mrs Clinton late yesterday, urged FBI Director James Comey to make public the details of any new developments in the case.
Mr Podesta also complained that 24 hours after Mr Comey's letter was transmitted to Congress, "We have no real explanation of why Director Comey" sent it.
The Washington Post reported today that senior Justice Department officials told Mr Comey his letter to Congress was inconsistent with FBI policy of not commenting on ongoing investigations.
This latest controversy over Mrs Clinton emails has surfaced in the waning days of a bitter presidential campaign against Republican challenger Donald Trump. Election Day is on 8 November.
In July, Mr Comey said the FBI would not seek to prosecute Mrs Clinton after looking into whether she may have handled classified material improperly in emails.
Campaign manager Robby Mook said voters had already "factored" what they knew about the email investigation into their decision-making. "We don't see it changing the landscape "for undecided voters, Mr Mook said.
Sources close to the investigation yesterday said the latest emails were discovered as part of a separate probe into Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
Mr Weiner, a former US congressman from New York, is the target of an FBI investigation into illicit text messages he is alleged to have sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina.
Donald Trump, in campaign appearances yesterday, called the new development part of "the biggest political scandal since Watergate" that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.
With less than two weeks before the elections, both Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton held multiple campaign rallies today.
In his remarks to reporters, Mr Podesta complained that Mr Comey's letter to Congress was "light on facts, heavy on innuendo" and urged him to "come forward and give those answers to the American public" about the exact nature of the FBI's latest review of emails.
