'Deeply troubled' by FBI's decision to reopen probe: Democrats

FBI had not even sought or obtained the authority necessary to review the emails in question, Democrats alleged.

Washington: Top Democratic leaders of the US Senate have said they were \"deeply troubled\" by FBI's recent decision to reopen the probe into the email scandal involving party's presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and questioned the timing of the move.

\"We are deeply troubled by the fact that Director Comey apparently sent his letter without even knowing the basic facts about the emails,\" four top Ranking members of powerful Senate Committees said in a joint statement.

The Senators, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Tom Carper, Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein and Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Ben Cardin said the letter sent by FBI Director James Comey has led to widespread confusion and unfair speculation.

\"In fact, it appears that when Director Comey sent his letter, the FBI had not even sought or obtained the authority necessary to review the emails in question,\" they said, adding that the letter is being mischaracterised and misconstrued for political benefit, which is the very reason the Justice Department has a long-standing policy against publicising investigations so close to Election Day.

\"Voters are going to the polls at this very moment, and it is incumbent on the FBI Director and Attorney General to provide Congress and the American people with clear, unambiguous answers about what the FBI knows and doesn't know about the emails in question, including how many are duplicate emails that have already been reviewed by the FBI,\" the Senators said.