On Tuesday, for the first time in U.S. history, a sitting American president will campaign with a presidential candidate who is the subject of an FBI investigation.
President Obama will stump with Hillary Clinton in Charlotte, North Carolina. The pair were scheduled to appear in Wisconsin last month after Obama formally endorsed his former secretary of state, but those plans were scrapped after Muslim terrorist Omar Mateen attacked a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Obama’s decision to campaign with Clinton suggests that the he and the White House believe that the Justice Department will not indict Clinton. The FBI opened an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private server last year after “Top Secret” emails were found on the device.
The presumptive Democratic nominee was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours on Saturday at FBI headquarters. The interrogation occurred several days after Obama’s attorney general, Loretta Lynch, had an unannounced private meeting with Bill Clinton.
The meet-up has led to accusations that Lynch and the former president were discussing the FBI investigation, the results of which Lynch will review before issuing the final decision regarding indictment.
Adding to growing suspicion over potential conflicts of interest, The New York Times reported this weekend that Hillary Clinton is considering keeping Lynch on as attorney general if she is elected president. (RELATED: Report: Clinton Is Considering Keeping Loretta Lynch As Attorney General)
The White House has repeatedly insisted that Obama has not been apprised of developments in the investigation. Despite those claims, he and Vice President Joe Biden have not refrained from downplaying Clinton’s decision to use a personal email account hosted on the private server.
Just hours after FBI investigators interrogated Clinton on Saturday — a development which was first reported by The Daily Caller — CNN reported that law enforcement sources said that charges are not expected against her in the case.
The network later clarified that that determination may change depending on Clinton’s statements during the FBI interview.
Obama is reportedly eager to hit the campaign trail, mostly so that he can go after presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Obama held off on endorsing a Democrat for president until after Clinton won California’s June 7 primary.