Says FBI decision proves "our system is totally rigged" and suggests Comey was pressured

Speaking hours after James Comey announced he would not recommend criminal charges over Hillary Clinton's emails, Trump told supporters that the decision showed "our system is totally rigged" and suggested that something improper must have happened behind the scenes. In remarks reported on July 5, 2016, he argued that "the system is rigged" in Clinton's favor, claimed that "very, very unfair" things were happening, and implied that Comey and the Justice Department could have been pressured or corrupted—despite Comey's detailed explanation that prosecutors rarely bring cases without clear evidence of intentional mishandling or obstruction. By presenting the non-indictment as proof that elites had fixed the outcome rather than as an exercise of prosecutorial discretion, he folded the email decision into his broader message that any outcome he or his base dislikes is the product of a crooked establishment.

"The system is rigged. It's totally rigged." — July 5, 2016 reactions captured in CNN and other coverage, where Trump said the FBI's recommendation not to charge Clinton showed that "our system is totally rigged" and described the outcome as "very, very unfair."