Fox News anchor Bret Baier apologized for reporting that federal investigators had determined that Hillary Clinton’s private email server had been hacked and that an investigation would lead to an indictment of Clinton after the election. In fact, Baier said, after checking with his sources, there is no evidence at this time for either statement, the Washington Post reports. Baier, the anchor of Fox’s evening newscast “Special Report,” reported Wednesday that the FBI had determined that Clinton’s private server, which she used while serving as secretary of state, had been hacked by “five foreign intelligence agencies.”
He further said on Thursday, during an interview with Fox’s Brit Hume, that a separate FBI investigation — of the charitable Clinton Foundation — was “likely” to lead to an indictment of Clinton after Tuesday’s election. Both statements, if true, would be explosive developments in the late stages of the presidential campaign between Clinton and Republican rival Donald Trump. Neither of his reports about Clinton were accurate, Baier acknowledged Friday. Baier said he relied on a single anonymous source within the FBI for his report about an alleged hack of the server. He described his comment about an indictment — which he previously called “inartful” — as more than that. “Well, that wasn’t just inartful,” he said. “It was a mistake. And for that I’m sorry. I should have said they will continue to build their case.”