--- title: Obama Says ‘No Political Influence’ in Clinton Email Probe description: President Obama said politics will not interfere with the Justice Department’s probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server canonical: https://time.com/4287741/obama-clinton-email-fox/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-10T14:12:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T09:27:53.898Z article:section: Politics og:title: Obama Says There Will Be ‘No Political Influence’ In Clinton Email Probe og:description: “Nobody is above the law. How many times do I have to say it?” og:url: https://time.com/4287741/obama-clinton-email-fox/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba9740223b28b89b/69888e6cf887dc1da2e9566a/barack-obama2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: In this April 7, 2016, photo, President Barack Obama speaks about his Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland at the University of Chicago Law School in Chicago. Thanks to an improving economic outlook and strong backing from young people, Obama’s approval og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Says There Will Be ‘No Political Influence’ In Clinton Email Probe twitter:description: “Nobody is above the law. How many times do I have to say it?” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltba9740223b28b89b/69888e6cf887dc1da2e9566a/barack-obama2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Obama Says There Will Be ‘No Political Influence’ in Clinton Email Probe > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 10, 2016 2:12 PM UTC  President Barack Obama speaks about his Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland at the University of Chicago Law School in Chicago on Apr. 7, 2016. President Barack Obama speaks about his Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland at the University of Chicago Law School in Chicago on Apr. 7, 2016. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Apr 10, 2016 2:12 PM UTC President Obama on Sunday said [politics will not interfere with the Justice Department’s probe](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/10/exclusive-obama-defends-terror-fight-vows-no-influence-in-clinton-email-probe.html?intcmp=hpbt1) into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State. The commander-in-chief’s comments came from his [interview with _Fox News Sunday_](http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/06/media/president-obama-fox-news/), which was taped Friday and included a range of topics, including his efforts to defeat ISIS and his praise of Clinton’s work for the State Department. “I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case,” Obama told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “Nobody is above the law. How many times do I have to say it?” Obama said there was “carelessness in terms of managing emails” but said he still doesn’t believe the [emails](http://time.com/3739541/transcript-hillary-clinton-email-press-conference/?iid=sr-link1) breached national security. He also said his top priority as President is protecting Americans from terrorists. “I’m the guy who calls the families, or meets with them, or hugs them, or tries to comfort a mom, or a dad, or a husband, or a kid, after a terrorist attack,” he said. “So let’s be very clear about how much I prioritize this: This is my No. 1 job.” \[[Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/10/exclusive-obama-defends-terror-fight-vows-no-influence-in-clinton-email-probe.html?intcmp=hpbt1)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4287741/obama-clinton-email-fox/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4287741/obama-clinton-email-fox/"},"headline":"Obama Says There Will Be ‘No Political Influence’ in Clinton Email Probe","datePublished":"2016-04-10T14:12:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T09:27:53.898Z","description":"“Nobody is above the law. 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