WASHINGTON — Newly discovered emails that have prompted a new FBI review of the Hillary Clinton email investigation came from a separate sexting probe of former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, a U.S. official said.
Federal authorities in New York and North Carolina are investigating online communications between Weiner and a 15-year-old girl.
The official said Friday that the emails referenced by FBI director James Comey surfaced during that investigation. The official was familiar with the investigation but was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Comey told members of Congress on Friday that newly discovered emails believed to be related to the Clinton case were prompting a new review.
CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN RESPONDS
The chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign says Comey owes it to the American people to immediately provide the full details of what his agents are now examining related to the Democratic nominee.
John Podesta was responding Friday to a letter from Comey informing Congress that the FBI is investigating whether there is classified information in new emails that have emerged in its probe of Clinton's private server.
Podesta says Comey's letter was extraordinary, coming just 11 days before the presidential election.
Podesta says he is confident that the new information will not produce any conclusions different from the one that the FBI reached in July, when the bureau closed its investigation without finding evidence to support criminal charges.
PRESIDENT OBAMA
The White House says it had no advance warning about Comey's decision.
Spokesman Eric Schultz says the White House learned of Comey's decision from news reports.
Schultz says President Obama expects the FBI to follow the facts wherever they lead.
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Obama ignored shouted questions about Comey's decision as he left the White House to campaign for Clinton in Orlando, Florida.
The FBI closed its criminal investigation into Clinton's use of the email server in July.
IMPACT ON ELECTION
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Aaron Diamant talked to one analyst who said this could have an impact on the election.
"It's a potential bombshell," said Kerwin Swint, Kennesaw State University Political Science Chair.
But Swint is unsure of the lasting impact.
"This is absolutely a good thing for the Trump campaign, and it could put them back in contention in some of those swing states that he's been slipping away from the last couple weeks," Swint said. "I'm still not sure that's enough at this point to swing the election towards Mr. Trump."
WHAT HAPPENS IF CANDIDATE WINS AND THEN INDICTED
The political bombshell dropped by the FBI Friday is raising new questions not only about who will win the election but legal questions as well -- especially if Clinton ends up winning.
Hillary Clinton is calling on the FBI to release more information after the agency announced its reviewing new emails related to the Clinton investigation.
"Voting is underway, so the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately," Clinton said in a late evening news conference Friday.
Clinton claims she has no idea what's in the emails in question.
"Right now, your guess is as good as mine, and I don't think that's good enough," Clinton said.
Until we learn more about what's in the new emails, associate dean of the Georgia State University law school, Jessica Cino, told Channel 2’s Justin Wilfon it's unclear how bad this is for Clinton.
"I think it's important that the letter from the FBI director doesn't say that they are re-opening the Clinton email investigation, it's just that they've now received additional information and I think they're trying to be transparent," Cino told Wilfon.
But with so much unknown, many are asking what if Clinton wins the election, only to be indicted before taking office?
"It's vague. I don't think we really have a clear direction on legally what we would be looking at, in terms of where do we go from here?" Cino said.
With so many Georgians lining up to vote early, it's a new twist in this election's wild ride for them to consider.
"She made a mistake. Someone on her staff made a mistake. And I think she's learned her lesson," one Clinton supporter told Wilfon.
"I think she's been lying through her teeth. I really do. I think there's so much more that we don't know," a Trump supporter said.
Those voters said Friday’s news had no impact on the way they voted. It only seemed to harden their positions one way or the other.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.