MANCHESTER, N.H. — Donald Trump on Friday responded to breaking news that the FBI would investigate additional emails from Hillary Clinton's private server by praising the bureau for having "the courage to right the horrible mistake they made" earlier in the summer.
"I need to open with a very critical breaking news announcement," Trump said to cheers that at times drowned out his remarks. "The FBI has just sent a letter to Congress informing them that they have discovered new emails pertaining to the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's investigation."
The crowd erupted into cheers of "lock her up." During the remarks a voice rang out "lock the traitors up."
"They are reopening the case into her criminal and illegal conduct that threatens the security of the United States of America," Trump explained to the crowd. He called Clinton's corruption "on a scale we have never seen before" and implored voters not to let her "take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office."
"I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and DOJ are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake they made," said Trump, who had recently been sounding the alarm on the campaign trail to "investigate the investigation" into Clinton's server. The letter from FBI Director James Comey to the Senate Judiciary Committee making the announcement did not say the case is "re-opened," and technically has not been closed.
"This was a grave miscarriage of justice," the Republican nominee said, relishing the news he got just minutes before taking the stage here. Of that "miscarriage," Trumps said he hopes "it is about to be corrected."
Comey announced in July that the bureau would not press criminal charges against the Democratic presidential nominee for her email use at the State Department.
A Clinton aide told NBC News he has "no idea" what spurred the letter.
The news bodes well for Trump's campaign which has been gasping for success amid flagging poll numbers - and seems to have softened Trump on the idea of the rigged system he's staked as a foundational principle of his campaign in the waning days of the race. "It might not be as rigged a I thought," he said. "I think they're going to right the ship."
