FBI Director James Comey faced a no-win proposition after agents uncovered a batch of emails possibly linked to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state.

If Comey had stayed silent about the discovery until after next Tuesday's election, the GOP probably would have accused him of letting politics influence law enforcement decisions. By not sitting on the discovery and choosing to alert Congress in a vaguely worded letter Friday, Comey now faces criticism that he violated the longstanding Justice Department directive not to let investigations interfere with elections.

There is little question that Comey's revelation has damaged Clinton and provided a last-minute boost to Republican Donald Trump. The boost is unwarranted because the only thing Comey did was alert Congress that he has reopened an investigation that was previously closed after uncovering no criminal wrongdoing. It's not known whether Clinton is directly linked to the newly discovered emails, nor whether the emails are simply copies of the thousands previously reviewed by the FBI.

Trump's assertion that this is the biggest political scandal since Watergate is typical of his hyperbole — so exaggerated that it doesn't deserve to be taken seriously.

And yet, this being the craziest presidential campaign in American history, it shouldn't be surprising that Trump is capitalizing on something that, so far, amounts to nothing.

This newspaper has concurred with Comey's original conclusion in July that Clinton was "extremely careless" in routing sensitive government emails through a personal server in her home. By risking exposure of thousands of classified government communications, Clinton invited the public to doubt her judgment.

Equally outrageous is the fact that thousands of State Department emails wound up on the personal computer of Anthony Weiner, a former Democratic congressman from New York who resigned in disgrace amid a sexting scandal. A top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, is Weiner's estranged wife. Because Weiner is under FBI investigation for allegedly sending sexually oriented messages to a 15-year-old girl, the existence of the State Department emails surfaced as agents were sifting through his confiscated internet devices.

What a colossal mess.

Clinton's supporters should not be swayed one iota in their belief that she is the most qualified candidate for the presidency. She is. Trump supporters may feel vindicated even though their candidate remains entirely unqualified.

The big worry is how this could affect the independents whose votes could sway the entire election outcome. Despite Clinton's flaws, no one can accuse her of being a racist, sexist xenophobe with a minimal attention span and extremely tenuous grasp of facts.

Clinton at least apologizes and learns from her mistakes. Trump won't even acknowledge his, much less attempt to correct them.

That Comey breathed new life into Trump's campaign is unfortunate. It's the FBI director's judgment that now merits deeper congressional scrutiny.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH