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WASHINGTON ― FBI Director James Comey on Thursday defended his decision to …
FBI Director Defends Decision Not To Charge Hillary Clinton
Republicans were furious that James Comey didn’t prosecute the former secretary of state over her email server, and are calling on the FBI to investigate her again.
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WASHINGTON ― FBI Director James Comey on Thursday defended his decision to forgo a criminal case against Hillary Clinton,
telling an angry congressional committee that the former secretary of
state’s handling of her email system simply doesn’t merit prosecution.
Comey announced Tuesday that he’d cleared Clinton from potential prosecution over her use of a private email server, saying her actions were “extremely careless” but that no “reasonable” prosecutor would pursue the case. His most damning finding was that Clinton had more than 100 classified messages on her home-brew system, including eight marked “top secret.”
Immediately after the announcement, Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) called a hearing on the issue.
“We’re here because we’re mystified and confused by the fact pattern you laid out,” Chaffetz said. He added that based on Comey’s facts, if an “average Joe” had done what Clinton did, “they’d be in handcuffs.”
Comey announced Tuesday that he’d cleared Clinton from potential prosecution over her use of a private email server, saying her actions were “extremely careless” but that no “reasonable” prosecutor would pursue the case. His most damning finding was that Clinton had more than 100 classified messages on her home-brew system, including eight marked “top secret.”
Immediately after the announcement, Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) called a hearing on the issue.
“We’re here because we’re mystified and confused by the fact pattern you laid out,” Chaffetz said. He added that based on Comey’s facts, if an “average Joe” had done what Clinton did, “they’d be in handcuffs.”
The top Democrat on the
committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.) said Comey had a thankless task
that was bound to bring criticism from all sides, including that his
statement went too far in its condemnation of Clinton.
Cummings accused the GOP of mounting yet another politically motivated attack, only because Comey didn’t produce the result they wanted.
“Amazingly, some Republicans who were praising you just days ago ... instantly turned against you,” Cummings said.
“In their eyes, you had one job and one job only, to prosecute Hillary Clinton,” Cummings said, before asking Comey to “fill the gap” that Chaffetz pointed to, and explain the FBI’s reasoning and process.
“Even if it takes until hell freezes over, I beg you to fill the gap,” Cummings said.
Comey stood by his statement that the FBI’s investigation was wholly unpolitical and based entirely on the facts, but said that he understood why people might question the decision.
He said the choice not to prosecute boiled down to two things: what Clinton knew about what she was doing, and what she intended. He noted that while someone could be prosecuted under espionage law for “gross negligence” in handling classified material, it had only happened once in 100 years.
And in this case, he repeated, Clinton’s actions did not rise to a prosecutable level.
“My conclusion was and remains that no reasonable prosecutor would bring this case,” Comey said.
In addition to grilling Comey on his decision, Republicans used Thursday’s hearing to call for yet another FBI investigation of Clinton, this time centered on whether she had lied under oath.
Cummings accused the GOP of mounting yet another politically motivated attack, only because Comey didn’t produce the result they wanted.
“Amazingly, some Republicans who were praising you just days ago ... instantly turned against you,” Cummings said.
“In their eyes, you had one job and one job only, to prosecute Hillary Clinton,” Cummings said, before asking Comey to “fill the gap” that Chaffetz pointed to, and explain the FBI’s reasoning and process.
“Even if it takes until hell freezes over, I beg you to fill the gap,” Cummings said.
Comey stood by his statement that the FBI’s investigation was wholly unpolitical and based entirely on the facts, but said that he understood why people might question the decision.
He said the choice not to prosecute boiled down to two things: what Clinton knew about what she was doing, and what she intended. He noted that while someone could be prosecuted under espionage law for “gross negligence” in handling classified material, it had only happened once in 100 years.
And in this case, he repeated, Clinton’s actions did not rise to a prosecutable level.
“My conclusion was and remains that no reasonable prosecutor would bring this case,” Comey said.
In addition to grilling Comey on his decision, Republicans used Thursday’s hearing to call for yet another FBI investigation of Clinton, this time centered on whether she had lied under oath.
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