Comey defends Clinton email investigation

WASHINGTON—FBI Director James Comey stands by the decision to drop Hillary Clinton’s email case despite recent developments.

“You can call us wrong; you can call me a fool, but don’t call us weasels,” Comey testified to the House Judiciary Committee today. “I knew this was going to be controversial, and I knew there would be all kinds of rocks thrown, but this organization and the people who did this are honest, independent people—we do not carry water for one side or the other.”

Since July, when the FBI concluded its yearlong investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, Republicans have looked for ways to reopen the case. Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., convened an FBI oversight hearing to talk about one case: Clinton’s emails. Unequivocally, Comey said he stood by the process and the outcome of the FBI’s investigation, and any subsequent developments had yet to dissuade him.

On Friday, the FBI acknowledged Clinton’s former chief of staff Cheryl Mills and legal counsel Heather Samuelson both received immunity during the investigation for turning over their laptops. Additionally, Mills and Samuelson were both by Clinton’s side during her voluntary interview with the FBI on July 2.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., suggested having Mills and Samuelson, two possible witnesses against Clinton, in the room for the interview was a conflict of interest.

Comey told the committee the purpose of the interview was to question the subject; who was sitting next to her was not germane.

But Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, didn’t buy the explanation and said allowing two potentially implicated Clinton aides into the interview meant the FBI knew beforehand everyone was going to walk away blameless.

“This interview should have never happened,” Ratcliffe said. He explained no reasonable attorney would have agreed to do the interview unless she knew ahead of time she would walk away unscathed.

Comey assured the committee he did not make his determination until after the FBI questioned Clinton.

Republicans said Comey’s explanation of why Clinton was never prosecuted “doesn’t pass the smell test,” and there is clearly a double standard for the Democratic presidential nominee.

But the FBI director said despite the deluge of critics, anyone with a similar case would not face criminal charges.

“Choosing to prosecute Clinton would have created a double standard,” Comey said.

Democrats lampooned the accusations levied against the FBI.

“In recent weeks, this line of attack has been remarkable only for its lack of substance,” said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the committee’s top Democrat. “[Republicans] want to investigate the investigation, Director Comey. What an unfortunate waste of this committee’s time.”

Yet Conyers and his colleagues had a similar agenda for the hearing: Attack the opposing party’s presidential nominee.

Citing “a well-placed Western intelligence source,” Yahoo News on Friday reported the U.S. government had received intelligence reports that Carter Page, a Donald Trump foreign policy adviser, met with Russian officials. Page was accused of talking about lifting economic sanctions against Russia if Trump were to win the White House.

Page’s alleged negotiations with Russia, if true, would be in conflict with the Logan Act, which outlaws unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. The act prevents the undermining of the U.S. government’s position among foreign nations.

Comey neither confirmed nor denied the FBI was investigating the Trump campaign. And when pressed by Democrats, Comey refused to answer hypothetical questions about whether the FBI would pursue a similar case.

Page told The Washington Post this week the accusations were garbage, but he has since left the campaign, not wanting to be a distraction.