Comey testy after testifying in House
‘We’re talking about ... Clinton’s emails, for heaven’s sake,’ ex-FBI chief says after two GOP-led hearings.
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James B. Comey spoke to House investigators behind closed doors for almost seven hours Friday, begrudgingly answering questions about the Justice Department’s decisions during the 2016 presidential election.
Comey, who appeared under subpoena, announced after the meeting that he would return for more questioning Dec. 17. Appearing annoyed, he said “we’re talking about Hillary Clinton’s emails, for heaven’s sake, so I’m not sure we needed to do this at all.”
A transcript of the interview, expected to be released soon, “will bore you,” he said.
Two Republican-led committees brought Comey in as they sought to wrap up a yearlong investigation into the department’s decisions in 2016. Republicans argue that department officials were biased against Donald Trump as they started an investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a probe into her email use. Comey was in charge of both inquiries.
Democrats have said the investigations by the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees are merely a way to distract from and undermine special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia inquiry. Mueller took over the department’s investigation when he was appointed in May 2017.
After Comey’s questioning, some Republicans signaled they were unhappy with his level of cooperation. California Rep. Darrell Issa said Comey had two lawyers in the room: his personal lawyer and a lawyer from the Justice Department.
He said the department lawyer repeatedly instructed Comey not to answer “a great many questions that are clearly items at the core of our investigation.” Democrats disagreed. “He answered the questions he had to answer,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois said.
Florida Rep. Ted Deutch said the Republican majority “wishes to only ask questions still about Hillary Clinton’s emails, all to distract from the big news today, which is what’s happening in court.”
As the interview with Comey ended, Mueller revealed new details about his Russia investigation in court on Friday in the cases of Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump tweeted that “it is being reported that Leakin’ James Comey was told by Department of Justice attorneys not to answer the most important questions. Total bias and corruption at the highest levels of previous administration. Force him to answer the questions under oath!”
A report released in June from the Justice Department’s internal watchdog found there was no evidence that Comey’s or the department’s final conclusions were motivated by political bias toward either candidate.