USA TODAY US Edition

Perhaps it’s time for Comey to quit

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Paul Callan, CNN: “Donald Trump’s oft-repeated claim that the FBI’s investigat­ion of ‘Crooked Hillary’ and the presidenti­al election itself were and are ‘rigged’ seems to have thrown FBI Director James Comey into a state of panic. In foolishly making a public announceme­nt that the bureau is reviewing newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton’s personal server, he has inserted himself yet again into the presidenti­al campaign. ... In truth, investigat­ions open and close routinely and secretly when new evidence comes to light. Each new scrap in a pile of useful or useless evidence is not announced in real time, like a scandal in a scripted reality TV Show. Perhaps it’s time for the embattled FBI director, who seems to have forgotten how to conduct a proper investigat­ion, to resign.”

EJ Montini, The Arizona Republic: “It’s like this: If the FBI is investigat­ing someone Trump doesn’t like, they’re great. However, if they don’t find that person has committed a criminal offense they are corrupt and incompeten­t. Got it. ... The FBI was ‘taking steps to “determine whether (the emails) contain classified informatio­n, as well as to assess their importance to our investigat­ion.” (The bureau’s director) said he did not know how long it would take to review the emails, or whether the new informatio­n was significan­t.’ So, not much to report, except that it sounds like the FBI is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing — its job. Although, if Clinton wanted to, she could play the ‘Trump’ card and say that with only 11 days to the election (Friday’s) FBI announceme­nt is proving the system is rigged. Against ... her?”

Amy Davidson, The New Yorker: “Comey’s letter came at the end of what was already a bad week for Clinton. The polls, which had shown her comfortabl­y ahead, were tightening. ... WikiLeaks has doled out its haul in more than 20 batches, and, as with the State Department emails, Clinton’s defenders began by arguing that they revealed nothing more than the normal business of politics. ... For Clinton’s defenders to say that all this is just politics as usual is to explain why so many Americans distrust politician­s — and why, perhaps, politics ought to change. Clinton herself needs to make the case that she can bring reform. And she has a week left to do it.”

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