FBI faces heat over probe
washington — FBI director James B Comey came under fire on Saturday over the timing of his decision to launch a new probe against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton just days ahead of the November 8 presidential election.
But Clinton said she was ‘confident’ that the FBI’s review of newly discovered e-mails related to her use of a private server will not change the bureau’s original conclusion that she should not face charges.
“The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately,” said Clinton in her first comments since the bombshell announcement that the FBI would revisit the matter.
“It’s imperative that the bureau explain this issue in question, whatever it is, without any delay,” she added at a press conference in Iowa’s state capital Des Moines.
The New Yorker said Comey’s decision to make public the new evidence was contrary to the views of attorney-general Loretta Lynch.
The paper quoted administration officials as saying that Lynch expressed her preference that Comey follow the department’s longstanding practice of not commenting on ongoing investigations, and not taking any action that could influence the outcome of an election, but he said that he felt compelled to do otherwise.
The reason, according to the former official, “is because it impugns the integrity and reputation of the candidate, even though there’s no finding by a court, or in this instance even an indictment”, the New Yorker reported.
It said the Justice Department has advised prosecutors and law enforcement to avoid any appearance
of meddling in the outcome of elections, even if it means holding off on pressing cases. The FBI director is an employee of the Justice Department, and is covered by its policies.
According to the Administration official, Lynch asked Comey to follow Justice Department policies, but he said that he was obliged to break with them because he had promised to inform members of Congress if there were further developments in the case, the paper said.
It said Comey also felt that the impending election created a compelling need to inform the public, despite the tradition of acting with added discretion around elections. — Agencies