Comey clashes with GOP on Clinton emails, bias alleged

WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James 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.”

The interview transcript “will bore you,” Comey said.

Two GOP-led committees brought Comey in as they sought to wrap up a yearlong investigation. 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 the probe into her email use. Comey was in charge of both investigations.

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 Mueller’s Russia probe.

After the questioning some Republicans signaled they were unhappy with Comey’s level of cooperation. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said Comey had two lawyers in the room, his personal lawyer and one from the Justice Department. He said the department lawyer 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,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., But he added that “we got nowhere today.”