Finish what he started
James Comey talked too much. But he can’t stop now. The director of the FBI strayed from normal law-enforcement practices and the advice of Attorney General Loretta Lynch when he delivered an October surprise that made him a major player in the presidential campaign.
The reaction to his revelation that the FBI is looking at additional emails related to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server shows how irresponsible his choice was.
Rampant speculation has far outrun the few facts Comey provided. Donald Trump is spinning that speculation into political gold.
Clinton is being prosecuted in the court of public opinion at the same time Americans are casting their votes for president. People can’t wait for a new investigation. People are voting now.
Comey offered no substance, no evidence. There’s only the suggestion of new scandal, which means Clinton can offer no defense.
Comey’s actions demonstrate why law enforcement doesn’t discuss ongoing investigations — particularly this close to an election.
Clinton has no way to fight the perception that the FBI now knows something it didn’t know last summer when Comey said no prosecutor would charge her.
The FBI director cannot simply let the drama he created play out. He needs to tell us what he knows. He needs to say why he broke with tradition and went against the expressed wishes of Attorney General Lynch by going public. We need details. We need context.
Sadly, there may be little he can offer — which reinforces the enormity of his mistake.
In his letter to Congress, Comey said investigators found new emails related to Clinton’s handling of classified information while secretary of State.
He said “the FBI cannot assess” whether the information is “significant” or how long it could take to make that determination.
In other words, there may be something — or not. They are taking a look. That’s what law-enforcement investigators do.
But they usually do it quietly. Why? Because the public attaches a stigma to those who are investigated. In Clinton’s case, the stigma plays into a narrative Trump has channeled into chants of “lock her up” at his rallies.
What’s this review about? Sources told reporters that some of Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s emails were found during the separate investigation of former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s alleged sexting relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Weiner is Abedin’s estranged spouse.
It’s unknown how many of Abedin’s emails are among the nearly 650,000 being investigated in connection with Weiner. Or whether they are duplicates of Clinton-related emails the FBI has already scrutinized.
The FBI cannot be expected to review them all before the election. So why the announcement? Perhaps Comey was still stinging from criticism from Republicans who didn’t like his decision in July not to prosecute Hillary Clinton. Perhaps he was interested in the public’s right to know.
Yet Comey had no idea when he sent his letter to Congress whether there was anything the public needed to know. Comey injected himself recklessly into the presidential race. It was a poor choice. Comey undermined his credibility and earned criticism from across the political spectrum by talking too much. But he can’t stop talking now. He needs to counter the speculation with as much information as he has. The American people need to hear the context for this review.
Comey needs to clarify what he has and why he thinks it was so important to break with tradition by going public with a high-profile announcement that feeds unfounded speculation and will further erode confidence in this election.