During a House investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private, unsecured email server during her tenure as secretary of State, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) ripped apart FBI Director James Comey Thursday morning for publicly stating there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute the presumptive Democratic nominee.
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After maintaining for more than a year that she did not send or receive classified information through her unauthorised private email system, she acknowledged in a string of interviews yesterday she may have at least unwittingly done so, three days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded this happened at least 110 times.
Though Comey kept a relatively clam demeanor throughout the 4.5 hours of scrutiny, he revealed at one point that the Clinton Foundation might now be under investigation as well.
Gowdy: Secretary Clinton said, “I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email, there is no classified material”. She and Mr. Clinton have just been above the law for so long that I don’t think they even can see the law from their exalted perch.
“I think that DNI Clapper should deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during this campaign, given how she so recklessly handled classified information”, said Clinton.
Many Republican representatives who questioned Comey expressed their discontent with the FBI’s decision not to recommend charges against Clinton.
“There is no legal requirement for you to provide Secretary Clinton with classified information, and it would send the wrong signal to all those charged with safeguarding our nation’s secrets if you choose to provide her access to this information despite the FBI’s findings”, Mr Ryan wrote.
“There was nothing marked classified on my emails, either sent or received”, Clinton testified at the time.
Separately, the State Department is reopening its internal investigation of possible mishandling of classified information by Clinton and top aides.
Absent a weird twist in the party conventions, many Americans will feel they are not choosing the best candidate to be president, but the one who will do the least harm to the nation. She also said she only used one mobile device for emails and turned over all of her work-related emails to the State Department.
Comey’s rebuke of Clinton fanned the controversy and could still complicate her increasingly tight race against Republican rival Donald Trump.
COMEY: Certainly she should have known not to send classified information.
A group of Republicans senators has introduced legislation to strip Clinton of her security clearance.
There was one moment towards the end of the hearing that gravely wounded the Republican efforts to stop Clinton.
CHAFFETZ: Do you know who paid for that?
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Attorney General Loretta Lynch On Wednesday accepted the FBI’s recommendation and declined to press charges against Clinton.
