“Not to my knowledge, I don’t think there’s been a referral from Congress”, Comey said when asked by Chaffetz whether FBI investigators investigated statements she made to Congress about whether any of the emails she sent or received were marked classified.
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At Thursday’s hearing Mr Chaffetz, also a Republican, told Mr Comey: “It seems to a lot of us that the average Joe, the average American – if they had done what you laid out in your statement, that they’d be in handcuffs”.
In announcing that FBI’s decision not to recommend charges be brought against Clinton, Comey stated on Tuesday, “To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences”.
Under persistent questioning at a hearing of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, Comey insisted that “in my judgment” Clinton did not break the law while secretary of state and defended his decision not to recommend charges against her. “Explaining that three emails on Clinton’s server contained “(C)” markings on portions of body text – indicating confidential material – Comey said the Federal Bureau of Investigation considered whether someone may not have understood that demarcation.
Mr Comey, called to attend a hastily convened hearing at the Capitol in Washington DC on Thursday, was accused of having set a “dangerous precedent” that would permit government officials to handle classified information “sloppily” without fear of outcome.
Two days ago, director, you said a reasonable person in her position should have known a private e-mail was no place to send and receive classified information.
As The Huffington Post points out, in a June 6 appearance on Fox News Chaffetz described Comey as “a man of integrity and honesty”. One might think that someone who touts their government “experience” as much as Hillary Clinton does on the campaign trail would at least have a basic understanding of the classification system. Remember what Comey said about “criminal intent?”
Later Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the department was reopening its internal investigation of possible mishandling of classified information by Clinton and top aides.
Comey answered, “I’m not – I hope I’m giving a consistent – I’m not saying what the answer would be, I’m saying that would be an important consideration in a suitability determination for anybody”.
“You’ll have one”, Chaffetz said.
Committee chairmen from both ends of the Capitol are investigating.
But now questions have surfaced about whether Clinton lied under oath. But he suggested that Comey had contributed to that by leaving “a perceived gap” between his public criticism of Clinton and his conclusion not to prosecute. And a vast quantity of classified information. He admitted he knew that was the wrong thing to do.
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Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote to James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, requesting he deny Ms Clinton access to classified information for the duration of the 2016 campaign.
