IG Report Shows James Comey Lied About Why He Publicized New Clinton Emails
A few hours into a House committee hearing Tuesday, Rep. Eric Swalwell asked Inspector General Michael Horowitz: “Do you agree that there is no evidence Jim Comey lied to you in your investigation?” . . .
Swalwell’s line of questioning was intended to summarize what the IG didn’t find—examples of improper prosecutorial decisions based on political biases revealed in text messages; definitive evidence that Hillary Clinton was guilty of a crime; or evidence that Comey leaked the existence of the Russia investigation—to set up his final question, which was, “Mr. Horowitz, do you think it’s time to move on past the Hillary Clinton emails?”
While Horowitz deflected that decision to Congress, his direct answer whether Comey lied was curious, in that his conclusion conflicts with facts and testimony detailed in his own report. Perhaps the most controversial issue the report examined was Comey’s late-October decision to notify Congress of new evidence that “may be pertinent” to the Clinton email investigation: thousands of Clinton emails found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop. . .
Comey defended his decision to submit the letter, on purely ethical grounds. In his book and all of his subsequent interviews, he described his dilemma as a binary decision between “speak” and “conceal,” repeatedly and consistently declaring that he chose the “speak” option to avoid the “catastrophic” and “corrosive” ramifications to the FBI and DoJ that would come with a decision to “conceal.”
Absent from this explanation is any mention of leaks. Not a word. It was widely reported at the time, and since, that Comey was responding to the threat that FBI agents in New York were beginning to leak elements of the story to the media. It was widely believed at FBI HQ and the DoJ that it was simply a matter of time before the press would report that the FBI was sitting on explosive new evidence in the Clinton email investigation, and Comey’s FBI was slow-walking the investigation to avoid re-opening the investigation. (Read more from “IG Report Shows James Comey Lied About Why He Publicized New Clinton Emails” HERE)
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