‘Unprecedented Decision’ to Send Letter to Congress Is ‘Inconsistent’ With DOJ Policy Say High-Ranking Former Officials
Former Attorney General Eric Holder and 98 other former federal prosecutors and high-ranking Dept. of Justice officials have signed an open letter to FBI Director James Comey strongly criticizing him for the letter he sent to 16 members of Congress notifying them of emails investigators found on a laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner that may or may not have anything to do with the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails.
They characterize the letter as “inconsistent with prevailing Department [of Justice] policy,” and write that Comey’s “unprecedented decision to publicly comment on evidence in what may be an ongoing inquiry just eleven days before a presidential election leaves us both astonished and perplexed.”
“Perhaps most troubling to us is the precedent set by this departure from the Department’s widely-respected, non-partisan traditions,” the 99 high-ranking former officials write. “The admonitions that warn officials against making public statements during election periods have helped to maintain the independence and integrity of both the Department’s important work and public confidence in the hardworking men and women who conduct themselves in a nonpartisan manner.”
And while noting their respect for Comey and stating they are not questioning his motives, they add: “the fact remains that the Director’s disclosure has invited considerable, uninformed public speculation about the significance of newly-discovered material just days before a national election.”
The full letter was re-published on Hillary Clinton’s campaign website.
These well-respected former DOJ officials are not alone. In a New York Times op-ed Sunday, the top attorney in charge of ethics for the George W. Bush White House (2005-2007) explained why he has filed a formal complaint with the Dept. of Justice against Comey over the FBI Director’s letter. Richard W. Painter says he believes Comey’s actions “very likely” violate federal law, specifically, the Hatch Act.
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