Who knew that when former FBI Director James Comey held his famous press conference last July exonerating Hillary Clinton of any criminal wrongdoing in the classified email investigation, that he had drafted those words well before then?
How long before that day, exactly? How about months earlier, prior to interviewing 17 key witnesses in the case – including Hillary Clinton herself!
In a letter from Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham to FBI Director Chris Wray, the Republican congressmen claim they’ve seen evidence that shows Comey began drawing up statements on closing the investigation months before he cleared Clinton.
“Conclusion first, fact-gathering second—that’s no way to run an investigation,” the senators wrote.
Via the Washington Times:
Two Republican senators say they’ve reviewed evidence that indicates former FBI Director James Comey began drafting a statement to announce the closure of the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server before key witnesses, including Mrs. Clinton, were interviewed.
Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote to FBI Director Chris Wray asking for information related to Mr. Comey’s announcement, saying they’ve reviewed partially redacted interview transcripts that indicate Mr. Comey was drafting a statement on the closure of the case months before the July 5, 2016 announcement.
… partially redacted transcripts of interviews with James Rybicki, Mr. Comey’s chief of staff, and Trisha Anderson, the FBI’s principal deputy general counsel of national security and cyberlaw, were turned over to to Mr. Grassley after he requested the information.
“It appears that in April or early May of 2016, Mr. Comey had already decided he would issue a statement exonerating Secretary Clinton,” the senators wrote. “That was long before FBI agents finished their work.”
That work included numerous interviews with witnesses.
They claim evidence points to Comey having “even circulated an early draft statement to select members of senior FBI leadership.”
.@TomFitton: There’s a disconnect between Comey’s devastating findings & his recommendation not to prosecute Clinton https://t.co/bO2lv5PsFR https://t.co/FbzRI6hPku
— Judicial Watch 🔎 (@JudicialWatch) August 31, 2017
As part of his statements clearing Hillary, Comey said “that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case” against Clinton, instead labeling her actions “extremely careless.”
The reality, Mr. Comey, is that no ‘reasonable’ law official would be so ‘careless’ as to draw a conclusion on the case before 17 key witnesses had been interviewed – including the subject of the investigation.
What a disgrace!
Grassley and Graham wrote, “It is unclear whether the FBI agents actually investigating the case were aware that Mr. Comey had already decided on the investigation’s outcome while their work was ongoing.”
What is clear, however, is that the fix was in on this case long before the public was told of the results.
Did Comey decide he was letting Hillary skate before looking over the evidence? Share your thoughts below!
