This " confused me and concerned me, " Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee
Former FBI Director James Comey revealed during his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch had told him to refer to the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information as a « matter, » rather than an « investigation, » which troubled him and led him to his decision to publicly announce the end of the Clinton investigation in July 2016.
« At one point the attorney general directed me not to call it an ‘investigation’ but instead to call it a ‘matter, ‘ which confused me and concerned me, » Mr. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee. « That was one of the bricks in the load that lead me to conclude I have to step away from the (Justice) department if we are to close this case credibly. »
« We had a criminal investigation open at the time, so that gave me a queasy feeling, » Comey said.
A person familiar with Lynch’s thinking accused Comey of « cherry-picking facts to support his own narrative. » This person told CBS News that Comey was using this to defend his decision to « throw years of Justice Department policy and precedent out the window » in order to make public his thoughts on the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
« That comment in a vacuum could cause concern, but it wasn’t made in a vacuum, » the source told CBS News. « That comment was made during the time that there was public discussion about whether this was a security inquiry or criminal inquiry. It was her view that we shouldn’t go down that rabbit hole at press conferences about other topics. The goal was to minimize confusion, not to create it. »
This is the first time anyone associated with Lynch has refuted Comey since his firing. It was evident at the time, however, that the Justice Department tried to downplay the language around the Clinton email investigation. Justice Department reporters asked Comey about the phrasing last year, and he shot down any reference to a « security inquiry, » and he made it clear that the FBI conducts investigations.
During the hearing, Comey also pointed to Lynch’s impromptu tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton as a factor in his decision to announce the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation. Comey felt that meeting posed a threat to the probe’s integrity.
« That was the thing that capped it for me, that I had to do something separately to protect the credibility of the investigation, which meant both the FBI and the Justice Department, » Comey said.
