A top House Republican says it’s a mistake for Republicans to go after FBI Director James Comey’s integrity in the wake of the bureau’s decision not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton.
“I have great regard for Jim Comey. I thought he handled himself very well today,” Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) told MSNBC’s Brian Williams on Thursday as Comey testified before the House Oversight Committee.
{mosads}”I think it’s a mistake for Republicans to somehow think that Comey was in on a fix or he was rigging something. He is really of unimpeachable integrity,” King continued, describing Comey as “a total straight shooter.”
“He could have indicted Hillary Clinton if he wanted to — there was enough evidence there — but I thought he made a very good case why he didn’t,” King said.
King reiterated that Republicans are “going to make a mistake” if they attack Comey, because the FBI chief outlined “damning accusations” against for the former secretary of State’s mishandling of classified information on her private email setup.
Comey announced his decision Tuesday, and his remarks have already made their way into a campaign
video for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that contrasted them with Clinton’s previous statements about her email.
“I think Republicans should be embracing Comey right now,” King said, adding that his colleagues could disagree with the decision not to pursue charges while “praising his judgment.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
offered a different perspective on Comey on Wednesday.
“I’m sorry to say I and other observers had long predicted that the decision whether to proceed against Hillary Clinton would be driven in this administration by partisan, political factors rather than an objective assessment about whether her conduct violated criminal statutes,” he told reporters.
“Director Comey’s announcement this week only seems to confirm those concerns, and I am hopeful we will have full and complete transparency with the Senate Judiciary Committee and the American people as to all of the information that went into the director’s decision,” Cruz added.
Democrats have pointed out that Republicans had heaped praise on the FBI director before he decided that “no reasonable prosecutor” would recommend charges against Clinton.
Clinton’s campaign released a
video Wednesday of Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the chairman of the Oversight Committee, calling the FBI director “a man of integrity and honesty” last month during an appearance on Fox News’s “Outnumbered.”
Chaffetz said then that Comey “is going to be the definitive person to make a determination or a recommendation.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cited Chaffetz’s remarks on Thursday.
“Comey was very clear: ‘My conclusion was, and remains, no reasonable prosecutor would bring this case in 100 years.’ And then I refer you back to Mr. Chaffetz’s characterization of Comey,” Pelosi said.
Mike Lillis contributed
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