GOP Lawmakers Demand Sessions Prosecute Hillary Clinton, James Comey
Eleven House Republicans sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday formally making criminal investigation referrals regarding former FBI Director James Comey, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others.
The five-page document — also addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney John Huber — goes into detail offering evidence of potential criminal violations and the corresponding federal statute applicable in each case.
The legislators — including Reps. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Dave Bratt of Virginia — began their letter noting the difference in the zeal displayed in the Justice Department’s investigations into Clinton versus its probe of the Trump campaign.
“We write to refer the following individuals for investigation of potential violation(s) of federal statutes,” they stated. “In doing so, we are especially mindful of the dissimilar degrees of zealousness that has marked the investigations of Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, respectively.”
The lawmakers’ first referral related to Comey.
They noted that he admitted while testifying before Congress in June 2017 to leaking classified information to the media regarding his meetings with Trump.
Additionally, the former FBI director told the House Judiciary Committee in September 2016 that the decision not to prosecute Clinton for the mishandling of classified information was made after interviewing her. However, Comey reportedly drafted a memo exonerating her two months before FBI agents met with her and before sitting down with 17 key witnesses.
Further, Comey’s statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee contained “material inconsistencies” regarding the FBI’s relationship to former British spy Christopher Steele (author of the notorious Trump dossier), information contained in DOJ documents later made available to the committee revealed.
Regarding Clinton, the GOP legislators made a criminal investigation referral concerning potential FEC statue violations in trying to disguise the payment for the “dossier.” The campaign and the Democratic National Committee made payments to the D.C. law firm Perkins Coie, which then commissioned opposition research firm Fusion GPS to create the dossier.
The Republican leaders also called for an investigation into all the officials who used that unverified dossier to obtain FISA warrants to surveil Trump campaign associate Carter Page.
They noted that filing false or unverified information in the FISA court is a violation of federal law. Among those implicated were former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Comey.
The legislators also noted that McCabe deserves further investigation based on last week’s DOJ inspector general’s report finding he “lacked candor — including under oath — on multiple occasions” regarding his actions regarding the Clinton investigation.
Concerning Lynch, the GOP lawmakers made a criminal referral for her reported role in threatening a Uranium One deal whistleblower with criminal prosecution if he spoke before Congress.
The referral letter also called for a criminal investigation into FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI counsel Lisa Page for their interference in the Clinton investigation.
In a Monday tweet, President Donald Trump singled out Comey and McCabe as among the perpetrators of “many crimes.”
Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G), then based his decisions on her poll numbers. Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2018
“Comey drafted the Crooked Hillary exoneration long before he talked to her (lied in Congress to Senator G[rassley]), then based his decisions on her poll numbers,” wrote Trump. “Disgruntled, he, McCabe, and the others, committed many crimes!”
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