DOJ Officials to James Comey: Telling Congress About New Evidence Against Policy; Hillary Clinton Calls it 'Deeply Troubling'

FBI director James Comey was reportedly warned by senior Justice Department officials that notifying members of Congress about the newly discovered evidence related to Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server was not consistent with the department's practice, according to a report in The Washington Post, citing officials familiar with the discussions.

The New Yorker reported Saturday that Comey's decision to make the new information public was contrary to the views of Attorney General Loretta Lynch. According to the report, prosecutors and law enforcement officials are advised to avoid any appearance of "meddling in the outcome of elections." The practice was formalized in a memo four years ago by Eric Holder, who was the attorney general at the time.

Hillary Clinton, speaking at a rally Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida, slammed Comey's move, taking issue with its timing.

"It's pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election," Clinton said. "In fact, it's not just strange, it's unprecedented and it's deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts."

You can watch Clinton's speech here.

The FBI is a part of the Justice Department and is bound by the department's policies. Comey, however, had testified to Congress over the summer regarding the investigation. In a memo to FBI employees, Comey cited that as a rationale for informing lawmakers.

Politico explains that when a witness tells Congress something under oath that either turns out to be untrue or the facts of the testimony change afterwards, the person has to notify lawmakers to correct the record.

According to the report in the Post, when Comey told Justice Department officials of his decision to notify Congress, the officials told him they don't take steps that can be viewed as influencing an election. A department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, was quoted in the report as saying Comey was acting independent of the Justice Department, "and he knows it."

On Friday, Comey sent a letter to members of Congress saying newly discovered emails relating to the investigation into Clinton had been discovered in an unrelated case. That case was later reported to be the probe into former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal. Weiner is the estranged husband of Clinton aide and confidant Huma Abedin.

Comey noted that officials did not know whether the information was significant or how long it would take to complete the investigation into the newly discovered emails.

Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said it was "extraordinary" to see such information released just 11 days before the election. Later in the day, Clinton held a press conference in Iowa and called on the FBI to release the "full and complete facts."

Republican nominee for President Donald Trump capitalized on the news, further inflaming his rhetoric that Clinton is corrupt and cannot be allowed into the Oval Office. He dialed down his claims that the election is "rigged," declaring at a rally in New Hampshire that it might not be as "rigged" as he thought. Trump has not offered any evidence supporting the claims that the election is "rigged."

Clinton's use of a private email server has plagued her this election and has once again come to the forefront of the race. In July, Comey concluded that Clinton had been "extremely careless" in operating an email account through a private server in her home on which she conducted State Department business while she was secretary of state. But he said "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring criminal charges against her, so he did not recommend any to the U.S. Justice Department.

>>>more via The Washington Post

>>>more via The New Yorker

Marc Torrence contributed to this report

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