Democrats are deeply divided over fired FBI Director James B. Comey, with some saying he’s been irreparably damaged by the new inspector general’s report on his handling of the Clinton probe, and others determined to keep him viable as a weapon against President Trump.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz found Mr. Comey was “insubordinate” and made bad decisions when he publicly exonerated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July 2016, then reopened the probe just before Election Day.
Mr. Horowitz concluded, however, that Mr. Comey wasn’t motivated by political bias.
During a hearing with the House oversight and judiciary committees Tuesday, some Democrats said they couldn’t accept that, saying Mr. Comey’s decisions cost Mrs. Clinton the election.
They compared Mr. Comey’s behavior in publicly talking about the Clinton probe with his refusal to confirm a probe into the Trump campaign and interactions with Russia during the election season.
Delegate Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat and the Virgin Islands’ non-voting member of Congress, said she worked with Mr. Comey when he was the deputy attorney general in a GOP administration.
“Would his bias as a Republican, and him being the decision maker, would have affected why he decided not to leak or not to discuss the Russian investigation itself?” Ms. Plaskett said. “We know the political affiliation of Mr. Comey but we aren’t going to count that against him?”
Mr. Horowitz said he stood by the findings that Mr. Comey, while bungling decisions, wasn’t acting based on political bias but rather on worry about his own reputation and standing.
“You have every right to register with whichever political party or none at all,” Mr. Horowitz responded. “I don’t think I’ve suggested that your personal opinion prevents you from working in the FBI.”
Mr. Comey’s reputation is likely to matter as special counsel Robert Mueller probes the former FBI chief’s claims that he felt the president was trying to derail the Russia investigation.
With that in mind, some members sought to bolster Mr. Comey’s credibility.
“I know that your report basically said Jim Comey was exceedingly careless in coming forward before the election with his reportage of the renewal of the invention of Hillary Clinton but there was no malicious intent,” Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat, told Mr. Horowitz.
Mr. Comey has repeatedly suggested President Trump attempted to influence his efforts when he, as the head of the FBI, was investigating whether there was collusion between the president’s campaign and Russia.
Democrats have also said Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey was an attempt to obstruct the probe.
For their part. Republicans said Mr. Horowitz’s report detailed rot at the top levels of the FBI.
Members read through the controversial text messages between former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and current FBI agent Peter Strzok calling Mr. Trump an idiot and ripping into his supporters. Both Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page took part in the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election following the closure of the Clinton email probe.
“The arrogance and the condescension, and the elitist attitude, that is what ticks people off,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican.
Several Democrats wondered why the committee was having a hearing on Mrs. Clinton’s emails instead of taking up the issue of families being separated after entering the country illegally at the southern border.
“This is maddening,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat. “People aren’t talking about the [expletive] emails. They are not. They are talking about kids separated from their mom and their dad sitting in cages on our southern border.”
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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