Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean on Wednesday said Republicans have already started overplaying their hand in the wake of the FBI’s announcement that it would not recommend Hillary Clinton face criminal charges over her private email set-up, calling the prospect of lawmakers grilling FBI Director James B. Comey on Capitol Hill “stupid.”
“For [House Speaker] Paul Ryan to overplay — it’s one thing if Donald Trump says this is a conspiracy. People expect that of Donald Trump,” Mr. Dean said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “People don’t expect that of Paul Ryan.”
“If they do call Director Comey to the Hill and if they give him a hard time, that is really stupid,” said Mr. Dean, who is supporting Mrs. Clinton for president. “They should let this whole thing speak for itself — if I wanted to give Republicans advice, which of course I’m not in the business of doing.”
“But the Republicans have already started to overplay their hand, and I can’t wait to see what the next couple of days bring,” he said.
Speaking on Fox News Tuesday evening, Mr. Ryan said the House will hold hearings and demand that Mr. Comey testify why he refused to recommend charges against Mrs. Clinton after laying out a case against her.
On Tuesday, Mr. Comey said Mrs. Clinton had been reckless in the handling of her private email set-up, but that no charges would be appropriate in the case.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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