Hillary Clinton’s top aides launched a massive attack Saturday on FBI Director James Comey, saying his recent letter reinvigorating the investigation into her secret emails was an erratic move that could skew the election, without any substantive reasons.
Campaign manager Robby Mook insisted the letter, coming less than two weeks before Election Day, has actually helped Mrs. Clinton by energizing Democratic volunteers and activists, but he and campaign chairman John Podesta still said Mr. Comey can’t let the matter sit as is.
“He owes it to the American people to explain what he’s talking about,” Mr. Podesta said in a conference call with reporters.
In a letter Friday to congressional committee leaders — both Democrats and Republicans — Mr. Comey said his agents had discovered new emails in an unrelated probe that could be “pertinent” to the investigation he led into Mrs. Clinton’s secret email server and account, which she used to transmit classified information during her time in the State Department.
In July, Mr. Comey cleared Mrs. Clinton of wrongdoing, saying that while she did mishandle information she was too inept to understand the risk she was running with top government secrets.
News outlets have reported that the new emails Mr. Comey’s agents uncovered came from a separate investigation into devices maintained by former Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is married to, but separated from, Mrs. Clinton’s top personal aide Huma Abedin.
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton demands James Comey make public reason for reopening email probe
“There’s no evidence of wrongdoing, no charge of wrongdoing, no indication this is even about Hillary,” Mr. Podesta said.
The letter has been heatedly debated, with Democrats and some legal analysts saying it broke protocol to send such a communication in the days before an election. Republicans, though, say Mr. Comey’s mistake came in July when he cleared Mrs. Clinton after a less-than-complete investigation.
At the time, Democrats blasted Mr. Comey for releasing so much information about that investigation then — but they are now demanding he do more.
Politically, the Clinton campaign insisted it’s not going to be hurt — and is even seeing a surge of interest.
“We are seeing people rallying behind Hillary,” Mr. Mook said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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