Comey: Hillary Claims About Her Email Use "Not True"

Comey is being grilled by a House committee about his curious decision.

However, under questioning from Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Comey said several of Clinton’s public claims were not true.

On Clinton’s claim that nothing she sent or received was marked classified, he said, “That’s not true. … There was classified material emailed.” Clinton had made that claim repeatedly in public, and also in sworn testimony before the House Benghazi committee last October.

On her claim that she used one device, he said, “She used multiple devices.”

On her claim that she turned over all work-related emails, he said, “No, we found work-related emails, thousands that were not returned.”

Gowdy and House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, whose committee hosted the tense hearing with Comey just two days after the investigation decision, both suggested a “double standard” was at play.

“It seems to a lot of us that the average Joe … if they had done what you laid out in your statement, that they’d be in handcuffs,” Chaffetz said. “And I think there is a legitimate concern that there is a double-standard -- if your name isn’t Clinton or you’re not part of the powerful elite, that lady justice will act differently.”

Chaffetz voiced concern that there “does seem to be no consequence.”

“It’s apparent that she lied to the American people,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., later said. Under questioning from Meadows, though, Comey said there is a question over whether Clinton was “sophisticated enough” to know at the time what a particular classified marking signified.

Yet Comey staunchly defended his agency’s handling of the matter and repeated his belief that “no reasonable prosecutor would bring this case.”

He claims they have "no basis to conclude" she lied in her FBI interview. Which is what I think the Bill/Loretta meeting was about -- it was a head's up that the FBI was not going to bring charges unless she gave some other basis to do so, such as lying in the interview, so she didn't have to lie, and damn sure had better not lie.

Livestream (well in progress) here.

posted by Ace at 11:55 AM

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