NEW YORK — Former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe lent some credibility to a previous White House claim that some FBI personnel were upset over the agency’s decision, under the leadership of disgraced ex-FBI Director James Comey, not to charge Hillary Clinton in the criminal probe of her private email server use.
The claim that some FBI rank-and-file workers lost confidence in Comey following his infamous press conference announcing that no charges would be brought has been in dispute.
Yet in largely unreported testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on December 21, 2017, McCabe confirmed that some FBI personnel were “surprised” and “frustrated” with the result of the Clinton email case as announced by Comey. A transcript of McCabe’s testimony was released three weeks ago by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins, R-Ga.
On July 5, 2016, at the height of the presidential campaign, Comey held a notorious press conference during which he bypassed Justice Department tradition by unilaterally declaring that “no charges are appropriate” in the case of Clinton’s private email server. It is not the role of the FBI to make such pronouncements.
In his testimony, McCabe clarified that he was “not aware” of sentiments expressing disappointment or surprise from within the small unit that specifically investigated Clinton’s email case. But he stated several times that there was negative sentiment about Comey’s decision within the larger FBI.