Democrats lined up to speak to reporters following a closed door briefing with FBI Director James Comey in January — before President Donald Trump took office — on alleged Russian hacking during the 2016 presidential election.
“A number of House Democrats left Friday’s confidential briefing on Russian hacking fuming over the actions of FBI Director James Comey and convinced he’s unfit to lead the agency,” The Hill reported on Jan. 13, 2017. The report continued:
Comey has been under fire since several weeks before the Nov. 8 elections, when he announced a new leg in an FBI investigation into the use of a private email server by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton — a probe that, as with the first round, resulted in no criminal charges. In response, many Democrats have accused Comey of altering the course of the presidential race in favor of Trump.
“I was nonjudgmental until the last 15 minutes,” Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN.), ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said. “I no longer have that confidence in him.”
“I’m disappointed, outraged — many of us are right now,” Walz said. “I’ll wait to pass full judgment, but the exchange that just happened in the final 15 minutes gives me no reason to have confidence.”
“I’ll just — I’m very angry,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) said.
The Hill quoted one Democrat who refused to give his name.
“Do I have confidence in him?” the unnamed Democrat said. “Not really. But I think he’s probably going to be better than the guy they’d put in.”
“Shortly after the meeting, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — a sharp critic of Comey’s actions leading up to the elections — spoke broadly about the FBI without weighing in on Comey specifically,” The Hill reported. “She suggested she’s waiting for the results of the DOJ’s IG report to pass a judgement on the FBI director.”
“No, I haven’t lost confidence in the agency,” Pelosi told reporters.
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