WASHINGTON _ Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, called on FBI Director James Comey to provide more details about the agency's review of emails that could be pertinent to an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server while she was secretary of state.
"Without additional context, your disclosure is not fair to Congress, the American people, or Secretary Clinton," Grassley, whose panel has jurisdiction over the FBI, wrote in a Monday letter to Comey.
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., also sent a letter to Comey Monday, requesting additional information about the newly discovered emails by Nov. 2. And Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus, opined in an interview that Comey's disclosure of the review may not have been appropriate.
On Friday Comey announced the FBI had found emails in an unrelated investigation that could relate to a previous investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classified information. The agency had previously concluded that Clinton was careless in the handling of some information, but there was no basis for any criminal charges.
Comey said Friday that he did not know how long it would take the agency to review the emails, and whether the new emails were significant.
The announcement prompted some Democrats to charge Comey with trying to compromise Clinton's prospects in the presidential election. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Comey may have broken the law, and accused the FBI of treating the nominees with a double standard.
Grassley noted the circumstances surrounding Comey's announcement in his letter, but said the agency did not provide enough information about the new emails.
"While I disagree with those who suggest you should have kept the FBI's discovery secret until after the election, I agree that your disclosure did not go far enough," Grassley wrote. "Unfortunately, your letter failed to give Congress and the American people enough context to evaluate the significance or full meaning of this development."
Grassley asked Comey a series of 10 questions in his letter, and requested a response by Nov. 4 _ four days before the presidential election.
His questions involved the content of the emails; how the emails were obtained; if the FBI requested a grand jury during the initial investigation; whether the Justice Department denied the FBI's request for a grand jury for an investigation into the Clinton foundation; and whether the Justice Department did not allow investigators to search senior Clinton aides' laptops.
While many Republicans welcomed the chance to get Clinton's email investigation back into public light, others disagreed with the FBI's timing. Jordan told a Fox News Radio show on Monday the timing "was probably not the right thing for Comey to do" so close to the election.
