Before President Trump Fired James Comey, Many Dems Called For Him To Step Aside, Calling His Conduct "Outrageous," "Appalling," And "Damaging To The Institution Of Law Enforcement"

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Democrats widely criticized James Comey's conduct while he was Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and many publicly called for his resignation.

Following Comey's October 28, 2016 letter to Congress, numerous Democrats said Comey had behaved inappropriately and should resign or be fired. Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Comey was perhaps "not in the right job." Then Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) accused Comey of breaking the law and said he "of course" should resign. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Comey "acted in an outrageous way" and that "it would not be a bad thing for the American People" if he stepped down. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he was "appalled by what Comey did" and that he did "not have confidence in him any longer."

In late 2016 and throughout 2017, prominent Democrats publicly stated that Comey had irreparably damaged the institution of law enforcement and the reputation of the FBI. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) called Comey's actions in 2016 one of the "lowest moments in the history of the FBI." Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) said Comey had "damaged the institution of law enforcement" in the country. Former Governor Howard Dean (D-VA) tweeted that Comey may have "destroyed the credibility of the FBI forever" and put himself on the same side as Putin. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said Comey "has no credibility," and said if Hillary Clinton had won she should have fired him.

As FBI Director, numerous Democrats called Comey's actions unprecedented and inappropriate. Democrat Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton wrote that Comey had badly overstepped his bounds as FBI Director. Minority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Comey's actions during the presidential campaign raised "serious questions about his conduct as an investigator and prosecutor." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said Comey's actions left her "shocked" and were "appalling." Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said Comey showed a "grave lack of judgement" and had done "a disservice to the United States of America."

Watch the RNC's compilation video here: Comey Not Credible, Just Ask Democrats

NUMEROUS DEMOCRATS, INCLUDING DEM LEADERS NANCY PELOSI, HARRY REID, AND BERNIE SANDERS, PRESSED FOR COMEY'S RESIGNATION OR FIRING BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRED HIM

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Said Comey Was Perhaps "Not In The Right Job"

On November 2, 2016, Democratic Minority Leader Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Said Comey Made Mistakes And Was Perhaps "Not In The Right Job." DEMOCRATIC MINORITY LEADER REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): "So I think he made a mistake and these jobs, if you're not in it for a while, you can't take the heat and I think he just couldn't take the heat from the Republicans. It's really unfortunate because I do believe he is a good person Maybe, he's not in the right job." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/02/16)

Former Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) Accused Comey Of Breaking The Law And Said That He Believed Comey Should "Of Course" Resign

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) Told MSNBC "Of Course" He Believed Jim Comey Should Resign. MSNCB's JOY REID: "Do you believe Jim Comey should resign Senator Reid?" SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): "Of course, yes." (MSNBC's "AM Joy," 12/10/16)

Reid Accused Comey Of Applying A Double Standard To The Investigative Process. "Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) slammed FBI Director James Comey over his handling of the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, accusing Comey of applying a double standard to Clinton while letting her GOP opponent get away with breaking the law." (Sam Stein, "Chuck Schumer Says He's Lost Confidence In James Comey," Huffington Post , 10/30/16)

Reid Said Comey Potentially Violated The Hatch Act And Broke The Law Through His "Partisan Actions." "Earlier this week, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid accused Comey of potentially violating the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. 'I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act,' Reid said in his letter to Comey. 'Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law.'" (Andrew Kaczynski, "Democratic Congresswoman: FBI Director James Comey Is 'Clearly Politically Motivated,'" CNN , 10/03/16)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Called Comey's Conduct "Unacceptable" And Said It "Would Not Be A Bad Thing For The American People" If He Stepped Down

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Said That, In Light Of Comey's Actions In 2016, It "Would Not Be A Bad Thing For The American People" If Comey Stepped Down. ABC's GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: "Should he step down?" SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): "I think he should take a hard look at what he's done and I think it would not be a bad thing for the American people if he did step down." (ABC's "This Week," 01/15/17)

Sanders Stressed That "Comey Acted In An Outrageous Way During The Campaign" And That His Behavior "Was Unacceptable." STEPHANOPOULOS: "And let me go back to this Russia issue, which you talked about at the beginning. A lot of Democrats are disturbed with the FBI director, James Comey, especially after he came up and briefed them this week, refused to answer questions about whether he's investigating possible contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Some think he should even step down. Do you?" SANDERS: "I think that Comey acted in an outrageous way during the campaign. And, you know, it's, no one can say that this was decisive, and this was what elected Trump. But clearly, his behavior during the campaign, in terms of what he said in the week or two before the election was unacceptable. And it is interesting that he is not doing investigation about the possible, possible tie-ins between Trump's campaign and the Russians." (ABC's "This Week," 01/15/17)

Sanders Told ABC's Jedediah Bila That The FBI's Actions During The 2016 Election Season Were "Unacceptable." ABC's JEDEDIAH BILA: "She, this weekend Hillary Clinton has, she's basically been blaming FBI Director Comey for coming out and making the statements he made that weren't justified and saying that that tilted the election. I argue that the fault lied with, with her and her inability to do outreach in the communities that were listening and waiting for her to do so. Where does the blame fall in your opinion?" SANDERS: "Well, you could look at politics in many, many ways. I think what the FBI did was unacceptable." (ABC's "The View," 11/14/16)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Said He Was "Appalled By What Comey Did" And That He Had Lost Confidence In The FBI Director

In November 2016, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Said He Did Not Have Confidence In Comey Any Longer, And Called His Actions "Appalling." "Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), the soon-to-be-top-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said on Wednesday that he's lost faith in James Comey following the FBI director's handling of newly discovered emails potentially related to Hillary Clinton. 'I do not have confidence in him any longer,' Schumer told Bloomberg News. He went on to call Comey's letter to members of Congress, which alerted them to the discovery of emails that may or may not be pertinent to the FBI's prior investigation into Clinton's private email server, 'appalling.'" (Sam Stein, "Chuck Schumer Says He's Lost Confidence In James Comey," Huffington Post , 11/2/16)

Schumer Said He Was "Appalled By What Comey Did." JOURNALIST ERROL LEWIS: "Mr. Schumer, we saw a letter issued to members of Congress to the FBI director which he announced new information to Hillary Clinton's use of a private server that has triggered reaction including more reaction and calls for Comey's resignation. Do you think the timing and content of his letter was appropriate and should he step down or be fired?" SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): "I was appalled by what Comey did. I know him. I have worked with him in the past. We worked together about cleaning up the U.S attorney's office when Alberto Gonzalez was politicizing them. You know, there is a tradition in the U.S. attorneys' offices in Washington and Justice Department and goes down to the Brooklyn D.A.'s office that a prosecutor always avoids interfering with an election, and the fact we heard today that Comey had to issue a search warrant for these emails means he doesn't know what is in them. Yet, he goes ahead and writes a letter and he knows what was going to happen." (" New York Senate Debate ," 10/30/16)

Schumer Called Comey's Actions "Wrong" And "Appalling" And Said Comey Owed Hillary Clinton And The American People An Explanation. SCHUMER: "What he has done is wrong and both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have called for the emails to be made public. I believe that's the right thing to do. Mr. Comey ought to make them public and second, he owes not only Hillary Clinton and the American people an explanation for what appears to be an appalling action." (" New York Senate Debate ," 10/30/16)

Former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) Said That She Leaned Towards Believing FBI Director James Comey Was No Longer Able To Serve In A "Neutral And Credible Way"

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Told CNN's Erin Burnett Comey Had "Taken Enough Actions That Call Into Question His Ability To Continue To Serve Credibly." CNN's ERIN BURNETT: "I was saying that you were at the hearing obviously with James Comey. Some people were in the room, one of them came on the show, we're talking about your altercation I guess, the dispute you had with them. You had a lot of questions. You felt the FBI failed to alert you about the hacks. There had been some, The Wall Street Journal by the way among them, said Jim Comey needs to go and he's to resign or Donald Trump need to fire him. Do you agree?" REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): "I think Director Comey has taken enough actions that call into question his ability to continue to serve credibly." (CNN's "Erin Burnett Outfront," 01/17/17)

Schultz Said She Leaned "In The Direction That [Comey] No Longer" Was Able To Serve In A "Neutral And Credible Way." SCHULTZ: "I would lean in the direction that he no longer is able to serve in a neutral and credible way. And I -- well, I won't discussed what, you know, what was discussed in a classified briefing, I can assure you I was never contacted and still to this day have never been contacted by the FBI about Russian intrusion on our networks while I was chair." (CNN's "Erin Burnett Outfront," 01/17/17)

Obama Chief Adviser Valerie Jarrett Urged President Obama To Remove Comey From Office

"In A Last-Minute Effort To Save Hillary Clinton's Bid For The White House," Top Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett Reportedly Urged President Obama To Fire Comey Before The Election In 2016. "In a last-minute effort to save Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House, Barack Obama's chief adviser, Valerie Jarrett, has urged the president to fire FBI Director James Comey, according to a source close to Jarrett. Obama and Jarrett are furious with Comey for reopening the FBI's investigation of Clinton's emails just 11 days before the presidential election. They blame Comey for Clinton's alarming slide in the polls." (Edward Klein, "Obama Aides Want Comey Out After Email Bombshell," New York Post , 11/2/16)

Ranking Member Of The Committee On Oversight And Government Reform Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Said He Was "Worried About The Integrity Of The FBI" And That The Jury "Was Out" On Whether Comey Was Fit To Lead

In January 2017, Ranking Member Of The Committee On Oversight And Government Reform Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) Said The "Jury Is Out" On Whether Comey Was Fit To Continue Leading The FBI. "'I think this is a point in the FBI's history where we've got to have a mirror put up to the organization to make sure it maintains its credibility and that it is the elite of the elite,' Cummings said. As to whether Comey was fit to continue leading the bureau, Cummings said that 'before. . .there was no jury in my mind. Now there is a jury in my mind, and the jury is out.'" (Karoun Demirjian, "Democrats Accuse FBI's Comey Of Stonewalling On Trump-Russia Ties," Chicago Tribune , 1/13/17)

Cummings Said He Was "Worried About The Integrity Of The FBI." MSNBC's CHRIS HAYES: "Are you worried about the integrity of the FBI right now as we have this sort of cascade of leaks emanating from the bureau unnamed sources pointing this way and that and we're conducting an election under these circumstances?" REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD): "I am worried about the integrity of the FBI." (MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes," 11/01/16)

Cummings Said Comey Subjected Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton To A Double Standard. CUMMINGS: "Mr. Comey, when he came -- Director Comey when he became before our committee, he made it clear back in July that he did not want to and would not subject Hillary Clinton to a double standard, and that's exactly what is happening here." (MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes," 11/01/16)

Cummings Stated About Comey In January 2017 That He Was "Extremely Concerned - Extremely," About The FBI Under Comey's Leadership. "Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, delivered a similar condemnation. 'I'm extremely concerned - extremely,' he said." (Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Dems 'Outraged' With Comey After House Briefing," The Hill , 1/13/17)

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) Said Comey Had "No Credibility" And That If Hillary Clinton Won The Election "She Should Have Fired Him"

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) Said That Given Comey's Actions, If Hillary Clinton Won The White House "She Should Have Fired Him." MSNBC's PETER ALEXANDER: "Understood. So if Hillary Clinton had won the White House, would you have recommended that she fire FBI Director James Comey?" REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): "Well, let me tell you something. If she had won the White House, I believe that given what he did to her, and what he tried to do, she should have fired him. Yes." (MSNBC's "MSNBC Live With Peter Alexander," 05/10/17)

At A Press Conference, Waters Said Comey "Has No Credibility." REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): "All I can tell you is the FBI Director has no credibility." ("Russian Election Interference Meeting Stakeout," CSPAN , 01/13/17)

Waters Reiterated In March 2017 That The American People Understand Why She Believes That FBI Director Comey Has "No Credibility." "'I think the American people now understand one reason why I believe FBI Director Comey has no credibility.'" (Press Release, "Rep. Waters: FBI Director Comey Advanced Russia's Misinformation Campaign," The Office Of Maxine Waters , 3/21/17)

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) Acknowledged In May 2017 Democrats Had Been "Very Critical Of James Comey" And That Many Had Called For His Resignation

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) Said It Was Absolutely True That Democrats Were "Very Critical Of James Comey," And That Many Had Called For His Resignation. MSNBC's HALLIE JACKSON: "The day before this all happened, I think you were doing a podcast or an interview with Politico and you said hey it's still a mystery why James Comey talked about the Clinton investigation but not the Trump investigation during the election. You clearly weren't happy with all of his actions in the run up to the election. So, should he be out as head of the FBI? Setting aside everything else, did you want to see him gone?" SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): "So it's absolutely true that Democrats have been very critical of James Comey and many of us did call for his resignation." (MSNBC's "Live With Hallie Jackson," 05/10/17)

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) Said Comey's Conduct At The FBI Had Been "Highly Improper And Wrong," And That He Should Be "Fired Immediately," And That President Trump "Ought To Initiate An Investigation"

Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) Told CNN's Chris Cuomo That Comey Should Be Fired Immediately And That President Trump "Ought To Initiate An Investigation," Into His Actions. REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): "And the people in the FBI who were leaking to Rudy Giuliani through former agents or not. That was also clearly illegal. The president ought to fire Comey immediately and he ought to initiate investigation." CNN's CHRIS CUOMO: "You can't just fire Comey?" NADLER: "Yes, he can." CUOMO: "Why? For cause because, you know, he's got to set term. So he is insulated for political payback like this." NADLER: "Of course and ought to. He violated all the guidelines and put his thumb on a scale of an election, whether it was decisive or not is a different question and they ought to investigate and maybe prosecute the people in the FBI in New York who are deliberately trying to use the FBI to influence the election by leaking damaging information." (CNN's "New Day," 11/14/16)

Nadler Insisted Comey Should Be Fired For His Actions During The Election And That Individuals In The FBI Should Be Investigated And Prosecuted. NADLER: "Of course and ought to. He violated all the guidelines and put his thumb on a scale of an election, whether it was decisive or not is a different question and they ought to investigate and maybe prosecute the people in the FBI in New York who are deliberately trying to use the FBI to influence the election by leaking damaging information." (CNN's "New Day," 11/14/16)

Nadler Called Comey's Actions A Threat To Democracy And Said That "Comey Should Certainly Be Fired." NADLER: "She still has 2 million more votes and the difference was 110,000 votes in three states. So, anything could have done it. My point is whether it was the -- whether, in fact, it was the decisive agent or not to have the police intervene in an election, which is what happened, is unforgivable. A threat to our democracy and it has to be stopped and the people who did that have to be investigated and maybe prosecuted." CUOMO: "All right, so let's look going forward." NADLER: "Comey should certainly be fired." (CNN's "New Day," 11/14/16)

Nadler Called Comey's Actions "Highly Improper And Wrong From The Very Beginning In July." NADLER: "What Jim Comey did was so highly improper and wrong from the very beginning in July." (CNN's "New Day," 11/14/16)

Nadler Called Comey's Actions A "Political Intervention" And "Unforgiveable ." NADLER: "He was putting his thumbs on the scales right then and it's unforgivable for a police agency to (inaudible) frankly publicly about legal conduct and then to send that letter when he had nothing to say violated the guidelines that you don't comment on an ongoing investigation. You don't intervene an election within 60 days may very well have cost her election. Whether it did or not was unforgivable as a political intervention by the police into the election." (CNN's "New Day," 11/14/16)

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) Called On Comey To Resign Immediately "For The Good Of The FBI And The Justice Department"

Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) Called On Comey To Resign Immediately "For The Good Of The FBI And The Justice Department." "Comey's actions make it clear he should resign immediately 'for the good of the FBI and the Justice Department,' Cohen said." (Michael Collins, "U.S. Rep Steve Cohen Calls On FBI Director To Resign," Commercial Appeal , 10/31/16)

Cohen Said Comey's Actions Were "Extremely Careless." "Standards must be upheld and an FBI Director needs to investigate, not inject issues into a presidential election when no investigation dictates action or basis for action. At a minimum, Director Comey's actions are, to use his own verbiage, 'extremely careless' this close to the election and without any apparent substance." (Michael Collins, "U.S. Rep Steve Cohen Calls On FBI Director To Resign," Commercial Appeal , 10/31/16)

Cohen Said That Comey "Violated The Oath," And Hurt The FBI And Justice. "On Monday, Cohen praised Comey for his work in the past, telling CNN he has 'such respect' for Comey. However, he said this time the FBI director 'went too far.' 'He violated the oath. The FBI has been hurt and justice has been hurt,' Cohen said." (Julia Manchester, "Congressman Calls For FBI Director's Resignation: This Could Cost Clinton The Election," CNN , 10/31/16)

Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) Called On Comey To Resign, Saying That He "Should Pack His Things And Go"

Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) Called On Comey To Resign, Saying The FBI Director "Should Pack His Things And Go." "'He should pack his things and go,' said Rep. Hank Johnson D-Ga., expressing concerns that Comey 'will continue to erode the credibility of the FBI in the eyes of the public' if he stays on as FBI director. Prior to the meeting, 'I had not even considered joining the call for his resignation,' Johnson said, but decided that 'I don't have confidence in this man to lead the FBI in the coming weeks and months ahead, with all the work that must be done to get to the bottom of Russian hacking into our electoral process.'" (Karoun Demirjian, "Democrats Accuse FBI's Comey Of Stonewalling On Trump-Russia Ties," Chicago Tribune , 1/13/17)

Johnson Called Comey's Actions Akin To Putting "The Thumb On The Scale Of This Campaign." "Clinton, who was en route to Iowa when the news broke Friday, did not reference the developments in her speech in that battleground state. Her supporters joined Podesta in questioning the timing of Comey's letter. U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, said it was an 'imprudent and unwise' decision on Comey's part given that the FBI had not made any final decisions about the value of the new information. 'I'm surprised he would provide this missile to Republicans in Congress to use as a political weapon against Clinton in this late stage. We're in the middle of early voting,' he said, calling it akin to 'putting the thumb on the scale of this campaign.'" (Aaron Gould Sheinin, Tamar Hallerman, and Greg Bluestein, "FBI Reviews New Emails Tied To Clinton," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/29/16)

Johnson: Comey's Decision Was "Unwise And Imprudent," And Said Comey Had "Done A Grave Disservice To The Nation." "'The long-standing practice of the FBI is to avoid publicly disclosing the existence of investigations,' said Rep. Johnson. 'Director Comey violated that rule by notifying certain members of Congress that the FBI was reviewing new information that pertained to the closed e-mail investigation. Coming during early voting with just 11 days before the last day to vote, Director Comey should have known that congressional Republicans would use the notice for political purposes. His decision to notify Congress with this nebulous information was unwise and imprudent, and has done a grave disservice to the nation.'" (Press Release, "Rep. Johnson's Statement On FBI Letter To GOP Congressional Chairmen," Rep. Hank Johnson , 10/28/16)

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) Said Comey "Ought To Resign" And That He Hoped "Trump Fires Him"

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) Said He Was "Very Concerned And Surprised" At The Way Comey Inserted The FBI Into The 2016 Election. "I am very concerned and surprised at the manner in which Director Comey has inserted the FBI into this election." (Press Release, "Hastings' Statement On FBI Letter To Congressional Leaders," Rep. Alcee Hastings , 10/28/16)

Hastings Said Comey Took A Double Standard That "Without Question" Made Him Unfit To Lead The FBI. "Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) took those criticisms a step further, accusing Comey of a double standard that 'without question' makes him unfit to keep the position." (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Hastings Said Comey Had "Done This Nation A Terrible Disservice." "Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) took those criticisms a step further, accusing Comey of a double standard that 'without question' makes him unfit to keep the position. 'I have a great belief that the agency is a good agency, [but] I have a stronger belief that James Comey has done this nation a terrible disservice,' he said." (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Hastings: "He Ought To Resign," And "I Hope That Donald Trump Fires Him." "'I hope that Donald Trump fires him,' Hastings said. 'More important, he ought to resign.'" (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Hastings: "There Are A Lot Of Democrats Who Feel Like I Do." "'There are a lot of Democrats who feel like I do.' Not all of them, however. Some Democrats hailed Comey's work at the FBI, suggesting the Clinton episode was a rare slip in an otherwise stellar career." (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) Said He "No Longer" Had Confidence In Director Comey

Representative Tim Walz (D-MN) Said He No Longer Had Confidence In Comey. "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. 'I was nonjudgmental until the last 15 minutes. I no longer have that confidence in him,' Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, said as he left the meeting in the Capitol." (Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Dems 'Outraged' With Comey After House Briefing," The Hill , 1/13/17)

MANY PROMINENT DEMOCRATS SAID COMEY DAMAGED THE INSTITUTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE REPUTATION OF THE FBI

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) Said Comey's Actions Were "Unprecedented," "Extremely Puzzling" And One Of The "Lowest Moments In The History Of The FBI"

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) Called Comey's Actions During The Campaign One Of The "Lowest Moments In The History Of The FBI" And Compared Them To The Wiretapping Of Civil Rights Icon Martin Luther King, Jr. SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): "I think [the letter] will go down as probably the lowest moment in the history of the FBI, probably next to the decision of J. Edgar Hoover to wiretap Martin Luther King." (CNN's " New Day," 5/05/17)

Kaine Accused Comey Of A Violation Of Normal Justice Department Protocol With His "Unprecedented" Letter Before The Election. KAINE: "Now this is an unprecedented move, as your folks were describing earlier, because it happens close to an election, which is in violation of normal Justice Department protocol, and involves talking about an ongoing investigation, which violates the protocol." (ABC's " This Week With George Stephanopoulos ," 10/30/16)

Kaine Said Comey's Actions Were "Extremely Puzzling," And That He Owed "The American Public More Information." ABC's GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOUS: "Howard Dean, former Democratic candidate for president said 'He may have destroyed the credibility of the FBI forever and put himself on the same side as Putin.' Do you agree with that?" KAINE: "What I said when I talk about this Friday is that this is just extremely puzzling. Why would you break these two protocols? Why would you release information that is so incomplete when you haven't even seen the material yourself? Eleven days before the election, why would you talk about the investigation? I just have no way of understanding these actions. They are completely unprecedented and that's why he owes the American public more information." (ABC's " This Week With George Stephanopoulos ," 10/30/16)

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Called Comey's Actions "Unprecedented And Outrageous" And Said He Had "Damaged The Institution Of Law Enforcement In The Country"

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Said Comey's Actions During The Election Had "Damaged The Institution Of Law Enforcement" In The Country. SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D-MO): "I certainly it damaged the institution of law enforcement in this country. I certainly think it changed a little bit the momentum in the race. I think it blunted some of Hillary Clinton's momentum. I don't think it changed the fundamentals of who is fit to be president." (MSNBC's "Meet The Press Daily," 11/04/16)

McCaskill Called Comey's Actions During The 2016 Election "Unprecedented And Outrageous." MSNBC's CHUCK TODD: "You know, I'm curious. What -- you brought up Comey. Do you think director Comey has changed the outlook of this race?" MCCASKILL: "Well, I certainly think what he did was unprecedented and outrageous." (MSNBC's "Meet The Press Daily," 11/04/16)

McCaskill Said That Comey Did Not Know The Facts Concerning The New Emails And That He Made A "Big Mistake" By Reopening The Clinton Investigation. BRZEZINSKI: "So doesn't it lead you to believe that maybe there's a problem?" MCCASKILL: "No, here's the bottom line. When you're a prosecutor, you know that you have or the head of the FBI, you have unbridled power to ruin people's lives. So the only thing that you can really handcuff yourself to are the facts. And you're taught as a prosecutor, marry the facts, that's the only way you'll find justice. Do not let political pressure put weight on you. Do not let anything weigh on you. And don't talk about it until you're sure you have the facts. And there's one thing we know for sure, Mika. When he wrote that letter on Friday, they had not seen these e-mails. They had not read these e-mails. So he had no way of knowing what the facts were. That is my beef with Comey. He can have integrity and make a big mistake." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 11/01/16)

McCaskill: What Comey Did Was "Unconscionable And Damaging To The Institution Of Law Enforcement In This Country." MCCASKILL: "But to do what he did on Friday is unconscionable and damaging to the institution of law enforcement in this country." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 11/01/16)

Former Governor Of Vermont Howard Dean (D-VT) Tweeted That Comey "May Have Destroyed The Credibility Of The FBI Forever" And "Put Himself On The Same Side As Putin

On October 29, 2016, Former Governor Howard Dean Tweeted That FBI Director Comey's Reopening Of The Clinton Investigation "May Have Destroyed The Credibility Of The FBI Forever." (Howard Dean, Twitter Feed , 10/29/16)

Dean Said That Comey's Actions "Put Himself On The Same Side As Putin." (Howard Dean, Twitter Feed , 10/29/16)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Called Comey's Handling Of The Clinton Investigation "Puzzling," "Totally Unacceptable," "A Violation Of The Department Of Justice Policy," And Said Comey Had Undermined The Integrity Of The Democratic Process

Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Said Comey's Actions Did Not "Inspire Confidence In The Criminal Justice System And In The Law Enforcement Process." REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): "I mean, this does not inspire confidence in the criminal justice system and in the law enforcement process. And so I think he absolutely has an obligation to come forward and level with the American people. Make it clear there's no evidence of wrongdoing. There's no indication that these e-mails have anything to do with Hillary Clinton." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Jeffries Said Comey's Maneuver Undermined "The Integrity Of The Democratic Process" And That He Owed The American People An Explanation. JEFFRIES: "That doesn't make any sense and it undermines the integrity of the democratic process. I think the FBI and the director owe the American people an explanation as to what's going on." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Jeffries Called Comey's Actions Puzzling. BLITZER: "What do you think of the release today, all of a sudden, 2001, final days of Bill Clinton's presidency. He pardons Marc Rich, a controversial pardon, a week before the election, the FBI releases a lot of documents from its vault on this? Are you suspicious about that? Or is this simply the result of a Freedom of Information request?" JEFFRIES: "Well, it's another very puzzling development. We're in the final stages of an important presidential campaign, perhaps the most consequential election of the 21st century." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Jeffries Said Comey Certainly Appeared To Be Violating Department Of Justice Policy . BLITZER: "Is this a violation of policy, from your perspective?" JEFFRIES: "Well, this certainly appears to be a violation of the Department of Justice policy, which is to tread carefully in terms of a law enforcement investigation or activity interfering with an election that is ongoing." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Jeffries Said It Was "Totally Unacceptable," For Comey To Parachute Into A Presidential Election As He Did. BLITZER: "Does the FBI director, James Comey, have an obligation to tell the American people between now and Election Day, one week from today, to give an update on the Huma Abedin e-mail situation that all of a sudden last Friday came to light?" JEFFRIES: "Well, it is totally unacceptable for the director of the FBI to parachute into a presidential election, drop a bomb on Hillary Clinton without any evidence of wrongdoing, and then hide behind his desk at the Department of Justice's or FBI offices once occupied and named after J. Edgar Hoover." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Jeffries Said Comey Made Several Mistakes And Acted In A Way "Inconsistent With Our Democracy And Separation Of Powers In Our Government. JEFFRIES: "Well, there have been several mistakes that the director has made. Now, listen, I think he's a talented law enforcement professional. But even the best of us can make mistakes. The first thing that he did wrong was that he decided to elaborate on his decision not to recommend prosecution against Hillary Clinton. He should have simply said case closed. That is traditionally what the Department of Justice does. Instead, he goes into this long elaboration as to why he thinks that she may have made some mistakes, but it's not criminal. Totally unnecessary. And then he comes before the Judiciary Committee and he answers a question where he says that if there's additional substantial evidence that, of course, he'd take a look at it. But, Wolf, I have reviewed the transcripts. No one has been able to point where he actually promised to Congress that he would provide an update as to the reopening of an investigation. The FBI doesn't have an obligation to run back to Capitol Hill and inform Congress every time it decides to go on a possible fishing expedition. That's inconsistent with our democracy and separation of powers in our government." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 11/01/16)

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) Said Comey Had Politicized The FBI And Its Independence

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) Said Comey Had Politicized The Entirety Of The FBI And Compromised Its Independence. "House Democrats slammed FBI Director James Comey during a caucus call Tuesday but insisted his bombshell announcement last week isn't having a big effect on competitive House races. 'Independence of [the] FBI has been there a long time and what Comey has done is politicize the whole operation,' Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said on the call." (Heather Caygle, "Democrats: Comey News Isn't Hurting Us In House Races," Politico, 10/01/16)

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) Said The FBI Owed An Explanation And That The Institution Was Playing Politics And Violating Protocol

Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) Asserted The FBI Was Playing Politics And Violating Protocol. "But Bustos says the FBI is playing politics at the wrong time. She says the agency is violating protocol by investigating less than 60 days before the election." (John David, "Grassley Calls For More Information In Clinton Email Probe During Davenport Stop," ABC - 8 WQAD, 11/01/16)

Bustos Argued The FBI Owed The American Public An Explanation. "Democrats like Rep. Cheri Bustos, (D) Illinois, agree that the FBI owes the American public more of an explanation behind the probe. 'Since this bombshell is out there, let's add clarity and figure out exactly what's in those emails, if anything,' she said. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley is a key player. He's questioning any links with Clinton confidant Huma Abedin and her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. 'It's not saying that Comey did the wrong thing,' Grassley continued. 'It's saying that we need to know more of the context.'" (John David, "Grassley Calls For More Information In Clinton Email Probe During Davenport Stop," ABC - 8 WQAD, 11/01/16)

Bustos Said Comey Needed To Add Clarity To His Actions. "'He (Comey) did this 11 days before an election,' she continued. 'Let's put a stop to it. Let's add some clarity to it and hopefully move on.'" (John David, "Grassley Calls For More Information In Clinton Email Probe During Davenport Stop," ABC - 8 WQAD, 11/01/16)

DEMOCRATS WERE HIGHLY CRITICAL OF COMEY AS FBI DIRECTOR CALLING HIS ACTIONS "ASTONISHING," "UNJUSTIFIED," "A VIOLATION OF PROTOCOL" AND "A DISSERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Said Comey Had "Badly Overstepped His Bounds" And Was The Reason She Had Lost The 2016 Election

Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton Wrote In Her Book That Comey Had Badly Overstepped His Bounds. "'My first instinct was that my campaign should hit back and explain that Mr. Comey had badly overstepped his bounds,' she wrote in the book, her attempt to make sense of her electoral defeat by Donald J. Trump. But, she said, her campaign advisers talked her out of it, convincing her that it was better 'to just let it go and try to move on.'" (Mark Landler, "Hillary Clinton, In Book, Regrets Not Striking Back At James," The New York Times , 09/07/17)

Clinton Said That "But For The Letter He Wrote On October 28, I Would Have Won." "A moderator at the event asked Clinton about Comey's upcoming book, and what questions people should be asking Comey about his role in the election. 'I've never spoken to him. I've never met him. I've never kissed him,' Clinton said. 'I think the analyses that have been done by a lot of independent folks like Nate Silver have basically said what I believe to be the case: but for the letter he wrote on October 28, I would have won.'" (NTK Staff, "Hillary Bashes Comey: 'But For The Letter He Wrote…I Would Have Won,'" NTK Network , 04/04/18)

Minority Whip Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Said Comey's Actions As FBI Director "Raised Serious Questions About His Conduct As An Investigator And A Prosecutor"

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Said Comey's "Performance During This Last Presidential Campaign Raised Serious Questions About His Conduct As An Investigator And A Prosecutor." "Durbin also said he is now unsure whether FBI Director James Comey would marshal a sufficient inquiry. He cited Comey's handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server as the root of his doubts - specifically, his decision to publicly remonstrate Clinton even as he announced the FBI's recommendation that she not be charged. 'I enthusiastically supported him as director of the FBI,' Durbin said of Comey. 'I've had hearings with him; I've always been impressed with his knowledge and never questioned his integrity. But I'll tell you, his performance during this last presidential campaign raised serious questions about his conduct as an investigator and a prosecutor.'" (Ned Resnikoff, "Top Senate Democrat Says GOP Leaders Lack The Will For A Serious Russia Inquiry," ThinkProgress , 1/13/17)

Durbin Told CBS' Jeff Pegues That The Actions Taken By Comey Were Not "Fair, Professional, Or Consistent With The Policies Of The Federal Bureau Of Investigation," And "Not Precedented [SIC]." SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): "I don`t think it was fair, professional, or consistent with the policies of the federal bureau of investigation." CBS's JEFF PEGUES: "Democrats like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin welcome the new investigation into the actions of FBI Director James Comey." DURBIN: "I think steps were taken by the director of the FBI near the election which were not precedented. It had not ever happened before." (CBS's "This Morning," 01/13/17)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Said She Was "Shocked" By Comey's Letter And Found His Actions "Appalling" And A Break With Longstanding FBI Tradition

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Said She Was "Shocked" By Comey's Letter To Congress And That His Actions Were Being Used For "Political Purposes." "I was shocked to read Director Comey's letter in which he indicated 'the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation. … Without knowing how many emails are involved, who wrote them, when they were written or their subject matter, it's impossible to make any informed judgment on this development. However, one thing is clear: Director Comey's announcement played right into the political campaign of Donald Trump, who is already using the letter for political purposes. And all of this just 11 days before the election." (Press Release, "Feinstein Statement On Clinton Emails," Sen. Dianne Feinstein , 10/28/16)

Feinstein Called Comey's Actions A Break From Tradition That Was "Appalling." "Director Comey admits 'the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.' He cannot predict how long the investigation will take. And we don't know if the FBI has these emails in hand. It's too bad Director Comey didn't take those gaping holes into consideration when he decided to send this letter. The FBI has a history of extreme caution near Election Day so as not to influence the results. Today's break from that tradition is appalling." (Press Release, "Feinstein Statement On Clinton Emails," Sen. Dianne Feinstein , 10/28/16)

Feinstein Sent A Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch Saying Comey's Actions Broke With The Longstanding Tradition Of The FBI Of "Exercising Extreme Caution In The Days Leading Up To An Election." "This letter is troubling because it is vaguely worded and leaves so many questions unanswered. It is not clear whether the emails identified by the FBI are even in the custody of the FBI, whether any of the emails have already been reviewed, whether Secretary Clinton sent or received them, or whether they even have any significance to the FBI's previous investigation. The letter is also troubling because it breaks with the longstanding tradition of Department of Justice and the FBI of exercising extreme caution in the days leading up to an election, so as not to unfairly influence the results." (Sens. Carper, Leahy, Feinstein, and Cardin, Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch , 10/29/16)

Feinstein Said Comey "Created A False Impression About The Nature Of the Agency's Inquiry." "'Today's letter makes Director Comey's actions nine days ago even more troubling,' Ms. Feinstein said in a statement after the F.B.I. conceded that the matter was closed. 'There's no doubt that it created a false impression about the nature of the agency's inquiry.'" (Nicholas Fandos, "Democrats Aghast At Comey's Firing, Despite Anger Towards," The New York Times , 5/10/17)

Feinstein Said Comey's Justification For His Actions Was "Baloney." CHUCK TODD: "What do you say to that argument to Director Comey?" SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA "Well, that argument in my view is baloney. Because if you have a doubt and there was reason to have many doubts, you would get a search warrant. And you would say let's see what we have before we go out and indict. And if they looked at what they had, they would have to say, well, there's nothing new. We looked at all of this before. Ergo there is no case. And then two days before the election, he came back and essentially said that. But it was too late then. And I -- it is very hard for me to believe he felt so sanctimonious about having to come forward." (MSNBC's "Meet The Press Daily," 05/03/17)

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) Said Comey Showed A Grave Lack Of Judgement And "Did A Disservice To The United States Of America" By Announcing The New Investigation

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) Said James Comey "Showed A Grave Lack Of Judgment" And "Did A Disservice To The United States Of America," Through His Letter To Congress. SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): "Well, I really think that it was a big impact on the election. I don't have any, obviously, data to back that up, and hopefully through an analysis we'll see. But clearly our Senate candidates and our presidential candidates were surging - or at the time that news came, it sucked the momentum out a lot of those races. And we think it could likely affect the outcome of some very tight Senate races as well. It's unfortunate that he would break with precedent. It's - to me, it showed a grave lack of judgment, to put something like that into an election days before it would come to pass. And I think he did a disservice to the United States of America." (Cory Booker, Remarks On NPR's 'All Things Considered' , 11/8/16)

Booker Said What Comey Did Was "Just Flat Wrong" And "Egregious ." CNN's ERIN BURNETT: "Senator, he says reasonable people would have done the same thing as he did. Are you what Director Comey would you call a reasonable person?" BOOKER: "So first of all, Director Comey is just flat wrong and what he did to me is egregious. He himself talks about his being nauseated. He interfered with an election at a time where all he had to do was take the extra step which would've take him a handful of base to actually see if there's anything substantive in those emails and if he found something, then notify congress." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

Booker: What Comey Did Was "Uncalled For, Unnecessary, And Ultimately Influenced An American Election," In A "Highly Inappropriate" Way. BOOKER: "He is just dead wrong in this case. He knows he's wrong. I'm glad that he feels sick to his stomach but reality is is he did something that was uncalled for, unnecessary, and ultimately influenced in American election in a way that was highly inappropriate for the FBI." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

What Comey Did Was Unacceptable And "It Should Be Unacceptable To All Of Us To Allow An FBI Director To Interfere In An American Election." BOOKER: "Look, again, I have respect for him in many ways, many areas, things I have agreed with him on but I'll tell you, in this case what he did was to me unacceptable. It should be outrageous, anybody, democrat or republican to have in the final moments of a presidential election, no party should be welcoming this standard that he just set based on no concrete evidence. He hadn't found anything. He hadn't found a smoking gun. He was in the midst of an investigation. He should've gone further in a private investigation. What he did was unacceptable. It should be unacceptable to all of us to allow an FBI director to interfere in an American election in the way he did it was just dead wrong." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

Booker: "I Wish [Comey] Would Come Clean ." BURNETT: "So do you think he should step down or be removed? Obviously, he's now in the middle of a 10-year term here but from what you're saying, the words you're using, seems like a fair question for you." BOOKER: "Again, I'm not -- I'm not going to make any conclusion about that at all. I wish he would come clean and be clear that he did not have to do this. He could have continued the investigation. By the way, if he did find something that ultimately he did, ultimately those proved to be not relative to the investigation, but if he did find something, I would want him to come forward but he had nothing, nothing at that point but more investigatory work to do. So this is outrageous that he is defending himself in this manner." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

Booker Called Comey's Actions Are "Almost The Stuff Of Science Fiction." BOOKER: "I wish in fact, I think (INAUDIBLE) hey, look, I made a judgment call, I was wrong in hindsight. It makes me nauseated as he said but we're going to move forward. We have an important work to do in our country. At least he could've given us the understanding that this was not going to be a precedent setting moment in American history where an FBI agent in a reckless manner could interfere in an American election the way that this happened. It's just -- to me it's -- I really, it's almost the stuff of science fiction that this could happen in this day and age." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

When Asked If Comey Should Step Down, Booker Replied That The FBI Director "Should Be Held To Account." BURNETT: "But you won't go so far as to say as a result of that that you should step down? You would still think someone you're saying all those things about could remain as director of the FBI?" BOOKER: "Look, he should be held account. There should be accountability for this, what that is, I don't know but this is a person that's not taking responsibility for their action and not owning up to the mistake that they made and that's unfortunate. He should be held to account." (CNN's "Outfront," 05/03/17)

Ranking Member Of The Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) Called Comey's Actions Leading Up To The Election "Highly Unorthodox" And A Break With The Longstanding Tradition Of The FBI

Ranking Member Of The Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) Sent A Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch Saying Comey's Actions Broke With The Longstanding Tradition Of The FBI Of "Exercising Extreme Caution In The Days Leading Up To An Election." "This letter is troubling because it is vaguely worded and leaves so many questions unanswered. It is not clear whether the emails identified by the FBI are even in the custody of the FBI, whether any of the emails have already been reviewed, whether Secretary Clinton sent or received them, or whether they even have any significance to the FBI's previous investigation. The letter is also troubling because it breaks with the longstanding tradition of Department of Justice and the FBI of exercising extreme caution in the days leading up to an election, so as not to unfairly influence the results." (Sens. Carper, Leahy, Feinstein, and Cardin, Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch , 10/29/16)

Cardin Called Comey's Actions "Highly Unorthodox." CNN's FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: "CNN is reporting that we're learning that the FBI may have known about these e-mails for weeks now, even though the public has learned about it just this week by way of the letter that Comey sent to the hill. What questions do you have about this now?" SEN BEN CARDIN (D-MD): "Well, the notice to the hill was sent less than two weeks before the election. That is highly unorthodox. You don't do types of investigation announcements this close to an election. Secondly, there is no indication here that this is anything involving Secretary Clinton. This was an independent investigation. There is no indication there is any new e-mails that have not already been seen. We don't know. The American people have a right to know exactly what was involved. What e-mails are we talking about? Let's get immediate disclosure so there aren't these innuendos going into the national elections." (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/30/16)

Cardin Said That Comey "Made A Bad Judgement," And Fell Into A "Trap" Used To Suppress Voter Turnout. CNN's CHRIS CUOMO: "The criticism is, you loved him when he was on your side. Now he seems to be doing something that could help the other side, so you don't like him. You're having it both ways." SEN. BEN CARDIN: "Well, quite frankly, I would like to see investigations done out of the spotlight of the public. But Director Comey was the one who made his decisions. The fact that he closed the investigation, that is public. The fact that there's more information now that may be relevant, may not be relevant, that needs to be investigated before public comments are made. So I think he -- look, he's a good person, he made a bad judgment here. And you see how it's being spun in an effort, I think, and a strategy to deal with some of the Clinton supporters, to say, well, maybe there's a question here, you need not come off the vote. I think it has something to do with suppression of the voter turnout. People get depressed about this election. And it's been used. And Director Comey fell into this trap." (CNN's "New Day" 11/01/16)

Cardin Said Comey's Actions Led To Widespread Confusion And Unfair Speculation. "The Justice Department's response to our letter was disappointing and inadequate. The vague letter that Director Comey sent to Congress last Friday has led to widespread confusion and unfair speculation. In fact, it appears that when Director Comey sent his letter, the FBI had not even sought or obtained the authority necessary to review the emails in question." (Press Release, "Senate Committee Ranking Members Demand Answers From DOJ & FBI On FBI Review Of Recently Identified Emails," Senate Committee Rankings Members , 10/31/16)

Cardin Said He Was "Deeply Troubled," Comey Acted Without "Even Knowing The Basic Facts About The Emails." "We are deeply troubled by the fact that Director Comey apparently sent his letter without even knowing the basic facts about the emails. The result is that the letter is being mischaracterized and misconstrued for political benefit, which is the very reason the Justice Department has a longstanding policy against publicizing investigations so close to Election Day." (Press Release, "Senate Committee Ranking Members Demand Answers From DOJ & FBI On FBI Review Of Recently Identified Emails," Senate Committee Rankings Members , 10/31/16)

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) Called Comey's Actions An "Unprecedented Episode"

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) Sent A Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch Saying Comey's Actions Broke With The Longstanding Tradition Of The FBI Of "Exercising Extreme Caution In The Days Leading Up To An Election." "This letter is troubling because it is vaguely worded and leaves so many questions unanswered. It is not clear whether the emails identified by the FBI are even in the custody of the FBI, whether any of the emails have already been reviewed, whether Secretary Clinton sent or received them, or whether they even have any significance to the FBI's previous investigation. The letter is also troubling because it breaks with the longstanding tradition of Department of Justice and the FBI of exercising extreme caution in the days leading up to an election, so as not to unfairly influence the results." (Sens. Carper, Leahy, Feinstein, and Cardin, Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch , 10/29/16)

Carper Called Comey's Actions An Unprecedented Episode, And Said That The Public Needed To Remain Vigilant To Ensure "No Agency Is Allowed To Improperly Influence Our Elections." "While I am grateful to the men and women of the FBI for all the work of the past nine days, which led to the letter sent by Director Comey today, this unprecedented episode should serve as a reminder to all of us that we must remain vigilant to ensure that no agency is allowed to improperly influence our elections - not this year and not any year in the future." (Press Release, "Senator Carper Statement On Latest Letter From Director Comey," Sen. Tom Carper , 11/06/16)

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) Called Comey A "Smearer At Large" And Said His Actions Were "Astonishing"

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) Wrote That Comey's Actions Were "Perplexing," And a Violation of Principles Prosecutors Live By. "As a former attorney general of my state, and a former United States attorney, it is perplexing for me to try to understand FBI Director James Comey's conduct in the agency's investigation of emails related to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. We prosecutors lived by principles that he seems to have violated: Don't discuss investigations, whether or not they are ongoing. Don't volunteer evidence you haven't charged. And don't engage with legislators." (Sheldon Whitehouse, Op-Ed, "Sen. Whitehouse: Comey Violated Important Principle By Disclosing Email Investigation To Congress," The National Law Journal , 10/31/16)

Whitehouse Said That Comey Broke The Rule Of Never Divulging "Derogatory Investigative Information" Right Off The Bat. SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI): "When I was the Attorney General of my state with broad criminal jurisdiction, when I was the United States Attorney, we had a very clear rule. Any derogatory information that we developed in an investigation had to be listed in the charging document, in the indictment or in the criminal information, or else we didn`t talk about it. And if there were no charges, then we would never divulge derogatory investigative information, least of all opinion about the suspect who had never been charged. So Director Comey broke that rule right off the bat with his first press conference." (MSNBC's "All In," 10/31/16)

Whitehouse Said Comey Fell Into A Trap Of His Own Making By Going "Down The Rat Hole." WHITEHOUSE: "The second bright red flag is that you don`t engage with the legislature. He had no obligation to Congress to clarify anything. Once a prosecutor goes down the rat hole of trying to make sure that Congress thinks that what he`s doing is fair, there`s no going back. And Congress is perfectly able to manipulate that by denying its approval, by false criticism. And so Comey is caught in a terrible trap now of his own making, and it`s stunning to people who are prosecutors if someone as experienced and honorable as him would`ve fallen into this trap." (MSNBC's "All In," 10/31/16)

Whitehouse Referred To Comey As A "Smearer At Larger," Calling His Actions "Astonishing." WHITEHOUSE: "You don`t get to be a smearer at large with derogatory information, and that`s what that rule is designed to protect against and that`s the trap that Director Comey fell into. And it`s astonishing." (MSNBC's "All In," 10/31/16)

Whitehouse Called It A "Terrible Week For The FBI" And Said He Had Never Seen An "Agency With Such Indiscipline," And "Disregard For These Basic Prosecutorial Principles." WHITEHOUSE: "This is a terrible week for the FBI. I have never seen the agency with such indiscipline, with such disregard for these basic prosecutorial principles." (MSNBC's "All In," 10/31/16)

Whitehouse Said That Due To Comey's Actions The FBI Was "Going To Suffer The Most," For Breaking "Very, Very, Basic Principles Of Fairness And Prosecutorial Conduct." WHITEHOUSE: "And ultimately, when the dust settles, whether it`s Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, the institution that`s going to suffer the most will be the Federal Bureau of Investigation for having broken these very, very basic principles of fairness and of prosecutorial conduct." (MSNBC's "All In," 10/31/16)

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) Said He Had Never Seen Anything Like Comey's Handling Of The Clinton Investigation In His 42 Years In Congress

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Told Comey He Had Never Seen Anything Like Comey's Handling Of The Clinton Investigation In His 42 Years In Congress. SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT): "Senator Feinstein noted that Americans across the country have been confused and disappointed by your judgment in handling the investigation into Secretary Clinton's emails. On a number of occasions, you told us to comment directly and extensively on that investigation. You even released internal FBI memos and interview notes. I may have missed this, but in my 42 years here I've never seen anything like that. But you said absolutely nothing regarding the investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia's illegal efforts to help elect Donald Trump. Was it appropriate for you to comment on one investigation repeatedly and not say anything about the other?" (Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing , 05/03/17)

Leahy Sent A Letter To Obama Attorney General Loretta Lynch Saying Comey's Letter To Congress Broke With The Longstanding Tradition Of The FBI Of "Exercising Extreme Caution In The Days Leading Up To An Election." "This letter is troubling because it is vaguely worded and leaves so many questions unanswered. It is not clear whether the emails identified by the FBI are even in the custody of the FBI, whether any of the emails have already been reviewed, whether Secretary Clinton sent or received them, or whether they even have any significance to the FBI's previous investigation. The letter is also troubling because it breaks with the longstanding tradition of Department of Justice and the FBI of exercising extreme caution in the days leading up to an election, so as not to unfairly influence the results." (Sens. Carper, Leahy, Feinstein, and Cardin, Letter To Attorney General Loretta Lynch , 10/29/16)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Called Comey's Actions "Highly Unusual" And That He Was "Very Dissatisfied And Frustrated" By Comey's Reasoning

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Called Comey's Actions "Highly Unusual." "While stepping back from demanding Comey's resignation, as some Democrats have done, Blumenthal said Comey has a lot of explaining to do about his 'cryptic' comments. 'As a former federal prosecutor and state attorney general, I believe there is serious reason for concern regarding Director Comey's cryptic comments and hope that more facts will be disclosed as quickly as possible,' Blumenthal said in a statement. 'Such actions are highly unusual and urgently require explanation.'" (Ana Radelat, "Blumenthal: Comey's Comments 'Cryptic' And Actions 'Highly Unusual'," CT Mirror , 10/31/16)

Blumenthal Said Comey's Release Was A "Critical Factor In The Defeat Of Hillary Clinton," And His Reasoning For His Actions Left Blumenthal "Very Dissatisfied And Frustrated." THE NEW YORK TIMES' NICK CONFESSORE: "Hey, Senator, it's Nick Confessore. I want to know if you feel confident in Comey's response on the question of the election meddling. Do you feel that he gave an adequate answer about his decision to go public so late in the game despite his assurances that were raised in this tradition to not intervene in an election, and how important do you think his release was in the defeat of Hillary Clinton?" SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): "His release was a critical factor in the defeat of Hillary Clinton. I think that any objective observer would conclude it played an important part. Whether it determined the outcome is another question. And his answers on the reasons why he chose one of those two doors left a lot of us, including me, very dissatisfied and frustrated because there were other doors available. One was to wait and do the review that the FBI eventually concluded through its wizardry, as he characterized it yesterday, and the conclusion was nothing new here, and eventually he made a second statement to that effect. But again, a special prosecutor now is necessary for this investigation because of the taint and doubt and lack of credibility." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 05/04/17)

Blumenthal Told MSNBC's Chris Matthews Any Decision Concerning Future Investigations Of The Election Would Be "Tainted" By Comey's Involvement. MSNBC's CHRIS MATTHEWS: "But anyway, what do you make of his testimony? Do you think Comey cost Hillary Clinton the election?" BLUMENTHAL: "I think, without question, it had a part in the outcome of the election. So did the Russian meddling and interference. Now the question is, did the Trump team collude with the Russians, and will they be held accountable criminally? And the real takeaway for me from today`s hearing is Jim Comey should not be making the decision about whether or not to prosecute Trump or his associates. And the president of the United States is a potential target here. So there is a need for a special prosecutor because, otherwise, either Jim Comey or a Trump appointee will be making that decision, and we know it will be tainted and in question." (MSNCB's "Hardball," 05/03/17)

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Said She Was "Disappointed" In Comey Publicly Notifying Congress Of The New Investigation And Believed He Had Been Easily Intimidated Into Creating Controversies

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Said She Was Disappointed In Comey And Believed He Had Been Intimidated Into Creating Controversy. "Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., floated the idea Friday that FBI Director James Comey was pressured by Republicans into notifying Congress that his bureau had found additional emails likely related to Hillary Clinton's private server. 'I think the biggest thing is my disappointment with the director. I think he's shown he's very easily intimidated by the Republicans in D.C. who are constantly trying to create controversies and so on,' the senator said in an interview on MSNBC." (Becket Adams, "Dem Suggests FBI Director Intimidated Into Action By GOP," The Examiner, 11/04/16)

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) Called Comey's Actions "Unjustified," "Unexplained," And "Puzzling"

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) Called Comey's Public Comments On The New Clinton Investigation "Unjustified," "Unexplained," And "Puzzling" And Contrary To The Longstanding Practices Of The FBI And Department Of Justice. CNN's ALISYN CAMEROTA: "Senator, what do you make of what is happening with the FBI? Not just the letter that Director Comey sent to Congress, but this this next thing, this next surprise as it's being called, this tweet that was sent out with a link to a long dormant account at the FBI that suddenly revealed the heavily redacted documents about Bill Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich more than a dozen years ago. What do you think is going on with the FBI?" SEN. CHRISTOPER COONS (D-CT): "Alisyn, I looked into that. I read some articles about that last night. I'm deeply puzzled. The FBI and the Department of Justice have longstanding practices of not commenting on investigation underway, on not commenting where there isn't sufficient information, and of avoiding public comment when it might have undue influence on election. Reporting suggests that James Comey, the director of the FBI, declined any public comment on investigations into Donald Trump's ties, his campaign manager's ties, to Russia earlier this summer following that longstanding practice, and I think that's a good practice and has stood as well. So I really was surprised by what you're referencing, this unjustified, unexplained release of now long outdated e-mails about a long closed investigation. James Comey was involved in that investigation when he was with the Department of Justice in a previous role." (CNN's "New Day," 11/02/16)

Coons Said Comey Had Set A Troubling Pattern And That He Hoped "Public Confidence In The FBI" Would Eventually Be Restored. COONS: "But it just sets a troubling pattern, and it's my hope that our public confidence in the FBI will be restored. I am certain that this latest revelation of some trove of e-mails that may or may not even be related to Hillary Clinton may or may not be duplicates, may or may not be personal." (CNN's "New Day," 11/02/16)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Said Comey Had Made An "Error In Judgement" And That His Review Of The Emails Was "Especially Irresponsible"

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) Said She Believed "Director Comey Made An Error In Judgement." "'I believe that Director Comey made an error in judgement,' Baldwin (D-WI) said, during a stop Tuesday morning at a coffee shop on the UW-Madison campus." (Andrew Beckett, "Senator Baldwin Says FBI Director Made 'Error In Judgement,' Wisconsin Radio Network , 03/31/18)

Baldwin Said She Thought Comey's Decision To Disclose The Review Of The Clinton Emails Was "Especially Irresponsible." "Trump on Sunday, October 30th seized on the latest twist in the race for president -- as Clinton and her Wisconsin supporters criticized FBI Director James Comey for publicizing the review of newly-discovered emails. 'This, I thought, was especially irresponsible. The FBI itself said they don`t know whether it is significant or not,' Senator Tammy Baldwin said." (Theo Keith, "Clinton's Wisconsin Supporters: FBI Being 'Irresponsible' In Announcing Plans To Review More Emails," Fox 6 Now , 10/30/16)

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Criticized Comey For Using A Double Standard On Hillary Clinton

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) Told Comey That To Many Senators He Treated The Clinton Investigation Of Emails Different Then Other Investigations . SEN. MAZIE K. HIRONO (D-HI): "Thank you. You've been getting a lot of questions surrounding your decision to make certain statements about the investigation into Secretary Clinton's emails. And to many of us, you treated the investigation of a Clinton email investigation or matter whatever you want to call it differently than how you treated the ongoing investigation of the Trump campaign and the Russian attempts to interfere with their elections. And while you've and if I can understand correctly that there is a -- you felt free to speak about the Clinton investigation because it had been completed when you're press conference in July ..." COMEY: "Correct." (Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing , 05/03/17)

Hirono Criticized Comey For Chastising, And "Editorializing" His Decision To Not Bring Charges Against Hillary Clinton. HIRONO: "I just wanted to -- I didn't know whether -- when you made all of those public statements chastising her, which amounts to editorializing on your decision not to bring about criminal charges. It had to occur to you that this public chastisement put Secretary Clinton in a negative light. So did you consider whether this public chastisement might affect her campaign? COMEY: "I have to respectfully disagree with your characterization of my intention as chastising or editorializing. My goal was to say what is true. What did we do, what did we find, what do we think about it and I tried to be as complete and fair as I could be and tell the truth about what we found and what we think about it and what we're recommending..." (Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing , 05/03/17)

Hirono Said She Found It Hard To Believe Comey Was Not Interested In The Political Ramifications Of The Statements He Made About Hillary Clinton . COMEY: "I knew there would be ramifications. I just tried not to care about them. I knew there'd be a huge storm that would come, but I tried to say what is the right thing to do in this case?" HIRONO: "Yes, the right thing would've been that you did not have enough evidence to bring about criminal charges, and that should've been the end of it I would I think. I don't understand why you chose to go forward with all kinds of characterizations about her actions, that I find hard to believe. And that you had not had interested in the political ramifications so that it did not -- you may not have considered it, but the thought should've occurred to you. And that, I would think that you would've bent over backwards not to say anything that would have an impact on the campaign or on the election because you seem to do that, that that was a concern for you." (Committee On The Judiciary, U.S. Senate, Hearing , 05/03/17)

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) Said Comey Had Violated DOJ Policy And That His Actions Were Not Justified

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) Said Comey Made A "Serious Error In Judgement," And Did Not Have A Good Reason To "Violate DOJ Policy." CNN'S WOLF BLITZER: "Some of your Democratic colleagues have now publicly called on the FBI director, James Comey, to resign. Are you among them?" REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): "I'm not. But I do think this was a very serious error in judgment. And you know, as someone who has had a high opinion of the director, I was very surprised to see it. And -- and I can only think that he thought this was in the best interests of the bureau, not to be accused after the election of hiding something. But this clearly was not in the public interest. And if you're going to violate DOJ policy, you need a darn good reason for it, and you better have something to say. And here, there wasn't a good reason for it, and he had nothing to say. This letter just raised far more questions than any could answer." (CNN'S "The Situation Room," 10/31/16)

Schiff Ripped Comey's Handling Of Issues During The Campaign. "Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday criticized FBI Director James Comey's 'disparate' treatment of President Trump and Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election, saying Comey failed to justify his actions during a Senate hearing earlier in the day. 'Nothing excuses the disparate way he handled those,' Schiff said. 'I don't think in any way he justified both what he did and why he treated those investigations so differently.'" (Mark Hensch, "Top Intel Dem Rips Comey's 'Disparate' Handling Of Clinton,Trump," The Hill , 5/3/17)

Schiff Said Questions About Whether Comey Was "Apolitical" Have Not Been "Put To Rest." "'The American people need to have confidence that the director is ruthlessly apolitical, and there have been substantial questions raised about that,' he added. 'I can certainly say that I don't think these questions have been put to rest, by any means.'" (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Schiff: "There Are A Lot Of Concerns" Whether Comey Employed A Double Standard On The Clinton Investigation. "'There are a lot of concerns about whether there was a double standard employed in openly and repeatedly discussing the Clinton investigation, and the unwillingness you saw during the Armed Services Committee hearing in the Senate, when Angus King asked whether the director was behind an investigation of Trump campaign ties, potentially, to the Kremlin,' Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told The Hill on Friday." (Scott Wong, Mike Lillis, and Katie Bo Williams, "Wasserman Schultz Confronted Comey About Russian Hacking," The Hill , 01/13/17)

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Said Comey's Decision Was A "Very Strange Thing To Do"

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Told CNN's Jake Tapper That Comey's Decision Was A "Very Strange Thing To Do." SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR: "Of course. And the president has said, made clear, that he did not agree with that decision to send that letter a week ago. I also thought it was a very strange thing to do and didn't agree with it. But the point is, he was originally a Bush appointee. He is someone that generally has respect from people in law enforcement. He has made a decision." (CNN's "The Lead," 11/06/16)

Former Senator Al Franken (D-MN) Called Comey's Actions "Troubling" And There Should Be Hearings Over The Handling Of The Hillary Clinton Investigation

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) Called Comey's Actions During The Campaign "Troubling." "Democrats criticized Comey's action, arguing that it went against practice not to take steps close to an election in the course of an investigation that could affect the outcome of the vote. 'I think it's troubling that he put that vague letter out 11 days before the election,' said Franken." (Mallory Shelbourne, "Franken Predicts Hearings On 'Rogue' FBI Elements," The Hill , 11/6/16)

Franken Called For The Senate Judiciary Committee To Hold Hearings On FBI Director James's Comey's Handling Of The Investigation Into Hillary Clinton's Private Server. "Sen. Al Franken called Sunday for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on FBI Director James Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private server. And the Minnesota senator said he thinks Hillary Clinton can rely on his state's voters despite a last-minute visit from Donald Trump, though he said he's always 'nervous.'" (Eric Bradner, "Franken: FBI's Comey Should Face Senate Hearings," CNN , 11/07/16)

Franken Said, "I Think There Should Be Hearings, And I'm Certain There Will Be Hearings In The Judiciary Committee." "'I think that there should be hearings, and I'm certain there will be hearings in the Judiciary Committee on this matter,' the Franken told CNN's Jake Tapper on 'State of the Union.'" (Eric Bradner, "Franken: FBI's Comey Should Face Senate Hearings," CNN , 11/07/16)

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Attacked The FBI For Its "Continued Leadership Failures" And Comey For His "Pattern Of Poor Judgement"

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Released A Statement Criticizing The Unchecked Leaks At The FBI And A Pattern Of Poor Judgement By FBI Director James Comey. "Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement, in response to ongoing, unchecked leaks at the FBI, and a pattern of poor judgement by FBI Director James Comey." (Press Release, "Wyden: FBI Leadership Failures Underscore Need For Independent Oversight, Limits On Government Surveillance," Sen. Ron Wyden , 11/03/16)

Wyden Attacked The FBI For Its "Continued Leadership Failures." "'The continued leadership failures at the FBI are another reminder we can't let intelligence agencies say 'trust us' and then give them a blank check to probe into Americans' lives,' Wyden said." (Press Release, "Wyden: FBI Leadership Failures Underscore Need For Independent Oversight, Limits On Government Surveillance," Sen. Ron Wyden , 11/03/16)

Wyden Implied That Comey Did Not Believe The "Rules" Applied To Him And That Americans Needed To Create Oversight To Protect Their Liberty From The FBI. "'While I've argued for years that Congress must create ironclad protections for Americans' security and privacy, we also need vigilant oversight of agencies that have the power to deprive citizens of their liberty or change the course of an election. It is clear the FBI would benefit from a strong, independent inspector general, and that moves to weaken independent watchdogs like the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board only embolden leaders at FBI and elsewhere who believe the rules don't apply to them.'" (Press Release, "Wyden: FBI Leadership Failures Underscore Need For Independent Oversight, Limits On Government Surveillance," Sen. Ron Wyden , 11/03/16)

Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) Said Comey Had Violated "Long-Standing FBI Policy" By Publicly Informing Congress Of The Reopening Of The Clinton Campaign

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) Called Comey's Decision A "Violation Of Long-Standing FBI Policy." "Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., acknowledged Friday that Clinton's lead has eroded since Comey's letter to Congress, which Udall criticized as a violation of long-standing FBI policy. But Udall said Clinton's slipping poll numbers could give voters - especially independent or undecided voters - reason to think carefully about their votes In New Mexico." (Michael Coleman, "Dems Fret, GOP Upbeat As National Polls Tighten," Albuquerque Journal, 11/05/16)

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Said Comey Had Generated "All Kinds Of Unnecessary Speculation" By Reopening The Investigation In Clinton

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Said The New Investigation Into Hillary Clinton Generated "Unnecessary Speculation." "'This is important, because when the FBI released letters, saying that there was an ongoing investigation, it generated all kinds of unnecessary speculation. Donald Trump said she is going to be indicted and that there is going to be ongoing criminal investigation. So, it is really good that the FBI took the time, and quickly reviewed all those emails, and concluded that there was no reason to bring an investigation. This is important news on the eve of the election,' he Van Hollen, who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, told Views and News." (Ali Imran, "Chris Van Hollen: FBI Clearance On Emails Significant For Clinton Campaign," Views & News , 11/07/16)

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) Called Comey's Actions "Unprecedented," And "Clearly Politically Motivated"

Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) Called Comey's Actions "Clearly Politically Motivated." "Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke said in a radio interview on Wednesday that FBI director James Comey recent actions regarding the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server are 'clearly politically motivated.'" (Andrew Kaczynski, "Democratic Congresswoman: FBI Director James Comey Is 'Clearly Politically Motivated,'" CNN , 11/03/16

Clarke Said Comey's Actions Were Unprecedented. "'I think it's obvious to everyone that it was political - I'm sure you're tired of hearing this terminology but I'm gonna use it anyway - it's unprecedented for a federal investigative body with law enforcement authority or any federal agency to make any pronouncement during an election,' Clarke said on 'The Mike McIntee Show' on AM 950." (Andrew Kaczynski, "Democratic Congresswoman: FBI Director James Comey Is 'Clearly Politically Motivated,'" CNN , 11/03/16

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) Urged The United States DOJ Inspector General To Investigate Comey's FBI, And Called Comey's Letter To Congress A "Break With Longstanding Precedent"

Representative John Conyers (D-MI) Sent A Letter To The U.S. Inspector General Calling On Him To Investigate Comey's FBI. "Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and Rep. John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Members of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary, sent a letter calling on the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an immediate investigation to determine the source of multiple unauthorized-and often inaccurate-leaks from within the FBI to benefit the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. The full letter is set forth below." (Press Release, "Cummings And Conyers Request Investigation Of FBI Leaks To Trump Campaign," House Committee On Oversight , 10/04/16)

Conyers Called Comey's Actions A Break With Longstanding FBI Precedent. "Already, Director Comey's letter from last Friday had broken with longstanding precedent by confirming publicly that the FBI was in the process of taking investigative steps relating to newly-discovered emails, despite the fact that Director Comey had not yet even seen these emails or determined whether they were 'significant.'" (Press Release, "Cummings And Conyers Request Investigation Of FBI Leaks To Trump Campaign," House Committee On Oversight , 10/04/16)

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) Called The FBI's Actions "Outrageous" And "Irresponsible"

Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) Called The FBI's Actions Under Comey "Outrageous," And "Irresponsible." "While none of the elected officials tasked with warming up the Taylor crowd and introducing Kaine mentioned the FBI controversy from the stage Sunday, it remained an undercurrent of the rally. There was anger at the timing of the announcement from Comey and hope that the impact of the issue will be negligible, even positive for Clinton. 'This just reaffirms that people have to get out and vote,' said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Dearborn. 'What (the FBI) did is outrageous and the timing is outrageous. It's irresponsible.'" (Kathleen Gray, "Don't Get Distracted By E-mails, Kaine Says," Detroit Free Press , 10/31/16)

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) Accused Comey Of Starting A "Nothing Burger"

Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) Accused Comey Of Starting A Nothing Burger. MSNBC's STEVE KORNACKI: "You make it sound like it's pretty much a no-brainer here, the way you describe it. That's a very stark choice. And yet here we are a couple days out and again we saw this in the primaries, we saw -- you're a Sanders supporter. You guys -- one of your most core constituencies in that primary was young voters. What is the resistance to Hillary Clinton?" REP. KEITH ELLISON (D-MN): "Well I think that, you know, young people just have got to understand that Donald Trump is trying to demoralize and suppress their vote. He's trying to confuse them. His whole game is to throw up stuff about this e- mail thing, which is a total nothing burger that Comey just started the other day. He's trying to cast doubt on her and is always trying to reinforce this theme on negativity." (MSNBC's, 10/03/16)

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) Said Comey Handled The Clinton Investigation Inappropriately And Questioned His "Agenda" And The Way He "Conducted His Office"

Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) Said Comey Handled The Investigation Of Hillary Clinton Inappropriately And That She "Was Concerned From The Beginning." CNN's VIKTOR BLACKWELL: "And thank you for being with us this morning. There's been, as we just illustrated, a shift, maybe a flip-flop in perspective based on party on Director Comey. Democrats back in July were very complimentary when he announced and explained why no charges would be filed against the former secretary. Now Democrats, we heard from John Podesta there, are going after Director Comey. What's your view on James Comey's decision to send this letter now? And do you believe he relented to pressure from Republicans?" REP. MARCIA FUDGE (D-OH): "Well, let me first say I don't think that all Democrats applauded Director Comey at the time. I felt that it was inappropriate that he handled it the way he did even from the very beginning. Having been a prosecutor and worked in a prosecutor's office for a long period of time, I know that is not how an investigatory agency works. And so I was concerned from the beginning." (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/29/16)

Fudge Said The Timing Of Comey's Letter To Congress Was Questionable And It Was Her Opinion That He Was Trying To Weigh In On An Election. FUDGE: "And we would not be having this conversation today if the timing of this letter was not questionable. We all know and believe and trust, it is my, clearly, opinion that he in fact did try to weigh in on an election that is very, very close at a time that is inappropriate for his office." (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/29/16)

Fudge Said She Questioned How Comey Was "Conducting His Office," And "What His Agenda" Was. FUDGE: "And I think that it brings into question how he is conducting his office, what his agenda is, and why now." (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/29/16)

Fudge Said Comey Was Acting One Sided And Going After Former Secretary Of State Clinton. FUDGE: "Well, no, because if that's the case, then update us on everything you're looking at that may affect Congress. Update us on everything that may be concerned with this election. Update us on everything you're looking at. Are you investigating Donald Trump? Are you investigating the Russian leaks? Are you investigating Putin? Tell us about it all. Don't just have it one-sided. If there is something that we believe is in the best interests of this country that we need to know, tell us all of it. Not just part of it, and that part which relates only to Secretary Clinton." (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/29/16)

Fudge Accused The FBI Of Editorializing And That It Was "Horrible That We Have A Director Who Would Allow This Kind Of Thing To Happen." FUDGE: "Well, I don't see it likely. I think this has been unusual from the beginning. Any time an agency like the FBI not only comes out and starts to editorialize and give their opinion about a case, not just deal with the facts and the findings of law, and then to release your notes, to release your work papers is something almost unheard of. And then to come out at a time like this and throw out red meat with nothing to back it up, I think it's just awful. I think it is horrible that we have a director who would allow this kind of thing to happen knowing where we stand in the United States today as it relates to this election. If he in fact says that he cannot give us an answer prior to the election, then why bring it up before the election?" (CNN's "Newsroom," 10/29/16)

Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-AZ) Said The Comey Letter Was Designed "To Suppress The Democratic Vote"

Representative Reuben Gallego (D-AZ) Said The Comey Letter Was Designed "To Supress The Democratic Vote." "Armed with Clinton/Kaine mini-posters and a smile, the 36-year-old congressman encouraged the dozen or so students in the audience to not only vote, but encourage others to do so as well. 'You're in politics,' Gallego said. 'You can decide to be a bystander ... or you can be part of the fight.' On Monday, The New York Times published an article titled 'Confidence Even as Hillary Clinton's Momentum Slows' that investigated the disillusionment that casual supporters of the Democratic party's nominee felt about the recent email inquiry by the FBI. Gallego, who was elected to Congress in 2014, urged JMU students who felt similarly not to be swayed. 'Don't be fooled,' Gallego said. 'This was designed ... to suppress the Democratic vote.'" ("Congressman Ruben Gallego Comes To JMU," The Breeze: James Madison University, 11/01/16)

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) Called Comey's Letter "Unusual"

Rep. Jim Himes Called Comey's Decision To Go Public And To Write Congress "Unusual." "U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said Comey has a solid reputation. 'I've always thought of Jim Comey as a man of huge integrity and, as such, I'm reserving judgment on the wisdom of his move,' Himes said. 'The decision to go public in July was unusual. Clearly, the decision to write the Congress was also unusual.'" (Neil Vigdor, "The Comey Effect: How Ex-Westport Hedge Fund Lawyer Could Decide Presidency," Connecticut Post , 11/01/16)

Rep. Ben Lujan (D-NM) Called Comey's Actions "Unacceptable"

Representative Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) Called Comey's Actions "Unacceptable." "Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, chair of the House Democrats' campaign arm, told those on the call that he didn't have any 'direct data' about the fallout of the Comey letter, but stressed, as he has all year, 'We are tied to the national environment.' Lujan also criticized Comey's handling of the investigation, saying the release of the unexpected letter coming just 11 days before the election 'was unacceptable.'" (Deirdre Walsh, "Pelosi Tells House Democrats Comey Letter Hurt Chances Of Picking Up GOP Seats," CNN, 11/08/16)

Rep. Michelle Grisham (D-NM) Called Comey's Actions "Unprecedented, Unwarranted, And Quite Frankly Really Unprofessional"

Representative Michelle Grisham (D-NM) Called Comey's Actions "Unprecedented, Unwarranted, And Quite Frankly Really Unprofessional." CNN's VIKTOR BLACKWELL: "That still doesn't get to the narrative of what's here. So what does this essentially get the American public?" GRISHAM: "Well, I don't know what that's going to do for the American public going forward except this, that we can finally at least if we get more information from the FBI, we'd have an earnest conversation about what they are looking at or not. That letter from Comey, all innuendo that had no facts, creates an environment in this election where we can continue to have sparring about non-factual efforts and emotions about the e-mail server and about both candidates. And that is not only inappropriate in the context of the election in general but from the FBI is unprecedented, unwarranted and quite frankly really unprofessional." (CNN's "New Day Sunday," 10/30/16)

Grisham Said That Comey Acted In A Way Inconsistent With How "An Independent, Objective Investigative Arm Behaves." BLACKWELL: "So, lots of booing there from the crowd. Hillary Clinton continued to go on there. Is that what we're going to hear from her over the next nine days as she tries to make that closing argument, starting and pretty critically with the director of the FBI?" GRISHAM: "Well, she's completely correct. This is not how an independent, objective investigative arm behaves. She was very clear right that there is no there. We're going to continue to fight for the election. We're going to continue to focus on the message that voters and Americans are wanting us to focus on." (CNN's "New Day Sunday," 10/30/16)

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) Accused Comey Of Creating A "Mess" That Swamped The Presidential Contest

Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) Accused Comey Of Creating A "Mess" That Swamped The Presidential Contest. "'Obviously this has been a disastrous couple of weeks for the FBI as an institution,' U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston), who stumped for Clinton in New Hampshire this weekend, told the Herald. 'On the one hand, it is encouraging that Director Comey is now trying to clean up the mess that has swamped the presidential contest while millions of Americans are going to the polls. However, it is hard to overlook that this whole mess was Mr. Comey's own creation.'" (Jack Encarnacao, "FBI Won't Charge Hillary Over Emails; Trump Makes Case - Of 'Rigged System,'" Boston Herald , 11/07/16)

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) Said Comey's Actions Were "Unbelievable"

Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) Suggested Comey Could Be Trying To Affect The Election Results. "Democrats have robustly rallied around Clinton, including black and Hispanic lawmakers. During a Congressional Black Caucus news conference on Saturday, Rep. Gregory Meeks suggested Comey might be trying to affect the election results. 'Don't hide in silence,' Meeks said. 'Don't be the one that's trying to sway an election 10 days beforehand. The American people deserve and we want to know in its entirety what the emails are and what you are investigating.'" (Julie Pace, "Clinton: 'There's No Case Here,'" Associated Press, 11/01/16)

Meeks Said Comey's Actions Were "Unbelievable" And That He Was Trying To Sway An Election 10 Days Beforehand. "Democratic New York congressman appears to be accusing FBI Director James Comey of trying to sway the presidential election. Rep. Gregory Meeks says it's 'unbelievable' Comey, this close to the election, would disclose that the FBI is looking into a new set of emails that appear to be pertinent to the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Meeks and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus are supporting Clinton's calls for Comey to release more details of the review. Meeks says Comey should not 'be the one the one that's trying to sway an election 10 days beforehand.'" ("The Latest: Clinton Joins Lopez, Urges Voters To 'Get Loud,'" The Associated Press , 10/30/16)

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