Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)

FBI Director James Comey’s recent letter to Congress about the Hillary Clinton email investigation is looking more and more like a political dirty trick. Earlier this evening, we learned that the FBI didn't have a warrant to read the emails discovered on Anthony Weiner’s computer, and therefore Comey doesn’t know if they are even significant to the Clinton investigation. Now, Shareblue reports that Comey may have provided early access to his innuendo-filled letter to Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, enabling him to tweet about it and frame the media narrative before Democratic members of Congress even received copies of the letter.

Here is the statement by a senior Democratic congressional aide (emphasis in original):

Democratic Ranking Members on the relevant committees didn’t receive Comey’s letter until after the Republican Chairmen. In fact, the Democratic Ranking Members didn’t receive it until after the the Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Jason Chaffetz, tweeted it out and made it public.

If true, this implies that FBI Director Comey may have deliberately helped Republicans by giving them a heads-up about his bombshell letter while depriving Democrats in Congress of an equal opportunity to consider its contents and prepare their reaction to it in the media.

This may constitute evidence of intent to influence the presidential election, which would be a violation of the Hatch Act. If Comey had acted evenhandedly, he would have sent the letter to both Republican and Democratic members of Congress at the same time.

James Comey’s reckless and possibly illegal actions as FBI Director in this case need to be investigated. He is the story now — not Hillary Clinton’s emails.