"We assure you that the Department will continue to work closely with the FBI," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik wrote. | AP Photo Justice Department pledges quick work on renewed Clinton email probe

The Justice Department is promising members of Congress that the renewed investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server will be given a top priority and dealt with quickly.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik sent letters to the Hill Monday after outraged Democratic lawmakers demanded an explanation for FBI Director James Comey's letter to Congress Friday advising that investigators handling the Clinton email probe were preparing to examine new evidence that emerged in an unrelated investigation.


"We assure you that the Department will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resource and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible," Kadzik wrote.

Sources said over the weekend that Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates discouraged Comey from sending the letter, saying it appeared to be at odds with the DOJ's tradition of not taking public investigative steps or actions in the 60 days before an election.

However, Comey said he felt obliged to disclose the development to Congress since he had previously testified on the issue and pledged to be transparent about any developments.

The Justice Department letters Monday do not explicitly confirm that senior DOJ officials disagreed with Comey on the disclosure last week, but indicates that those officials understand why Democratic lawmakers were upset.

"The Department of Justice ... appreciates the concerns raised in your letter," Kadzik wrote.

After Comey's missive to the Hill became public Friday it emerged that the unrelated investigation that produced the new evidence was a probe into alleged sexting with a minor by Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin. A search warrant carried out in that inquiry came across emails to or from Abedin that could be relevant to the Clinton email probe officials said.

The FBI got a warrant Sunday to look at the Abedin messages and is now trying to assess their significance, officials said.

The DOJ response was triggered by a pair of letters Democrats sent Saturday in response to Comey's missive.

Sens. Tom Carper, Dianne Feinstein, Patrick Leahy and Ben Cardin said they found Comey's letter "troubling" and said it "leaves so many questions unanswered." They asked for the investigative steps the FBI is taking, how many emails are involved, and how many may be duplicates of ones already reviewed. None of those questions were answered by Kadzik.

The ranking members of the House Government Reform and House Judiciary Committees, Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and John Conyers of Michigan said Comey's message was confusing and unsettling.

"The letter provided such limited and vague information that it allowed rampant speculation, numerous leaks, and wild accusations just 11 days before the presidential election," Cummings and Conyers wrote. "In fairness to everyone involved, we are writing to request that the FBI and Department of Justice issue a more complete accounting of the details behind this letter, based on information from your career investigators and prosecutors, in order to debunk these conspiracy theories and correct the public record."

Leahy, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who received one of the DOJ's response letters, expressed frustration on Monday in an interview on MSNBC. "That's sort of form letter five," he said. "That's like when you place a telephone call to a company and you want a question and they say your call is important to us. Please stay on the line and listen to this wonderful music and the next available operator will be with you."

