James Comey also declined to repeat a reporter's characterization of the Hillary Clinton emails investigation as a "criminal" probe, though he did not rule it out. | Getty GOP: Obama endorsement undercuts Clinton FBI probe

President Barack Obama has guaranteed that the FBI's investigation into his former secretary of state’s private email server will be carried out without political influence, but his endorsement of Hillary Clinton Thursday resurrected the issue — for Republicans, at least.

Fox News' Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen brought up the probe during Thursday’s White House press briefing, asking Press Secretary Joshua Earnest if Obama’s endorsement would trickle down and affect the Department of Justice employees involved in the investigation.


“You have other employees of the executive branch, career prosecutors, FBI agents, working this case who have now just heard how the president wants to see this case resolved, in essence. Isn't there some conflict there?” Rosen asked Earnest.

“James, there's not,” Earnest replied. “The reason that the president feels confident that he can go out and make this endorsement and record a video in which he describes his strong support for Secretary Clinton's campaign is that he knows the people who are conducting the investigation aren't going to be swayed by any sort of political interference. They aren't going to be swayed by political forces.”

“This is the reason that we actually ask career federal prosecutors to take the lead on these kinds of matters,” Earnest continued, responding to a follow-up question from Rosen. “They don't have political jobs. They have career jobs as law enforcement officers and as prosecutors and investigators. That's what their responsibility is.”

Rosen also asked whether Obama had ever discussed the Justice Department's investigation with Clinton, who has never been named a target of the probe.

"He has not," Earnest said.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) disagreed with Earnest's assessment, posting on Twitter that Obama's endorsement does constitute a conflict of interest. Cornyn said a special counsel is needed to properly investigate Clinton's email use.

Earnest also told Rosen that “the president when discussing this issue in each stage has reiterated his commitment to this principle, that any criminal investigation should be conducted independent of any sort of political interference.”

The Republican National Committee jumped on Earnest’s remarks, taking advantage of his use of the word “criminal” to issue a press release characterizing the press secretary’s remark as a "major break" from Clinton’s description of the investigation as a “security inquiry.”

"The White House's admission that the FBI is investigating Hillary Clinton's email server as a 'criminal' matter shreds her dishonest claim that it is a routine 'security inquiry,'" RNC spokesman Michael Short said in the statement.

But Earnest seemed to be describing the White House's practices in general terms, not characterizing the case as a "criminal" investigation. Asked to clarify, the White House noted that Earnest has previously said that he had "not talked to anybody at the Department of Justice with knowledge about this situation" -- meaning that he would have no way of knowing whether the investigation was indeed criminal.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Fox News in March "unequivocally" that no one outside of the department had been briefed on the case. "That's not our policy, and it has not happened in this matter."

In May, FBI Director James Comey said that the bureau was handling the investigation like any other. "There's no special set of rules for anybody that the FBI investigates" he told reporters during a roundtable at FBI headquarters.

Comey also declined to repeat a reporter's characterization of the investigation as a "criminal" probe, though he did not rule it out.

Clinton has repeatedly dismissed concerns about the FBI's email inquiry, insisting she never knowingly forwarded or disclosed classified information. In an interview Wednesday with Bret Baier of Fox News, she said there was "zero chance" the investigation would pose a problem in the general election.

There is "absolutely no possibility of an indictment," she told Baier. "There is no basis for it, and I'm looking forward to this being wrapped up as soon as possible."

In April, Obama said in an interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace that he can "guarantee" that he would not interfere with the FBI's investigation.

"I do not talk to the Attorney General about pending investigations," he said. "I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations. We have a strict line, and always have maintained it."

Pressed by Wallace, Obama elaborated: "Nobody gets treated differently when it comes to the Justice Department, because nobody is above the law.

"Even if she ends up as the Democratic nominee?" the Fox anchor asked.

"How many times do I have to say it, Chris?" Obama replied. "Guaranteed."