James Comey has said he felt obligated to advise Congress of the development because he promised such updates in earlier congressional testimony. | Getty Comey ignores questions on Clinton email probe

FBI Director James Comey passed up a chance Tuesday to speak out on the controversy over his decision to notify Congress about new evidence in the Hillary Clinton email probe just 11 days before the election.

Leaving a memorial service for a longtime Justice Department official, Comey greeted reporters as he entered his SUV in a courtyard of the department's headquarters building.


"Hey, guys," Comey said to the handful of journalists.

The FBI director was asked about what advice Attorney General Loretta Lynch gave him about the disclosure to Congress and whether he had any second thoughts about his action, which Clinton has called "deeply troubling." He didn't respond to either question and stepped into his armored vehicle.

Sources have said Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates advised him not to make the notification, citing the potential impact on the presidential race and a longtime Justice Department policy of avoiding pre-election moves.

Comey has said he felt obligated to advise Congress of the development because he promised such updates in earlier congressional testimony.

Comey passed by the reporters after speaking at a memorial service for Justice veteran David Margolis.

"The Department of Justice deals with some very hard issues...and the harder they are the higher they seem to rise in the organization," Comey said during the service, adding that Margolis always gave frank advice on such decisions.

"I hope we honor him by modeling him most of all," Comey said.

Among the other speakers were former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, who recently co-wrote a Washington Post op-ed sharply criticizing Comey for publicizing the recent decision to examine new evidence in the email probe.