Congress Comey bashes GOP after latest closed-door hearing on Capitol Hill

Former FBI Director James Comey ripped into Republicans Monday for focusing their closed-door questioning of him on the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server and the so-called Steele dossier, complaining that GOP lawmakers should be more concerned about President Donald Trump's attacks on the Justice Department.

"So another day of Hillary Clinton emails and the Steele dossier," Comey told reporters following his testimony. "This while the president of the United States is lying about the FBI, attacking the FBI and attacking the rule of law in this country. How does that make any sense at all?"


Trump and fellow Republicans have repeatedly vented about the dossier, which was compiled by former British intelligence operative Christopher Steele and details an alleged conspiracy between Trump and the Russian government to help elect him president.

They have also maintained their fixation on the FBI's probe of Clinton's use of a private server while she was secretary of State, which did not result in any charges against Clinton.

Republicans on the Oversight and Judiciary committees are conducting a joint probe into possible FBI malfeasance, and have also interviewed former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. This is Comey's second closed-door meeting with House Republicans this month, as Republicans attempt to draw attention away from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe and other investigations that have ensnared Trump associates.

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The White House swatted back at the former FBI director on Monday evening, urging the same GOP lawmakers he rebuked earlier that day to instead “stand up to Comey and his tremendous corruption.“

“The President did the country a service by firing him and exposing him for the shameless fraud he is,“ press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on Twitter.

Comey would not answer on Monday whether he believes the new congressional probe adds legitimate investigative value, saying that he "didn't learn anything new" from the second session.

And when asked whether he has hurt the FBI's reputation, Comey said: "I hope not."

"They have a big hit, because the president of the United States with his acolytes, has lied about it constantly," Comey said about the Justice Department and its work. "That's a tragedy. That damage has nothing to do with me."

Comey continued to call on Republicans to stand up against Trump's rhetoric toward the FBI.

"At some point, someone has to stand up and in the face of fear of Fox News, fear of their base, fear of mean tweets, stand up for the values of this country and not slink away into retirement, but stand up and speak the truth," Comey concluded. "I find it frustrating to be here answering questions about things that are far less important than the values this country is built upon."

Quint Forgey contributed to this report.