The Hillary Clinton campaign circulated Sunday night an open letter from former federal prosecutors and Justice Department officials criticizing FBI Director James Comey for his actions in recent days in the Clinton email investigation.

The Clinton campaign website posted the letter, which had more than 90 signatories, the most prominent being Eric H. Holder Jr., the Obama administration’s first attorney general.

The letter was prompted by a letter to Congress that Mr. Comey sent Friday, saying the bureau had reopened the investigation he had declared closed — to Democrats’ applause at the time — in response to new evidence from an unrelated investigation.

“Many of us have worked with Director Comey; all of us respect him. But his unprecedented decision to publicly comment on evidence in what may be an ongoing inquiry just eleven days before a presidential election leaves us both astonished and perplexed,” the letter said.

The letter criticized Mr. Comey, saying the signatories “cannot recall a prior instance where a senior Justice Department official — Republican or Democrat — has, on the eve of a major election issued a public statement where the mere disclosure of the information may impact the election’s outcome, yet the official acknowledges the information to be examined may not be significant or new.”

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