President Donald Trump's early morning tweets come in the wake of news that James Comey had drafted a statement exonerating Clinton before the investigation was over. | Mandel Ngan/Getty Images Trump: Comey 'lied and leaked' and protected Clinton

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey "lied and leaked" information and ultimately protected Hillary Clinton, while also questioning the credibility of the FBI's probe into her email.

Trump's early morning tweets come in the wake of news that the bureau’s former director had drafted a statement concluding that Clinton should not be charged before the investigation was over.


“Wow, FBI confirms report that James Comey drafted letter exonerating Crooked Hillary Clinton long before investigation was complete. Many people not interviewed, including Clinton herself,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Comey stated under oath that he didn't do this-obviously a fix? Where is Justice Dept?”

"As it has turned out, James Comey lied and leaked and totally protected Hillary Clinton. He was the best thing that ever happened to her!" the president added later.

Newsweek reported Monday on documents released by the FBI that included an email sent on May 2, 2016, by Comey to other FBI officials that included a file titled “Drafts of Director Comeys July 5, 2016 Statement Regarding Email Server Investigation Part 01 of 01.”

Despite Comey having already drafted a statement on the investigation into Clinton’s email practices while at the State Department, the probe would continue on for months. Clinton herself was not interviewed until July 2, 2016, three days before Comey held a press conference to announce that the FBI would not recommend filing charges against the former secretary of state.

That Comey had drafted a statement on the outcome of the Clinton investigation with months to go before the completion of the probe has raised concern among Republicans on Capitol Hill, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who wrote a letter to current FBI Director Christopher Wray noting that “the outcome of an investigation should not be prejudged while FBI agents are still hard at work trying to gather the facts.”

While the president has complained that Comey was too easy on Clinton, the former secretary of state has made no secret that she believes it was Comey's late October, 2016, announcement that the bureau was examining potentially fresh evidence related to the email investigation that cost her the election. The evidence being examined by the bureau came up fruitless, but Clinton has complained that the resurfacing of the scandal so close to Election Day had reintroduced doubt into voters' minds.

Trump, who reveled in the bureau’s investigation into Clinton throughout the campaign, fired Comey last May, a move the White House initially said was based on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s assessment of Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation.

Trump later conceded that he had already made his mind up to fire Comey before receiving Rosenstein’s recommendation and that he had made the decision with the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election weighing on his mind.