Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz released an 83-page report on Thursday detailing the findings of his investigation into alleged media leaks and mishandling of government documents by fired FBI Director James Comey.
Horowitz’s report “sharply criticized [Comey] for violating FBI and DOJ policies on handling information about sensitive law enforcement investigations,” Politico reported. Yet, the Justice Department declined to prosecute Comey for mishandling sensitive government documents.
That didn’t stop Congressional Republicans from piling on, however.
Judiciary Committee leaders weigh in
A number of Republicans released statements condemning Comey for his blatant violations of FBI rules and regulations to further his own partisan agenda.
“The Inspector General’s report is a stunning and unprecedented rebuke of a former Director of the FBI,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a four-tweet thread.
“This is the first of what I expect will be several more ugly and damning rebukes of senior DOJ and FBI officials regarding their actions and biases toward the Trump campaign of 2016,” Graham continued. He applauded Horowitz and his team for “documenting the off-the-rails behavior of Mr. Comey” as well as for “reinforcing the proper standards expected of senior DOJ and FBI officials.”
Graham’s words were echoed by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, who released a brief statement attached to a tweet.
The report confirmed that Comey “violated the FBI’s own standards and was dishonest about how he handled classified material. It’s time to restore Americans’ confidence that federal law enforcement is committed to justice and free from political gamesmanship,” Collins wrote.
House Republicans slam Comey
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee, tweeted, “Now we know why Comey didn’t want to prosecute Clinton — he didn’t see a problem mishandling sensitive information. After clearing her, he did it too!” He added, “Comey, like Clinton, thinks he’s above the law.”
In an official statement released by Oversight Committee Republicans, Jordan said the IG report revealed that Comey “put partisanship and personal ambition over patriotism and his legal obligations,” and added that Comey’s actions had been “disgraceful” and part of the larger effort by some in the Obama administration’s DOJ to “undermine President Trump.”
North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, quoted the IG report in a tweet to point out that Comey “set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees” with his rule-breaking actions.
In a second tweet, Meadows scathingly wrote, “Regarding the IG report, what’s perhaps most rich: James Comey constantly described himself as acting in favor of a thorough process and transparency — even as he routinely hid information from President Trump about the dossier’s shoddy credibility and Clinton paid-for origins.”