Democrats have all but gone to war with FBI director James Comey. Their anger at him comes after Comey sent a letter to Congress last week that announced he would be reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server as secretary of state. But President Barack Obama, who nominated Comey to the spot in 2013, has been conspicuously quiet amid the Democratic pile-on.
Obama has stood by Comey amidst allegations from other Democrats that Comey is attempting to influence the election, and may have broken the law in doing so. “The president’s assessment of his integrity and his character has not changed,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. “The president doesn’t believe that he’s secretly strategizing to benefit one candidate or one political party.”
Earnest also said a number of times that he would neither “defend nor criticize” Comey’s letter.
Obama himself was effusive in his praise for Comey in his 2013 speech announcing the prosecutor’s nomination to the FBI. Obama described the newly-tapped director as a man who “doesn’t care about politics.”
“To know Jim Comey is also to know his fierce independence and his deep integrity,” Obama said. “He only cares about getting the job done. At key moments, when it’s mattered most, he joined Bob in standing up for what he believed was right.”
The president went on to extoll Comey’s understanding of the sanctity of the Constitution and “the values and civil liberties that we’ve pledged to protect.”
“I’m confident that Jim will be a leader who understands how to keep America safe and stay true to our founding ideals,” he continued. “No matter what the future may bring.”
Democrats were quick to praise the FBI director in July of this year when he announced that the agency would not be recommending criminal charges against Clinton, after an investigation into her use of a private email server as secretary of state.
In a letter to lawmakers Friday, Comey announced that the FBI was investigating newly discovered emails “that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.” It has since been reported that the emails, which could number in the thousands, were found on a computer belonging to former Congressman Anthony Weiner. Weiner is currently under FBI investigation.
