President Obama doesn’t know any more about the FBI’s reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of personal email and a private server while secretary of state than the general public does, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday.
“I don’t have any independent knowledge of how those decisions were made,” Earnest said about FBI Director James Comey’s decision to inform Congress that federal investigators are examining additional emails connected to the probe.
“I don’t know what factors were considered, dating all the way back to July when Director Comey announced the results of the investigation and spoke at length to the public about his decision not to prosecute Secretary Clinton.”
Earnest said that because he doesn’t have any insight, it would be improper for him as an official in the administration to judge Comey’s actions.
Others “have the luxury of being able to opine, writing op-eds or serving as anonymous sources for reporters to weigh in with their own view,” Earnest said. “But when I’m standing here representing the institution of the presidency, I don’t have that luxury. I don’t have any recommendations to make to him either with regard to what information should be communicated to the public.”
Earnest criticized other officials for not showing similar restraint.
“It’s important in the mind of the president that [investigative and prosecutorial] authorities are tempered by an adherence to long-standing tradition and practice and norms that limit public discussion of facts that are collected in the context of those investigations,” Earnest reminded FBI and Justice Department investigators and prosecutors.
