FBI Director James Comey declined to say Tuesday whether his agency is investigating possible links between President-elect Trump and Russia, which led one senator to complain about the nonresponse given the FBI’s more public discussion last year of its investigation into Hillary Clinton.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked Comey to answer if there was any probe into Trump, but Comey said, “I would never comment on investigations, whether we have or not.”
That prompted Angus King, I-Maine, to compare that answer to how Comey talked publicly about the investigation into Clinton last year. Comey gave a widely-viewed press conference disclosing details about Clinton’s private email server in July 2016 when he announced the FBI was closing the investigation with no charges.
Less than a week and a half before the election, Comey sent a letter to Congress announcing the investigation was being reopened and it was closed again days later.
“Did you answer Sen. Wyden that there is an investigation underway as to connections between either political campaign and the Russians?” King asked.
“I didn’t say one way or another. That was my intention at least,” Comey said.
“You didn’t say one way or another even as to whether there’s an investigation underway?” King asked.
“Correct. Especially in a public forum, we don’t confirm or deny a pending investigations,” Comey said.
“The irony of your making that statement here I cannot avoid, but I’ll move on,” King said.
“We sometimes feel differently about closed investigations,” he said.
