For several days, both President Obama and White House spokesman Josh Earnest avoided joining the chorus of denunciations hurled at FBI Director James Comey. They kept their silence, which seemed wise, as other Democrats raised a hue and cried over the decision to inform Congress that the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails was up and running again following the discovery of thousands of emails at a new point of exposure.

Whether Obama’s silence was a show of respect for law enforcement and the investigative process, or (more likely) a tactical decision that he would come off the worse for interfering, it was a good idea to avoid interjecting himself into a criminal investigation.