The White House has refused to weigh in on the FBI’s decision to reopen its probe in the alleged email scandal of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
US President Barack Obama has full confidence in FBI director James Comey, who he believes is not trying to influence the elections, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference Monday. The spokesman also refused to either defend or criticise the decision. “I’ll neither defend nor criticise what Director Comey has decided to communicate to the public about this investigation,” Mr Earnest said.
Mr Earnest described the FBI director as a man of integrity. “He is a man of principle. He is a man who is well regarded by senior officials in both parties. He is somebody who served in a senior position in the Bush Administration,” Mr Earnest said.
“And he is somebody who got strong bipartisan support when his nomination to be director of the FBI was considered by the United States Senate. So, all of those things are true. They speak to his good character,” Mr Earnest said.
“And the President’s assessment of his integrity and his character has not changed. For example, the President doesn’t believe director Comey is intentionally trying to influence the outcome of an election. The President doesn’t believe he’s secretly strategising to benefit one candidate or one political party,” he said.
Mr Earnest was responding to questions on a letter written by Mr Comey to Congressional leaders last week that he is reopening the case against Ms Clinton following finding of emails that may have compromised national security. The FBI comes under the control of Department of Justice.
The Trump Campaign has welcomed the decision. “Today, the Clinton campaign took another blow as President (Barack) Obama shot down their desperate politicisation of the FBI’s criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email scandal,” said Jason Miller, senior communication adviser to the Trump campaign.
In a late night statement Monday, Miller said the White House spokesman has made it clear that the President does not believe the FBI is trying to influence the outcome of the election. “It is a sign of the Clinton campaign’s troubling times when even the White House cannot defend their desperate accusations.”
“They have to take ownership that this is a result of corrupt Hillary having a secret illegal server for the obvious reason of shielding criminal activity from disclosure,” he said.
“Their reckless actions are evidenced by the fact that confidential emails involving secretary Clinton were found on a laptop of a suspect under investigation for sexting with a 17-year-old,” Mr Miller said.
