Hearing Backfires On GOP As FBI Director Says Clinton Email Could Be Judged Not Classified

The House Republican ploy to drag FBI Director James Comey in to testify about his decision not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton has completely backfired. FBI Director Comey destroyed one of the key points of the GOP conspiracy when he said that some of Clinton’s emails that were deemed classified could be judged not classified.

Transcript of the exchange between Comey and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA):

MATT CARTWRIGHT: You were asked about markings on a few documents, I have the manual here, marking national classified security information. And I don’t think you were given a full chance to talk about those three documents with the little c’s on them. Were they properly documented? Were they properly marked according to the manual?

JAMES COMEY: No.

MATT CARTWRIGHT: According to the manual, and I ask unanimous consent to enter this into the record Mr. Chairman

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CHAIRMAN: Without objection so ordered.

MATT CARTWRIGHT: According to the manual, if you’re going to classify something, there has to be a header on the document? Right?

JAMES COMEY: Correct.

MATT CARTWRIGHT: Was there a header on the three documents that we’ve discussed today that had the little c in the text someplace?

JAMES COMEY: No. There were three e-mails, the c was in the body, in the text, but there was no header on the email or in the text.

MATT CARTWRIGHT: So if Secretary Clinton really were an expert about what’s classified and what’s not classified and we’re following the manual, the absence of a header would tell her immediately that those three documents were not classified. Am I correct in that?

JAMES COMEY: That would be a reasonable inference.

Comey has also testified that Clinton did not lie, or break the law in the handling of her emails.
Just like the Benghazi hearings, the Comey hearing has been a complete disaster for the Republican Party. Instead of proving some vast conspiracy, Republicans demonstrated that the only thing they care about is abusing their investigative powers in an attempt to sink Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The day could not be going worse for the GOP, as their attempt to create a new Clinton conspiracy is blowing up in their faces.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association