REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Sen. Chuck Schumer said he has lost his confidence in FBI Director James Comey, following the controversial disclosure on Clinton-related emails 11 days before Election Day. “I do not have confidence in him any longer,” the New York Democrat told Bloomberg Politics. He described Comey’s decision to notify Congress of the new email findings as “appalling.”
“To restore my faith, I am going to have to sit down and talk to him and get an explanation for why he did this,” Schumer said.
Comey sent a letter to lawmakers, notifying them of a pending FBI review of Clinton-related emails on a device that had not been previously searched. These new emails were located during an unrelated investigation into Anthony Weiner’s alleged sexts with a 15-year-old. Comey’s decision to notify lawmakers before conducting a review of the new emails has invited harsh criticism from Democrats, including President Obama, who condemned Comey’s letter as “innuendo” on Wednesday. Schumer has previously supported Comey, calling on Congress to confirm Comey as FBI director in 2013.