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U.S. NEWS Saturday 8 december 2018

COMEY 2016 presidential election. mittee might bring Comey
Continued from Front Republicans argue that back because he wasn't
A transcript of the interview department officials were answering questions. Two
"will bore you," Comey said biased against Trump as other Republicans, Reps.
after the six-hour interview they started the investiga- Andy Biggs of Arizona and
with two House commit- tion and cleared Clinton in Mark Meadows of North
tees. a separate probe into her Carolina, also suggested
President Donald Trump email use. Comey was in they might need a second
tweeted Friday that Com- charge of both investiga- session with Comey if they
ey was apparently told by tions. didn't finish their interview
Justice Department attor- Democrats have said the by a late afternoon dead-
neys not to answer some investigations by the House line.
questions. Trump called Judiciary and Oversight Democrats disagreed that
that "total bias and corrup- and Government Reform Comey wasn't being coop-
tion at the highest levels of committees are merely a erative.
(the) previous Administra- way to distract from and "He answered the questions
tion," adding that lawmak- undermine the special he had to answer," said
ers should force Comey counsel's Russia probe. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Former FBI Director James Comey speaks to reporters after
to answer questions under Mueller took over the de- Illinois. But he added that testifying under subpoena behind closed doors before the
House Judiciary and Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in
oath. partment's investigation he was left with the impres- Washington, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018.
Republicans say Comey when he was appointed in sion that "we got nowhere Associated Press
and other Justice Depart- May 2017. today."
ment officials were biased Under a deal struck with the Florida Rep. Ted Deutsch from his sometimes-lewd mittee Chairman Robert
against Trump as they in- Judiciary Committee, Com- said the Republican major- texts, and Democrats and Goodlatte, R-Va., decried
vestigated his campaign's ey was to be free to speak ity "wishes to only ask ques- Republicans openly yelling Comey's use of "baseless
ties with Russia in 2016 and about Friday's questioning tions still about Hillary Clin- at each other. litigation" and called it an
cleared Clinton in a sepa- afterward and a transcript ton's emails, all to distract New York Rep. Jerrold "attempt to run out the
rate probe into her email was to be released. Comey from the big news today, Nadler, the top Democrat clock on this Congress," a
use. had argued that Republi- which is what's happening on the Judiciary panel, said reference to the few weeks
Comey said he will be back cans would selectively leak in court." as he walked into the Com- left before Democrats take
at the Capitol for another details and mischaracter- Mueller was to reveal more ey interview that he will control. Both Goodlatte
closed-door interview the ize the proceedings.Walk- details about his Russia in- end the investigation when and South Carolina Rep.
week of Dec. 17. ing into the meeting, Com- vestigation in court on Fri- Democrats take the House Trey Gowdy, the chairman
Democrats also were un- ey said he might answer day as he faced deadlines majority in January. of the oversight panel, are
happy, saying Judiciary questions in public after the in the cases of Trump's for- "This is a waste of time to also retiring at the end of
Committee Republicans' session. He gave a wry an- mer campaign chairman, start with," Nadler said. "The the year.
questions were merely swer when asked if he was Paul Manafort, and former entire purpose of this inves- After the court fight was
distractions from special "best friends" with Mueller, personal lawyer Michael tigation is to cast aspersions resolved, Goodlatte said a
counsel Robert Mueller's as Trump has tweeted. Cohen. on the real investigation ... transcript will be released
Russia probe. "Note that I smiled," Comey Over the past year, Repub- there is no evidence what- "as soon as possible after
Comey appeared for the said. After the question- licans on the two commit- soever of bias at the FBI or the interview, in the name
interview after unsuccess- ing was underway, some tees have called in a series any of this other nonsense." of our combined desire for
fully fighting a subpoena Republicans signaled they of officials and suggested Comey, who has testi- transparency."
in court. It was the first time were unhappy with Com- after the closed-door meet- fied publicly on Capitol A report released this June
he answered lawmakers' ey's level of cooperation. ings that there is evidence Hill about both the Clinton from the Justice Depart-
questions since an explo- California Rep. Darrell Issa of bias. The investigation's and Russia investigations, ment's internal watchdog
sive June 2017 hearing in said Comey had two law- most public day was a 10- balked at the subpoena said Comey was "insubor-
which he asserted that yers in the room, his person- hour hearing in which for- because he said commit- dinate" in his handling of
Trump fired him to interfere al lawyer and a lawyer from mer FBI special agent Peter tees were prone to selec- the Clinton email investi-
with his FBI investigation of the Justice Department. He Strzok defended anti-Trump tively reveal information for gation in the final months
alleged Russia ties to the said the department law- texts he sent to a colleague political purposes. of the 2016 campaign. But
Trump campaign. yer repeatedly instructed as he helped lead both "Don't do it in a dark corner it also found there was no
Two GOP-led committees Comey not to answer "a investigations. Strzok de- and don't do it in a way evidence that Comey's or
are wrapping up a year- great many questions that fiantly fought with angry where all you do is leak in- the department's final con-
long investigation into de- are clearly items at the Republican lawmakers in formation," said Comey's clusions were motivated by
cisions made at the Justice core of our investigation." a riveting hearing that fea- attorney, David Kelley. political bias toward either
Department during the Issa suggested the com- tured Strzok reading aloud House Judiciary Com- candidate.q