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Wednesday 20 June 2018 - 08:29

Clinton still ‘doesn't understand’ FBI investigation root: Comey

Story Code : 732480
Former FBI Director James Comey
Former FBI Director James Comey

Comey made the comment at an event in the German capital of Berlin on Tuesday, pushing back against Clinton's recent criticism that the former FBI director had used a personal email for government business while investigating her case.

Comey said the former secretary of state’s rebuke of his use of private email suggested that she had misunderstood the reason behind the FBI investigation, contrasting his use of private email with hers.

"I don’t want to criticize her, but it shows me that even at this late stage she doesn’t understand what the investigation in her case was about," he said at the event.

"It was not about her use of a personal email system. It was about communicating about classified topics on that system when those topics have to be done on a classified system," Comey added.

Clinton’s criticism came after a report by the US Department of Justice that the former FBI director and other bureau officials had used personal email accounts to conduct government business.

Critics noted that Comey's use of personal email marked an ironic breach of protocol given he oversaw the FBI's investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server.

The former FBI director defended his actions, arguing that he had not used his personal email or laptop for sensitive or classified information.

Before the 2016 US presidential election, Comey led a controversial probe into Clinton’s use of a personal server to exchange thousands of government emails while she was secretary of state between 2009 and 2013, a clear violation of security protocols.

The probe overshadowed Clinton’s campaign and gave her then-Republican rival, Donald Trump, an effective opportunity to question the former first lady’s competence to run the country.

The former FBI chief dropped all charges against Clinton shortly before the Election Day on November 8.

The former US Democratic presidential candidate has repeatedly blamed her 2016 election loss to Trump on Comey, saying his actions “forever changed history.”
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