U.S. Justice Department: FBI Director violated department policy

The U.S. Justice Department warned the FBI Director that he violated the department’s rules when he informed Congress that the investigation into the Democratic presidential nominee’s emails is being reopened.

Oct 30, 2016, 9:00AM Becca Noy

Comey Photo Credit: Reuters/Channel 2 News

The U.S. Justice Department warned FBI Director James Comey that he violated the department’s policy when he sent a letter to Congress about the reopening of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. Justice Department stated that his letter violated its election policy. According to the report, Comey acted “independently” when he sent the letter despite the warnings he received beforehand. The FBI informed the U.S. Justice Department about Comey’s intentions to send the letter to Congress and senior level officials from the department warned the FBI Director that the department’s rules prohibit trying to influence, or taking steps that could be interpreted as trying to influence, an election.
However, Comey believed that it was best to share this information rather than be criticized for not publicizing it before the election, according to officials involved in the affair. In addition, Comey also feared that the information would be leaked without him reporting it and thus he would lose control over how much information and what details were made public.