FBI Director James Comey did far more than announce that he would not recommend charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday, and now he may regret it.
Comey could have simply said there was no evidence to support a case against Clinton and left it at that but, in a breach of protocol and etiquette according to some former Justice Department officials, Comey voiced his personal opinions and said Clinton was "careless," among other things.
After throwing wads of raw red meat into the crowd, Comey puzzled his Republican colleagues by saying there would be no charges filed.
Now, as you might have suspected, Republicans have questions they want Comey to answer and this is a mission only the Select Solyndra IRS Committee to Investigate the Benghazi ACORN Birth Certificate Email Account can handle.
"People have been convicted for far less," Ryan said during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News's "The Kelly File," saying that he thought FBI Director James Comey "was going to recommend prosecution" based on the FBI director's opening remarks in a press conference Tuesday. [...]
"We're going to have hearings," Ryan said on Fox, mentioning House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). Chaffetz indicated hours earlier on Fox that he was considering calling Comey to Capitol Hill to testify about the FBI's probe and conclusion not to recommend charges.
It's my interpretation that Comey attacked Clinton during his press conference in the hopes of placating or appeasing his Republican colleagues, but he should have known they would turn against him regardless of what he said or didn't say.
Comey is now facing backlash from former Justice Department officials who say he shouldn't have shared his personal opinions during the press conference and from his Republican colleagues who want to know why his strong personal opinions did not lead to an indictment.
James Comey played himself into a corner with his over-the-top press conference. He should have known congressional Republicans are incapable of separating opinions from facts.
Even after he appears in front of the Witch Hunter's Committee and answers all of their questions, that won't be the end of it. His alleged complicity in crimes that never actually occurred will be entered into the Republican record of history. Some have already called for his resignation for not supporting a politically-motivated prosecution.