Clinton campaign manager accuses FBI's Comey of 'blatant double standard'

Robby Mook accuses FBI Director Comey of double standard

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

published 1 November 2016

On Monday afternoon — after CNBC reported that FBI Director James Comey had urged the U.S. not to publicly disclose Russia's meddling in the U.S. election a month out from Election Day — Hillary Clinton's campaign said Comey appeared to have at least two sets of standards for what constitutes need-to-know news.

"Director Comey has made it known that he felt that he owed the information about the emails to Congress, but he has no problem depriving information to the American people, Sen. Harry Reid, and to House members who have been inquiring about Russia's attacks on our elections and our democracy," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said on a conference call with reporters. "It is impossible to view this as anything less than a blatant double standard." Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon said Comey has "set a standard for narrating a play-by-play for matters involving Hilary Clinton," but not Russian hacking of Democratic groups, and he "owes the public an explanation for this inconsistency."

Comey has faced criticism from Democrats, Republicans, legal experts, and former Justice Department officials for breaking protocol and longstanding practice by commenting on a nascent investigation, especially involving a candidate in an election only about a week away. But he won over Donald Trump, who said at a rally Monday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that "it took a lot of guts" for Comey to publicly disclose the potentially new emails. "I really disagreed with him" when he recommended against filing charges in July, Trump said. "I was not his fan. But what he did brought back his reputation."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.