Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, released the following statement on the Department of Justice’s Inspector General report released today:
“Not once, but twice, Director Comey violated the Justice Department chain of command and longstanding department rules barring the disclosure of derogatory information about an uncharged target of an investigation. That’s something all prosecutors know is inappropriate. As a result, Comey caused exactly the harm those rules guard against. The inspector general understands the severity of these actions and Director Comey deserves the rebuke he received today.
“But contrary to what the president and his allies want the American people to believe, this report does nothing to support claims that the FBI investigation was tainted by bias against the president. If anything, the report shows how Comey’s improper actions benefited the Trump campaign.
“As Chairman Gowdy, Speaker Ryan, and virtually every responsible leader in the president’s own party have pointed out, the FBI has properly and separately investigated the very serious suggestion that the Trump campaign coordinated or conspired with Russian agents. Our intelligence community concluded with ‘high confidence’ that President Putin interfered in the 2016 election to advantage President Trump’s campaign. Mueller’s team has already brought more than 100 charges against 19 people, including 13 Russians. Multiple members of the Trump campaign, including the campaign manager, have been charged. Five people have pleaded guilty.
“Nothing in this report should be used to interfere with the Mueller investigation. Special Counsel Mueller must continue his work.”
