Newly released documents obtained by Fox News reveal that then-FBI Director James Comey’s draft statement on the Hillary Clinton email probe was edited numerous times before his public announcement, in ways that seemed to water down the bureau’s findings considerably.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to the FBI on Thursday that shows the multiple edits to Comey’s highly scrutinized statement.
In an early draft, Comey said it was “reasonably likely” that “hostile actors” gained access to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email account. That was changed later to say the scenario was merely “possible.”
Another edit showed language was changed to describe the actions of Clinton and her colleagues as “extremely careless” as opposed to “grossly negligent.” This is a key legal distinction.
Johnson, writing about his concerns in a letter Thursday to FBI Director Christopher Wray, said the original “could be read as a finding of criminality in Secretary Clinton’s handling of classified material.”
He added, “The edited statement deleted the reference to gross negligence – a legal threshold for mishandling classified material – and instead replaced it with an exculpatory sentence.”
The edits also showed that references to specific potential violations of statutes on “gross negligence” regarding classified information and “misdemeanor handling” were removed.
The final statement also removed a reference to the “sheer volume” of classified information discussed on email.
“While the precise dates of the edits and identities of the editors are not apparent from the documents, the edits appear to change the tone and substance of Director Comey’s statement in at least three respects,” Johnson wrote Thursday.
That includes, Johnson said, “repeated edits to reduce Secretary Clinton’s culpability in mishandling classified information.”
Johnson continued, “In summary, the edits to Director Comey’s public statement, made months prior to the conclusion of the FBI’s investigation of Secretary Clinton’s conduct, had a significant impact on the FBI’s public evaluation of the implications of her actions.”
Johnson referenced newly revealed anti-Trump text messages exchanged between FBI officials who at one point worked on the Robert Mueller Russia probe.
Strzok, according to his own texts, favored Hillary in the election. Strzok personally watered down the verbiage in the memo to give Hillary a pass.
I think that pretty much closes THAT case. He could be demoted to a school crossing guard, but he might be tempted to have the children of Republicans step out in front of passing cars.
It turns out that Strzok also made very negative comments about Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Eric Holder.
FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders
How does that square with the claim that a few negative comments add up to an giant FBI conspiracy against Donnie Boy?
@Greg: What a crappy link I have to subscribe to read it?
Seems this Guy didnt like anyone so was out to use his power in his position to hurt people he didnt like, or out to impress his mistress.
If you are just zoned in on this one guy you miss the forest for the tree.
@Greg: I, too, do not subscribe to WSJ (since it is not my JOB to defend a failing ideology), so you will have to provide the quotes where Strzok, while investigating them, said Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Eric Holder were threats to the nation and a plan was needed in case they came to office to get rid of them.