FBI Director James Comey on Thursday testified for hours on why he recommended no charges against Hillary Clinton. But his testimony can be boiled down to this tense exchange with Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz: Yes, Hillary gave classified data away to people who shouldn’t have it. When journalists cover the hearings, will they focus on this exchange?
Hours into the testimony, a determined Chaffetz demanded, “Did Hillary Clinton give non-cleared people access to classified information?” Comey admitted, “Yes. Yes.” Chaffetz followed-up: “What do you think her intent was?”
The FBI Director responded, “I think then it was to get good legal representation.” Chaffetz scoffed, “I guess I read criminal intent as the idea that you allow somebody without a security clearance access to classified information. Everybody knows that, director.”
In a follow-up exchange, Comey wouldn't comment on whether the FBI was investigating the Clinton Foundation.
A transcript of the exchange is below:
Live coverage
7/7/16
2:18JASON CHAFFETZ: Let me go back to this: Yes or no, were there or were there not classified e-mails that her --- Hillary Clinton’s attorneys read?
FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY: I don't know whether they read them at the time.
CHAFFETZ: Did Hillary Clinton give non-cleared people access to classified information?
COMEY: Yes. Yes.
CHAFFETZ: What do you think her intent was?
COMEY: I think then it was to get good legal representation and to make the production to the State Department. I think it would be a very tall order In that circumstance, I don't see the evidence there to make a case that she was acting with criminal intent in engaging with her lawyers.
CHAFFETZ: And I guess I read criminal intent as the idea that you allow somebody without a security clearance access to classified information. Everybody knows that, director. Everybody knows that. I've gone way past my time.
