Atty Gen Lynch: Ill-Advised to Downplay Seriousness of FBI Investigation & Silence Is Best

[amborin]

Lynch suggests White House 'stay silent' on Hillary Clinton email probe

By Josh Gerstein

03/09/16 12:44 PM EST

Updated 03/09/16 01:57 PM EST

Attorney General Loretta Lynch indicated Wednesday that White House press secretary Josh Earnest was ill-advised to make comments downplaying the seriousness of an FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices.

Under questioning from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Lynch said it was a bad idea for anyone in government to be speaking about the inquiry.

"Certainly, it's my hope when it comes to ongoing investigations, that we would all stay silent," Lynch said.

Lynch said the Justice Department has not updated the White House about the progress of the probe, which is believed to be exploring how classified information ended up on Clinton's server and whether any laws were broken in the process.

"It is true that neither I nor anyone in the department has briefed Mr. Earnest or anyone in the White House about this matter," she said. "I'm simply not aware of the source of his information."

During a Jan. 29 briefing, Earnest was asked if the White House was confident Clinton would not be indicted. The press secretary said there was no reason to think she would.

"I know that some officials over there have said is that she is not a target of the investigation. So that does not seem to be the direction that it’s trending, but I’m certainly not going to weigh in on a decision or in that process in any way. That is a decision to be made solely by independent prosecutors," Earnest said. "But, again, based on what we know from the Department of Justice, it does not seem to be headed in that direction."

Last week, Earnest clarified that he was referring only to published news reports saying Clinton was not a target of the probe, which officials initially called a "security review."

"No one has briefed me. I have not talked to anybody at the Department of Justice with knowledge about this situation," Earnest told reporters in response to questions. "My comments from that briefing were rooted specifically and entirely on public comments as reported by all of you. ... I was making a very specific statement based on what I had read in a wide variety of media accounts. And that is in no way predicated on any secret conversations that I’ve had with the Department of Justice, because I haven’t had any secret conversations with the Department of Justice."

snip

Agents and retired FBI personnel told journalists the comments were inappropriate given the fact that the FBI inquiry was ongoing.

News accounts in recent weeks, which like the earlier ones quoted anonymous sources, said the probe is now looking at whether crimes were committed.

However, Clinton said at a televised town hall meeting in Michigan on Monday that neither she nor her top aides have been notified that they are targets of the investigation. She said last month she's "100 percent confident" that nothing will ultimately come of the FBI probe.

Lynch repeatedly declined to answer questions about the ongoing inquiry Wednesday.

snip




Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/03/loretta-lynch-hillary-clinton-fbi-email-investigation-220500#ixzz42RjhXVV5

[democrattotheend]

1. Another misleading headline

What Lynch was saying was that the DOJ should "stay silent" and not comment publicly on ongoing investigations, not that she was encouraged to cover anything up.

[amborin]

3. believe article said Lynch said White House Chief Staff Should Keep Quiet

[Waiting For Everyman]

2. Sounds to me like she was warning the WH

not to stick their neck out on this one. I have a hunch about this, I think it's going to result in a problem for HRC.

[amborin]

4. that was my interpretation: that Josh Ernest should not have said what he said

[Jarqui]

5. They changed the headline

"Lynch suggests White House 'stay silent' on Hillary Clinton email probe"

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Warning the WH to butt out is not a good sign.

[Blus4u]

7. My take was she was talking about the executive branch of Government,

Which includes the WH & DOJ.
But she meaning the WH's press secretary. The President, we all know is her boss.
I think this thing is more serious than many, including the media, believe.
Immunity is offered on the front end of investigations, not on the back end. If it comes on the back end, it is to make a case.

Peace

[ConsiderThis_2016]

8. "She said last month she's "100 percent confident"...

...that nothing will ultimately come of the FBI probe."

She has that covered, remember... it all depends on what the definition of "Is...Is"