White House Says FBI Director Isn’t Trying to Influence Election

White House Says FBI Director Isn’t Trying to Influence Election
White House press secretary Josh Earnest speaks about the Chinese hack of the computer system of the Office of Personnel Management, Friday, June 5, 2015, during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Jack Phillips
10/31/2016
Updated:
10/31/2016

The White House said on Monday that FBI director James Comey likely isn’t trying to influence the election after he decided to inform Congress last Friday about a new investigation into emails that are possibly linked to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server.

President Obama “doesn’t believe Director Comey is intentionally trying to influence the outcome of an election,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday, according to a live video feed of his remarks.

“The president doesn’t believe [Comey is] secretly strategizing to benefit one candidate or one political party,” Earnest added.

Last week, Clinton took aim at the FBI director. 

“It’s pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election,” Clinton said at a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, according to the New York Times. “In fact, it’s not just strange; it’s unprecedented and it is deeply troubling.”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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