?Two ?Republicans who ?head influential House committees ?said on Tuesday they will open a joint investigation into the FBI’s handling of the 2016 probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
“Decisions made by the Department of Justice in 2016 have led to a host of outstanding questions that must be answered,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said in a statement.
The GOP congressmen said they want to know why the FBI publicly announced an investigation into Clinton’s use of the server while she was secretary of state but kept the probe into Trump campaign associates quiet.
They want to examine why former FBI Director James Comey told Congress in July 2016 that he would not recommend Clinton be charged instead of the Justice Department.
The two lawmakers are also seeking more details about what led Comey to reopen the investigation into Clinton in November, days before the election.
“The Committees will review these decisions and others to better understand the reasoning behind how certain conclusions were drawn. Congress has a constitutional duty to preserve the integrity of our justice system by ensuring transparency and accountability of actions taken,” ?Goodlatte and Gowdy said in the statement. ?
Comey, who was fired by President Trump in May, has been criticized for his investigation in the server.
?Last week, the FBI released a document that show?ed? Comey began drafting the statement clearing Clinton in May 2016.
But he ?didn’t ?announce? until July ?that the FBI would not recommend charges against ?her.