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Comey, Lynch subpoenaed by House Judiciary

Former FBI Director James Comey said he would be glad to honor a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee presumably about his handling of a probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server,  if his testimony is public.

“Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions,” Comey tweeted. “But I will resist a ‘closed door’ thing because I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see.”

Both Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who also received a subpoena from the committee, said months ago they would be inclined to answer to Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement chastisng his GOP colleagues.

"My understanding is that the Republicans have had no contact with either the Director or the Attorney General since," Nadler said. "It is unfortunate that the outgoing Majority is resorting to these tactics." 

Comey’s attorney Daniel Richman accused the committee of “an abuse of process, a divergence from House rules and its presumption of transparency.” He said in a statement that "while the authority for Congressional subpoenas is broad, it does not cover the right to misuse closed hearings as a political stunt to promote political as opposed to legislative agendas.”

The subpoenas were issued on the heels of reports that President Trump wanted the Justice Department to launch probes of Hillary Clinton and Comey.

The president allegedly asked former White House lawyer Don McGahn to encourage the Justice Department to investigate the two, but McGahn rebuffed those entreaties, warning the president that pursuing that course could raise the spectre of obstruction of justice.

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