Comey, Lynch Face Subpoenas From House Republicans, Lawmaker Says

(Bloomberg) -- House Republicans are planning to subpoena former FBI Director James Comey and ex-Attorney General Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat.

Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Friday he was notified about the impending subpoenas and blasted Republicans for the move.

"It is unfortunate that the outgoing majority is resorting to these tactics,” he said. “These subpoenas are coming out of the blue, with very little time left on the calendar.”

Democrats won a majority in the House in last week’s elections and will take over leadership of the chamber in January.

Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia indicated he wants Comey to appear behind closed doors on Nov. 29 and Lynch to testify on Dec. 5, according to a congressional official. Comey has said he’s willing to testify but only in public.

Both Lynch and Comey were appointed by former President Barack Obama. President Donald Trump fired Comey in 2017, an action that led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Lynch stepped down before Trump took office.

A spokesman for Goodlatte didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

"House Republicans can ask me anything they want but I want the American people to watch, so let’s have a public hearing," Comey wrote on Twitter. "Truth is best served by transparency. Let me know when is convenient."

Republicans have said they’re looking into the extent of federal law enforcement use of political opposition-research paid for by the presidential campaign of Clinton to "spy" on the Trump campaign. Trump has repeatedly alleged that effort is what eventually led to Mueller’s Russia probe and other investigations.

They’ve also been looking into the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue charges against Clinton related to her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

Comey testified to Congress he didn’t consult with the Justice Department about his public recommendation in July 2016 to not pursue charges against Clinton related to the server.

To contact the reporter on this story: Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, John Harney

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