FBI Director James Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the FBI would not let the White House interfere with the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
"Anybody’s view about an investigation they’re not involved in is irrelevant," Comey said, and promised that the White House would not influence the investigation.
"We care about finding out what is true, and doing that in a competent, honest, and independent way," he said. "I promise you that’s the way we conduct ourselves."
"As I’ve said many times, we don’t give a rip about politics," Comey said.
He was responding to a question from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), who quoted a 60 Minutes interview in which President Barack Obama said that Clinton’s use of a private server was "not a situation in which America’s national security was endangered."
"How can you assure the American people that you will not let the White House influence the FBI’s inquiry?" Grassley asked.
Some expressed concern about the integrity of the FBI's email probe after Obama admitted that Clinton’s use of a private email server was a "mistake," but insisted that it did not threaten America’s national security.
Intelligence reviews have confirmed that Clinton received emails containing Top Secret information, though her campaign initially insisted that there "was no classified information" on her private e-mail.
However, after it was confirmed in August that the FBI was investigating Clinton’s server, her campaign changed their narrative, saying that she "never sent or received anything that was classified at the time."