The Senate’s No. 2 Republican criticized President Obama’s recent decision to "opine" publicly about the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email, calling the move inappropriate and insulting.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) reiterated his call for the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the investigation during remarks to the Senate floor Thursday, adding that Obama’s remarks earlier this week reinforced the need for an objective party to investigate and possibly prosecute Clinton, a former member of the administration.
During an interview that aired on Fox News Sunday, Obama admitted that Clinton displayed a "carelessness" in handling her emails but dismissed concerns about her correspondences holding classified information. While none of Clinton’s messages were marked classified on her email, the federal government has determined that over 2,000 are currently classified, 22 of which at the "top secret" level.
"There’s classified, and then there’s classified," Obama said in the interview this weekend. "There’s stuff that is really top secret, top secret, and there’s stuff that is being presented to the president or the secretary of state that you might not want or going out over the wire. But that is basically stuff that you can get in open source."
Cornyn said that Obama’s comments amounted to "splitting hairs."
"We know that some of Secretary Clinton’s emails were classified even beyond Confidential to the Secret and Top Secret/Special Access Program levels, some of the highest levels of classification," the Texas senator stated.
"To dismissively talk about the different levels of classification is not only wrong but, frankly, it’s insulting to Americans who work tirelessly on a daily basis to protect our national security, and in particular, those who go to great lengths to properly and carefully handle classified information, even when it isn’t particularly convenient."
Cornyn accused the White House of inappropriately and repeatedly projecting its "desired outcome" of the investigation.
"The responsible thing for the president to do would be to say nothing, particularly if he knows nothing about the content of an ongoing criminal investigation," Cornyn told his colleagues. "And I wish the president would take advice from his lawyer, the attorney general of the United States, and would respect her prerogative as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer and the reputation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"At the very least, I hope the president quits talking about a subject he knows nothing about, which is what the investigation is revealing, and let the Justice Department do its job without feeling the pressure that, apparently, the White House is tempted to impose on the FBI and the Department of Justice," Cornyn added.
He said that his fellow lawmakers should all be worried about Clinton’s use of private, unsecured email during her tenure at the State Department, citing experts who have said it is likely that the United States’ adversaries had "easy access" to her email.
"All of this should concern all of us, and I’m not just talking about the political ramifications," Cornyn said. "We need to treat this seriously, and the facts must be pursued in a thorough, impartial investigation."
Recent reports have indicated that the FBI is nearing the conclusion of its investigation, which is looking into possible criminal mishandling of classified information. The agency could move to interview Clinton’s former top aides and possibly the former secretary of state herself as investigators complete the probe.
Clinton has characterized the investigation as a "security review" and said that the FBI has not contacted her for an interview.