Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) gave a scathing review of FBI Director James Comey during an interview Monday with CNN's Manu Raju, saying it was "obvious" he was partisan during the 2016 election and that his organization "did nothing" about Russian cyber interference.
Raju asked Reid if he believes the Russians were trying to interfere in the election based on the briefings he has received.
"Any of the briefings I've had have appeared in the–have appeared in the–I ignore anything I haven't heard in the press," Reid said. "That's why in August, there were also all, even then reports of Russia being–messing around. We knew they hacked the DNC [Democratic National Committee] and there was talk then about what are they going to do to affect the election."
Reid said that this prompted him to write a letter to the FBI on the matter since the Russians did not leak anything from the Republican National Committee but did target the DNC.
"I wrote in August and the FBI director didn't have the decency, the courtesy to even respond to my letter," he said. "I got something from somebody in the government affairs department, somebody who probably doesn't know his way down to the Capitol, sent me a letter saying, 'We are looking into it.' They looked into nothing."
Raju asked why he thought this was the case.
"Well, it's obvious he was a partisan in all of this," Reid said.
Raju tried to clarify.
"Comey?" he asked.
"Yeah," Reid replied. "Comey. Yes. It's obvious."
Reid continued to explain to Raju why he wrote his letter to the FBI.
"I wrote that to Comey because I thought he should do something and be careful because I always thought he was Republican so it was a very courteous letter I wrote to him," he said. "I want him to investigate and let us know. He didn't do either one. If he investigated, he kept it under wraps."
"In fact," Reid continued, "to show how awful this whole situation is, this man ignored a precedent that's been going on for decade after decade after decade. The FBI does not get involved in politics, except Comey did. He ignored the attorney general, not only this attorney general, but all of them in the past."
Raju then asked Reid if he thought that the FBI and the CIA had a split between them.
"I am saying that the FBI did nothing, did nothing," Reid said.