MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell said Sunday of the current FBI controversy embroiling the Hillary Clinton campaign that it's "the worst possible situation" for the country, as well as for the FBI and Clinton herself.
FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress on Friday announcing the agency would again be examining emails related to Clinton's use of a private server as secretary of state. The pertinent messages came to light during a separate investigation of the sexting by disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.
Clinton's campaign, which had previously praised Comey as an honest public servant, attacked the director for the language and timing of the letter.
Meet The Press host Chuck Todd, noting Comey also came under fire from Republicans for not recommending charges against Clinton last summer, said to Mitchell that "the FBI's reputation is at stake."
"It is, and this is just the worst possible situation for the FBI, for the country, for Hillary Clinton, certainly," Mitchell said. "For Hillary Clinton to go nuclear on Comey yesterday was a deliberate decision. They're trying to rally the base."
Mitchell said that, were Clinton to be elected president, it could create a "hostile situation" with Comey, who is the midst of a 10-year term.
Rather hyperbolic. It's bad for Clinton, but the republic shall endure. https://t.co/3EClwxOrZR
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 30, 2016
Full exchange:
CHUCK TODD: Andrea, let me start with you, because it's so unprecedented. You and I have covered this town a long time, but to see James Comey now come under fire. First, it was Republicans, now it's Democrats, and now the FBI's reputation is at stake.
ANDREA MITCHELL: It is, and this is just the worst possible situation for the FBI, for the country, for Hillary Clinton, certainly. For Hillary Clinton to go nuclear on Comey yesterday was a deliberate decision. They're trying to rally the base, and she did this in Daytona. She did this going then to a historically African-American college and had a huge rally there on the football field. She's really now taking this to Comey, and they made a deliberate decision to do this. If she is elected, she has to live with James Comey, who has a ten-year term.
That is a very hostile situation and a dangerous situation. Let me just also point out John Kerry, the secretary of state of course in Ireland today, said he has not been notified nor has the State Department. In other words, Comey did not know what these emails were, whether they were all work-related, and that is the question that is raising so many concerns.