Democrats Furious With FBI Director James Comey After Leaving Russian Hacking Briefing

The confidential briefing on Capitol Hill Friday about Russian hacking left Democrats furious over FBI Director James Comey’s actions, according to The Hill.

Top U.S. intel officials believe Russia hacked Democrats to help president-elect Donald Trump win the election last November. Trump had strongly denied the claims, but in a press conference this week he suggested otherwise.

Comey has been heavily criticized over the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state under President Barack Obama’s administration. Just before the election, Comey announced a new development regarding the investigation, which like the first part of the probe, led to no criminal charges towards Clinton. Many Democrats, including the former secretary of state, blamed his last-minute announcement for the party’s loss in the presidential election.

The briefing on Friday with Comey and leaders of other top intelligence agencies was classified, which prevented lawmakers from revealing information on the matter. However, comments from Democrats after the meeting blatantly show how outraged they are with the FBI director.

"I was nonjudgmental until the last 15 minutes. I no longer have that confidence in him," Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) said, according to The Hill, as he left the briefing. "Some of the things that were revealed in this classified briefing — my confidence has been shook."

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) emphasized that he was “extremely concerned,” while Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said he was “very angry.”

However, Democrats might have to put aside their feelings for Comey because they’d rather have him as FBI director rather than who Trump might pick as a replacement.

"Do I have confidence in him? Not really. But I think he's probably going to be better than the guy they'd put in," said one Democrat who spoke to The Hill anonymously. "It's like a rock and a hard place, but I think that's pretty much where a lot of people are."

The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General announced Thursday a new probe into the Department of Justice and the FBI’s investigation over Clinton, focusing on Comey and FBI leaks.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested she will wait for the results of the IG report to pass a judgement on Comey.

"No, I haven't lost confidence in the agency," she told reporters Friday, according to The Hill. "My concern about the FBI is the timing and their not signing [the broader intelligence document on Russian hacking]. And that was the judgment of Director Comey, unless it goes deeper, and that's what the investigation will find out,"

Pelosi added, "Let's find out how they thought this was a good idea to make the judgments they did, and understanding — weighing full well — that the Russians were actively engaged in disrupting our election."

Meanwhile, Republicans seem to shift their attention to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was criticized for briefly meeting with Bill Clinton during the presidential campaign at an Arizona airport.

"The FBI director is a good man who was placed in a very difficult position," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.). "His boss [Lynch] made life very difficult for him in the last year when she met with Bill Clinton on the tarmac."

Even more backlash towards Comey came from The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board Thursday night. Editors called on Comey to resign from his position, and added that if he doesn’t leave his role, he should be fired by Trump’s administration.

“The best service Mr. Comey can render his country now is to resign,” editors said. "Failing that, Jeff Sessions should invite him for a meeting after he is confirmed as Attorney General and ask him to resign. If Mr. Comey declines, Donald Trump can and should fire him in the best interests of the nation’s most important law enforcement agency.”