U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on Tuesday called for the reactivation of a statute that would reinstate the role of Congress in requesting independent investigations of senior administration officials.
Following FBI Director James Comey’s announcement that he would not recommend criminal charges for Hillary Clinton’s alleged mishandling of classified emails, Turner said that an independent counsel statute would be “in the best interest of the country” to review the FBI’s findings.
“The investigation by the FBI is steeped in political bias, especially considering that former President Bill Clinton met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch just days before the FBI announced its decision,” Turner said. “The role of the independent counsel is to keep investigations honest and prosecutorial decisions independent of the political, personal, and financial conflicts of interest that undermine accountability in government. It is time for Secretary Clinton to be held accountable for her extremely careless actions.”
Turner introduced the Independent Counsel Reauthorization Act, H.R. 5271, in May to reinstate Congress’s role in requesting independent investigations of senior administration officials.
The legislation would have required Lynch to conduct preliminary investigations when provided with specific, credible information that alleges that a high-ranking official committed a federal crime.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the country that the independent counsel statute is reauthorized to review the findings of the FBI’s investigation into Secretary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information, and to make an independent and impartial decision about whether to prosecute the former Secretary for potential criminal activity,” Turner said.