Goodlatte leads call for independent investigation of witnesses in Clinton email case

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) led a call on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the treatment of key witnesses while Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state was being investigated.

Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, led all Republican members of the committee in requesting the independent investigation.

The lawmakers sought an explanation for why Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson, top advisors to Clinton during her tenure as secretary of state, were allowed to sit in on the FBI’s interview of Clinton.

“Ms. Mills and Ms. Samuelson were responsible for culling and shredding documents related to Secretary Clinton’s tenure and, whether willfully or inadvertently, are responsible for the destruction of evidence and official records,” a letter to the inspectors general of the Justice Department and State Department states. “As such, they were key witnesses who could not have ethically provided legal representation to Secretary Clinton after their departure from the State Department.”

Evidence demonstrates, the letter continues, that Mills and Samuelson’s claims of attorney-client privilege in the email investigation “are wholly without merit.”

“It appears increasingly clear that political considerations hijacked the criminal process in this case, and routine, longstanding policies and procedures were ignored,” the letter states. “As such, we request that you open an investigation into this matter at your respective departments.”