Attorney General Loretta Lynch accepted the recommendation of FBI director James Comey not to bring charges against Hillary Clinton for how she handled emails at the State Department—it's case closed! That's her story and she repeatedly stuck to it Tuesday, even under withering criticism from House Republicans. Here's a rather delightful NYT assessment of the showdown on Capitol Hill:
In a performance that might have made the late Muhammad Ali proud, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch practiced the rope-a-dope with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, frustrating them with her refusal to address the decision not to charge Hillary Clinton — and wearing them down while hardly breaking a sweat. [...]
Under fire from Republicans for closing the investigation on the Clinton emails, Ms. Lynch told lawmakers that she was “extremely proud” of the yearlong investigation, but she frustrated her interrogators by refusing to talk in detail about the investigation’s conclusion.
Mr. Comey, the F.B.I. director, “has chosen to provide detailed statements” on the investigation, Ms. Lynch noted tersely as she testified. She, however, would not. Again and again, she deflected questions about what went into the decision not bring charges.
In fact, Lynch was so resolutely unapologetic about her decision that it left some Republicans nostalgic for her predecessor, Eric Holder, whom they almost uniformly despised when he was attorney general.
My, how times change. If you want to feel the pain of GOP Rep. Collins, video follows.