Former FBI Director James Comey responded to the Department of Justice Inspector General's report on his handling the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server, saying he disagrees with the conclusions but respects the work.
"The report concludes that I was wrong to announce the FBI's completion of the investigation without coordinating with the attorney general, and that I was wrong to inform Congress in late October that we had reopened the investigation," Comey wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times.
"In both situations, the inspector general's team concludes I should have adhered to established norms, which they see as mandating both deference to the attorney general on the public announcement and silence about an investigation so close to an election," he continues.
"I do not agree with all of the inspector general's conclusions, but I respect the work of his office and salute its professionalism. All of our leaders need to understand that accountability and transparency are essential to the functioning of our democracy, even when it involves criticism. This is how the process is supposed to work."
Comey had tweeted about the report earlier that day, saying the conclusions are "reasonable," but stating he disagrees with "some" before thanking the IG staff for their work:
He wrote in his op-ed "even in hindsight," he thinks DOJ officials "chose the course most consistent with institutional values," and he "was not certain I was right about those things at the time."
"This is what institutions devoted to the rule of law and accountability look like," Comey adds. "They look back at their hardest decisions and collect the facts, and are transparent with the world about those facts and decisions. The leaders of those institutions are best served by welcoming that oversight and that process of second-guessing. That's why I urged the investigation in the first place."
The IG's "detailed report should serve to both protect and build the reservoir of trust and credibility necessary for the Department of Justice and the FBI to remain strong and independent and to continue their good work for our country," he concludes.
"Our nation's institutions of justice are up to the task of protecting the rule of law and defending truth and transparency. All of us should stand up and support them."