Hillary Clinton advisor Sidney Blumenthal Thursday referred to the ongoing probe of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as an "investigation," breaking away from her assertion that the FBI is conducting a security review of the communications.
"Well, as I have said, I can't comment on an ongoing investigation," Blumenthal told CNBC's "Squawk Box," leading to a contentious exchange between Blumenthal, who had come on the show to plug his new book about Abraham Lincoln, and the show's hosts, who jumped on his word swap.
"At least you called it an investigation," said "Squawk Box" co-host Joe Kernen. "So, you're off the reservation there. It's not just a — what did you call it? A security review."
FBI Director James Comey disagreed with the term "security review" as well, telling reporters Wednesday that he does not know what that term means.
"There's no special set of rules for anybody that the FBI investigates," Comey said, responding to questions about complaints from some in the government who say they'd be in prison if they'd acted as Clinton did with her emails.
"You know that certain news networks have gone back and framed the 10 or 15 times she's said either security review or security, and played it one after another and have superimposed Comey saying it isn't an investigation, " said Kernen, turning to another attack: Blumenthal's role in Libya.
"So you couldn't really join the State Department, and I don't know whether that was just because of bad blood between you and the Obama administration or whatever it was, but then you are representing some clients in Libya but still be influential on the secretary of state and on the payroll of the Clinton Foundation," said Kernen. "Is that all above board? Does it just look bad or is there something there that it's unethical?"
Blumenthal responded that Kernen's statements were not an "accurate representation of what happened."
"I testified before the Benghazi committee," said Blumenthal. "I answered all their questions. I testified for nine and a half hours. I wanted it to be public. Second I came out, I said I wanted it to be public. On the question of so-called clients, I had no contracts with anybody. I didn't invest in anybody. No one made a nickel. No one spent a penny. I had a real job at the Clinton Foundation working on educational projects. That was a separate matter. All these were clarified. "
He also denied he was being paid by Libya.
"I think the reports show that there were not donations to the Clinton Foundation that had any influence on State Department policy," said Blumenthal.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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