Letter: Comey explained it, but Chaffetz po..

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

FBI Director James Comey acquitted himself admirably against the partisan attacks by the Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

Once again, Rep. Jason Chaffetz demonstrated the extent to which he is a political hack. He was positively gleeful when he realized he could request even further investigations of Hillary Clinton. If only he would exercise the same amount of passion trying to help the uninsured people in our state, help the rebuilding and repair of infrastructure and other real problems.

I have practiced law in state and federal courts since 1971. I have a great respect for the law. Attempting to criminalize behavior in order to obtain political advantage is just plain wrong (by either side). Comey explained in great detail how the FBI avoided the pitfall of allowing politics to influence the investigation. He said the Justice Department does not jail people for negligence but requires an intent to violate the law. That is why he said no reasonable prosecutor would bring charges under this set of facts.

This situation is a perfect example as to why decision makers in the Justice Department are not and cannot be subject to partisan intervention.

Stephen Crockett

Holladay

Letter: Comey explained it, but Chaffetz politicized it