Title: Fact-check: Comey didn’t say he reopened Clinton investigation because of poll numbers - POLITICO
Headings: Fact-check: Comey didn’t say he reopened Clinton investigation because of poll numbers
Fact-check: Comey didn’t say he reopened Clinton investigation because of poll numbers
Content: The comment appeared to be part of a coordinated Republican effort to undermine Comey’s reputation for integrity upon the release of his new book, “A Higher Loyalty.” The Republican National Committee sent an email quoting a tweet from political analyst Nate Silver, who wrote: “ If Comey’s decision to release the letter on Oct. 28 was influenced by his interpretation of the polls, that really ought to cut against his image as an honorable, principled decision-maker. Instead, he was just being expedient and trying to save his own hide.” The Republican response is based on what seems to be a misreading of one passage in the book, as Comey reflects on his decisions regarding the Clinton investigation in the days before the 2016 election. “I had assumed from media polling that Hillary Clinton was going to win,” Comey writes after discussing the Clinton investigation and his decision-making at length. “ I have asked myself many times since if I was influenced by that assumption. I don’t know. Certainly not consciously but I would be a fool to say it couldn’t have had an impact on me. “It is entirely possible that, because I was making decisions in an environment where Hillary Clinton was sure to be the next president, my concern about making her an illegitimate president by concealing the restarted investigation bore greater weight than it would have if the election appeared closer or if Donald Trump were ahead in the polls.