Lawmakers grill U.S. Justice Dept head over Clinton investigation
By Julia Harte (Reuters) - The top U.S. law enforcement official, under questioning from Republicans at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, shed no new light on the Justice Department's decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton over her handling of sensitive emails. Attorney General Loretta Lynch deflected questions about the department's inquiry into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, an issue that has hounded her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Republicans grilled Lynch at the House of Representatives committee hearing over Justice's decision not to charge Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Nov. 8 election. "Lynch has no intention of answering ... even the most basic questions about the legal elements the government is obligated to prove in a criminal prosecution," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican. Democratic lawmakers at the hearing largely avoided the subject, asking Lynch about gun control and policing reforms. Lynch referred questions about the department's decision to an FBI-led investigative team that recommended not bringing charges. She said she was "extremely proud" of the team's work, testifying one week after the FBI closed its year-long probe. The emails case is a favorite target for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, as well as other Republican politicians. Goodlatte and Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz asked the Justice Department on Monday to investigate whether Clinton committed perjury in testimony to Congress about the emails. FBI Director James Comey told a congressional hearing last week that he recommended the department not charge Clinton. He said this was because the FBI lacked sufficient evidence that she acted with bad intent. He added that any of his employees who handled emails the way Clinton did could be subject to dismissal or loss of security clearance. Democratic lawmakers on the committee asked Lynch about efforts to tighten gun control in the wake of shootings of clubgoers and police in Orlando and Dallas, as well as ways to reduce fatal police shootings of unarmed African Americans amid ongoing protests over the issue. Representative Jerry Nadler asked Lynch what she thought of the pro-gun rights adage that “the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” in light of the fact that the Dallas police officers shot last week were armed. “The issue, as usual, doesn’t really lend itself well to aphorisms and short statements,” Lynch replied.
