Former Attorney General Eric Holder took to the Washington Post to write an op-ed published late Sunday condemning FBI Director James Comey for how he handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of her emails.
“I fear he has unintentionally and negatively affected public trust in both the Justice Department and the FBI,” Holder wrote. “And he has allowed — again without improper motive — misinformation to be spread by partisans with less pure intentions.”
In particular, Holder called out the timing of Comey’s announcement that the FBI would be looking into newly unearthed emails. Holder wrote that the timing of the announcement was irresponsible because it comes only two weeks out from the presidential election.
“That decision was incorrect. It violated long-standing Justice Department policies and tradition,” Holder wrote.
He went on to say that he didn’t like to call out his former colleague publicly, but he felt “moved” to do so in order to convince Comey to “correct his mistake,” saying:
“It is up to the director to correct his mistake — not for the sake of a political candidate or campaign but in order to protect our system of justice and best serve the American people,” Holder wrote.