Republicans Plan Email Investigations After FBI Clears Hillary Clinton

— -- House Speaker Paul Ryan vowed Wednesday that Republicans will make their own inquiries into the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email use — possibly including a special prosecutor — after the agency did not recommend criminal charges against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

“I think it’s the least we can do, given how she was so reckless in handling classified material,” Ryan told reporters Wednesday. “We have seen nothing but stonewalling and dishonesty from Secretary Clinton on this issue.”

On Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey declined to recommend criminal charges to the Justice Department regarding Clinton’s handling of classified information on a private server but said she and her staff were “extremely careless” with the information.

Ryan and other Republicans say the investigation and Comey’s statement have raised more questions than answers.

“If you have a friend or family who is in the military today, they are less safe today as a result of what Secretary Clinton did,” Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., said about Comey’s comments that Clinton’s email could have been hacked by foreign governments.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon blasted the move.

“One week after their two-year investigation into the Benghazi attacks turned up nothing new, House Republicans are launching yet another taxpayer-funded sham of an inquiry to try to hurt Hillary Clinton politically,” Fallon said in a statement. “For weeks Republicans have said they trusted FBI Director Comey to lead an independent review into Secretary Clinton’s emails, but now they are second-guessing his judgment because his findings do not align with their conspiracy theories. The bottom line is the career officials who handled this case have determined that no further action is appropriate here, no matter how much Republicans may seek to continuing politicizing this.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who has discussed the probe with Comey, invited him to testify on Capitol Hill Thursday morning about the investigation.

Others, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have sent letters to Comey seeking more information.

Ryan said Clinton should not receive classified information during the presidential campaign — as he did as a vice presidential candidate in 2012 — because of how “recklessly” she handled it as secretary of state.

For decades, presidential candidates have received classified briefings on national security after they have been nominated by their party.

Ryan also said Republicans are reviewing other options beyond hearings and committee investigations.

Asked if the House should tap a special prosecutor to looking into Clinton’s email use, Ryan said Republicans wouldn’t “foreclose any options.”

Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., and other Republicans have called for a special prosecutor to review the decision on charging Clinton.

“Americans deserve accountability from their government officials, especially when they would be harshly prosecuted or imprisoned for performing the very same actions,” he said in a statement.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called Republicans’ efforts “political” but said Congress should review Clinton’s actions.

“There may well be policy questions about whether we require people to [use] … government servers, how we protect information,” he said. “I think all of that can be discussed.”

“But there’s no doubt in my mind that the reason we’re having a hearing tomorrow is because of politics,” he added.