An angry House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R.-Wis.) lashed out at Hillary Clinton Wednesday for her reckless handling of classified electronic correspondence as Secretary of State and demanded that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper block Clinton from receiving intelligence briefings after she becomes the Democratic nominee for president.
Ryan quoted FBI Director James B. Comey, who said Tuesday that although he was recommending that the Department of Justice forgo prosecution of Clinton for her various email schemes, it was typical for there to be professional or administrative sanctions.
If the Obama administration does not do it on their own, the Speaker said he would work in Congress to have it done.
The Speaker also said blocking Clinton from the intelligence briefings would work as both a sanction and a precaution given her serial carelessness.
“Without an indictment occurring, it is the least we can do–given that she was so reckless,” he said.
“Look, I was on the ticket in 2012,” said the former vice-presidential nominee, “After the convention, you get the full, deep classified information as part of your transition and being a nominee. I think the DNI, Clapper, should deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during this campaign given how she [has] so recklessly handled classified information.”
Ryan said although the FBI has recommended that DOJ decline to prosecute, for House Republicans the matter is not closed. The FBI director is scheduled to testify before the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee Thursday–if only to square his recommendation with the facts in the case that Comey himself laid out.
“Director Comey’s presentation shredded the claims that Hillary Clinton made throughout the year in respect to this issue,” he said. “He laid out a case how the things she had been saying she had and had not done were false–we have seen nothing but stonewalling and dishonesty from Secretary Clinton on this issue and that means there are a lot of issues that need to be answered.”