Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy said Tuesday that Democrats who are now criticizing FBI Director James Comey had been heaping praise on him earlier this year.
“A couple of months ago they thought Jim Comey was the Second Coming of Christ and a couple months later now they think he should be investigated for violation of the Hatch Act,” the South Carolina lawmaker told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.” “I don’t like relativism whether it exists on my side of the aisle or their side of the aisle.”
“I think the same rules ought to apply,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid suggested that Comey might have violated the Hatch Act, a 1939 law intended to keep federal employees from directly supporting candidates in a letter to Comey reported Sunday.
Gowdy, who chaired the House Select Committee on Benghazi, said blame directed at Comey is misplaced.
“Secretary Clinton is the reason why you and I are having this conversation, not Jim Comey,” he said.
Gowdy praised Comey’s decision to notify members of Congress of the new email review. And the congressman dismissed the idea that the FBI needs to go public with any ongoing investigations of Donald Trump, as well as other investigations of Clinton.
“I don’t want an update on the status of the email investigation. I am not entitled to an update on the status of the email investigation,” said Gowdy, who previously worked at the Justice Department. “They should not be discussing the facts of an investigation until the investigation is over.”
Gowdy, who endorsed Trump, said he views the intent of the letter to be a notice, not a source of details about an ongoing investigation.
“I don’t view his letter as an update on the facts of the investigation. I view it as a notice document,” he said.