FBI says Clinton aide Cheryl Mills’ immunity was ‘not irregular’

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times

FBI Director James Comey went further Tuesday in clearing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of legal wrongdoing for her secret email account, saying he saw no evidence that she lied to investigators or that she broke federal laws.

Mr. Comey also defended his decision to grant Mrs. Clinton’s chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, limited immunity for the classified emails found on her laptop, saying he and his agents were working on a timeline and wanted to get access to the computer without a long legal battle.

Mr. Comey said Ms. Mills‘ lawyers asked for the immunity, and the FBI director said they thought that was a better path than going through a grand jury, where they would have have a rough legal fight over Ms. Mills‘ dual role as Mrs. Clinton’s personal lawyer and her chief of staff.

“The FBI’s judgment was we need to get to that laptop,” Mr. Comey said.

The decision to grant Ms. Mills immunity shocked some legal experts, who said it raised questions about whether the FBI was doing a proper criminal investigation.

Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, penned an op-ed for USA Today saying the Mills deal was particularly odd given that she also served as Mrs. Clinton’s personal lawyer when the FBI interviewed the presidential candidate.

___
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/27/fbis-comey-cheryl-mills-immunity-was-not-irregular/