Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Former Democratic and Republican State Attorneys General Call Director Comey's Letter a "Serious Mistake"

A bipartisan group of nearly 50 former state attorneys general issued the following letter expressing concern over FBI Director Comey's recent letter to Congress, calling it "unacceptable," and a "serious mistake":

As former state attorneys general from both parties, we find the recent actions of FBI director James Comey to be unacceptable and unfair to all involved. We call on him, now that he has injected himself into the electoral process, to immediately provide as much detail as possible so the American public can deal with facts rather than rank speculation and innuendo. But we should not be in this position in the first place.

It is long-standing Justice Department policy that employees "must be particularly sensitive to safeguarding the Department's reputation for fairness,neutrality, and nonpartisanship." As prosecutors, we were faced with allegations against candidates during every election. It is important not to comment on pending investigations close to an election or else risk that the normal criminal investigation process will be manipulated for political gain. Prosecutors and investigators must use great caution in even acknowledging investigations prior to their conclusion. The damage to a citizen's reputation often cannot be repaired, even if that person is totally cleared by the investigation or the allegations are proven to be completely groundless.

It appears that Director Comey has made a serious mistake in allowing this unfair speculation and innuendo to exist. Each of us has great respect for both the FBI and the American political process. We call on the Director to act immediately to provide needed clarity and explanation, and to limit the unfortunate damage his actions have caused.

Mike Moore, former Attorney General of MississippiKen Salazar, former Attorney General of ColoradoGrant Woods,  former Attorney General of ArizonaRon Amemiya, former Attorney General of HawaiiRosalie Ballentine, former Attorney General of the Virgin IslandsPaul Bardacke, former Attorney General of New MexicoFrancis X. Bellotti, former Attorney General of MassachusettsSteve Beshear, former Attorney General of KentuckyJeff Bingamen, former Attorney General of New MexicoRichard Bryan, former Attorney General of NevadaRoland Burris, former Attorney General of IllinoisBob Butterworth, former Attorney General of FloridaBonnie Campbell, former Attorney General of IowaPam Carter, former Attorney General of IndianaSteve Clark, former Attorney General of ArkansasWalter Cohen, former Attorney General of PennsylvaniaJack Conway, former Attorney General of KentuckyFrankie Sue Del Papa, former Attorney General of NevadaJerry Diamond, former Attorney General of VermontJohn Easton, former Attorney General of VermontDrew Edmondson, former Attorney General of OklahomaJohn Farmer, former Attorney General of New JerseyLee Fisher, former Attorney General of OhioDoug Gansler, former Attorney General of MarylandTerry Goddard, former Attorney General of ArizonaJan Graham, former Attorney General of UtahPeter Harvey, former Attorney General of New JerseyHubert Humphrey III, former Attorney General of MinnesotaGary King, former Attorney General of New MexicoPeg Lautenschlager, former Attorney General of WisconsinBill Lockyer, former Attorney General of CaliforniaDave Louie, former Attorney General of HawaiiJ.D. MacFarlane, former Attorney General of ColoradoPatsy Madrid, former Attorney General of New MexicoDustin McDaniel, former Attorney General of ArkansasJeff Modisett, former Attorney General of IndianaRichard Opper, former Attorney General of GuamJim Petro, former Attorney General of OhioEd Pittman, former Attorney General of MississippiHector Richard, former Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Puerto RicoSteve Rosenthal, former Attorney General of VirginiaSteve Sachs, former Attorney General of MarylandAnthony Troy, former Attorney General of VirginiaMary Sue Terry, former Attorney General of VirginiaJim Tierney, former Attorney General of MaineKnox Walkup, former Attorney General of Tennessee