Collins to Attorney General at hearings: "I miss Eric Holder"

Ninth District Congressman Doug Collins was among the House Republicans who grilled Attorney General Loretta Lynch over a decision by the FBI not to pursue charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her handling of classified email.

 

In a video from C-Span, Collins told Lynch he was frustrated by her refusal to answer specific questions about the decision from the FBI.

 

"I never thought I'd say this...I miss Eric Holder," said the Gainesville Republican, referring to the former attorney general. "Because at least when he came here, he gave us answers. We didn't like it, but I've spent the last four hours listening to basically the Attorney General of the United States not willing to make a concrete statement of law."

 

Collins, and other members of the House Judiciary Committee, pushed Lynch to elaborate on who made the decision to not pursue charges in the Clinton email case. Lynch repeatedly referred to FBI Director James Comey's testimony last week rather than answering the question specifically.

 

Lynch also insisted her meeting with former President Bill Clinton on the tarmac at the airport in Phoenix was social in nature.

 

"Before I had a conversation with former President Clinton, I had spoken with the team [conducting the investigation]. I had concluded in my mind how it should best be resolved because I had tremendous faith in their work and their integrity," Lynch told Collins. "I had no conversations about the end outcome of the investigation."

 

Collins continued to express frustration over the manner in which the decision was made.

 

"The issue that we have here is that there's no ownership at DOJ...you today have made it worse," Collins said.

 

See the full video of Collins' questions and Lynch's responses here.