Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room Tuesday, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders encouraged the Justice Department to "take a look" at possible prosecution for former FBI Director James Comey while distancing President Trump from the issue.
Q: Would the President encourage DOJ to prosecute Comey?
Sanders: That's not the President's role that's the job of the Department of Justice and something they should certainly look at.
Q: Is that something you would like to see?
Sanders: I'm not sure about that specifically but I think if there's ever a moment that where we feel someone's broken the law, particularly if they're the head of the FBI, I think that's something that certainly should be looked at.
Sanders' comments come more than a week after members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Chairman Chuck Grassley, revealed Comey made the decision to exonerateDemocrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton months before FBI agents finished their criminal investigation into her repeated mishandling of classified information. The revelation is at odds with testimony Comey gave under oath to Congress about the timing of the FBI's investigation.
Comey was fired by Trump earlier this year. He was replaced by longtime attorney Christopher Wray in August after receiving bipartisan confirmation from the Senate. The firing ignited intense controversy and despite previously calling for Comey's dismissal, Democrats accused the President of firing Comey in an effort to curtail the Russia investigation. The White House denies the accusation.