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Pelosi: Comey ‘Molotov Cocktail’ Hurt Democrats’ Chances to Win House

FBI director ‘became leading Republican political operative — wittingly or unwittingly,’ minority leader says

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said said when Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers began slipping after the FBI revelation, so did those in districts in which Democrats hoped to pick up seats.. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said said when Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers began slipping after the FBI revelation, so did those in districts in which Democrats hoped to pick up seats.. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that FBI Director James Comey threw a “Molotov cocktail” into the prospect of Democrats winning the House when he announced more emails related to an investigating involving Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server had been discovered.

Pelosi, speaking with reporters at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Election Night, said when Clinton’s poll numbers began slipping, so did those in districts in which Democrats hoped to pick up seats.

Comey told congressional lawmakers on Sunday that a review of those 650,000 emails thought to be related to the Clinton email investigation had been reviewed over the week and that he would not change his position on whether criminal charges were warranted.

[10 Moments That Shaped the Path to Election Day]

Pelosi said Comey’s actions gave the GOP another opportunity to use the investigation in their favor during the election.

“He became the leading Republican political operative in the country — wittingly or unwittingly,” Pelosi said. “What he did was wrong.”

Pelosi said her prediction that Democrats had a chance to take back control of the House was based on a big win for Clinton.

DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said Comey’s action affected about a handful of House seats.

Pelosi said Comey helped further a sentiment among Republicans that if GOP nominee Donald Trump loses the race, the nation’s election system was rigged.

“This is like a Molotov cocktail just thrown into a very explosive arena,” Pelosi said. “He shouldn’t have done that.”

While Pelosi said the FBI director may have damaged the prospect of some House seats, she did not expect any Democratic incumbents to lose.

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