Politics

FLASHBACK: Obama Claims He Doesn’t Talk To FBI Director About Pending Investigations

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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Former President Barack Obama pledged that he did not speak with FBI directors about pending investigations throughout his presidency in a 2016 interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace.

WATCH:

“I can guarantee that not because I give Attorney General [Loretta] Lynch a directive, that is institutionally how we have always operated,” the former president claimed. “I do not talk to the Attorney General about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations. We have a strict line and always have maintained it. I guarantee it.”

“I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the FBI, not just in this case but in any case. Period. Nobody gets treated differently when it comes to the Justice Department because nobody is above the law.”

Obama’s claim resurfaced after text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page revealed Obama’s possible involvement with two FBI investigations near the end of his presidency.

“Potus wants to know everything we’re doing,” Page told Strzok in a text message dated Sept 2, 2016. Page then described preparing former FBI director James Comey to brief Obama on the details of a particular investigation.

The ongoing high-profile investigations at the time involved the investigation of potential Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and an inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.