Lynch Defends Decision Not to Prosecute Clinton in Email Scandal

WASHINGTON -- On the same day Hillary Clinton shared the stage with Sen. Bernie Sanders to receive a long-awaited endorsement from her primary rival, she was also the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Tuesday, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, challenged U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch for choosing not to file criminal charges against Clinton for mishandling classified information while she served as secretary of state.

Each Republican member of the congressional committee made clear they completely disagreed with the Justice Department's ultimate conclusion.

Some, like Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio., tried to coax Lynch into following the lead of FBI Director James Comey and acknowledge that Clinton made false statements when she said she never sent or received classified emails.

But Lynch declined to take the bait.

"He's chosen to provide detailed statements, and I would refer you to those statements," she answered, referring to Comey's public announcement about the FBI's recommendation.

Lynch was grilled about the perception that the Department's decision shows there are two forms of justice: one for the politically well-connected and another for everyone else.

She also defended her decision not to recuse herself from the case after a controversial impromptu meeting with former President Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport in late June.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, referenced the House Judiciary Committee's history investigating the Clintons.

"Do you find it ironic that the last examination of a Clinton before this committee hinged on the meaning of the word 'is?' Looks to me like this investigation is hinging upon the meaning of 'extreme carelessness' versus 'gross negligence,'" he said, referring to Comey's assessment of Clinton's emails.

Democrats mostly took to defending Lynch's decision and characterized the hearing as an attempt to tarnish the White House bid of their presumptive nominee. They also used their time to discuss gun and police violence.

One lawmaker saw an opening to show how partisanship played into the politics of the prosecution of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican.

"When you look at the governor of Virginia that you launched everything that your Department had to destroy him and prosecute him, can you tell me the federal nexus you had in that case and compare that to the federal nexus that you had against Secretary Clinton?" Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., asked.

"I don't have a comparison between those two cases for you," Lynch responded.

Still on the hunt to correct potential wrongdoing, Republicans have asked the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to investigate whether Hillary Clinton lied in previous sworn testimony to Congress.