a crime she didn't commit? The press conference, itself, and the opinions Comey expressed in that press conference, were designed to demonstrate the "independence" of the FBI. (And 45 is right about Comey's penchant for showboating, so that was probably an equally compelling motivation.) It was an unprecedented move, and especially inappropriate and ill advised during the final days of a presidential election. And he smeared her so much before "clearing" her that some thought he was going to recommend charges.
https://theintercept.com/2016/07/05/fbi-director-comey-preempts-justice-department-by-advising-no-charges-for-hillary-clinton/
<<But Matthew Miller, who was a spokesperson for the Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder, called Comey’s press conference “absolutely unprecedented, appalling, and a flagrant violation of Justice Department regulations.” He told The Intercept: “The thing that’s so damaging about this is that the Department of Justice is supposed to reach conclusions and put them in court filings. There’s a certain amount of due process there.”
Legal experts could not recall another time that the FBI had made its recommendation so publicly.
“It’s not unusual for the FBI to take a strong position on whether charges should be brought in a case,” said University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck. “The unusual part is publicizing it.”>>
Why did Comey have a press conference at all? And it's not really fair to those being investigated to smear them in the court of public opinion even while saying they have committed no crime. That was the point of the investigation: Was a crime committed?
More on Comey:
http://www.salon.com/2016/10/31/so-much-for-the-upstanding-james-comey-the-fbi-directors-long-career-as-preening-partisan-hack/
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