Virginia Kruta | Associate Editor

Former FBI Director James Comey admitted that the tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton bothered him — but according to his closed-door testimony, he didnt direct FBI agents interviewing Hillary Clinton to ask about it.

BREAKING: Comey confirms he never directed FBI agents interviewing Hillary to ask her about the tarmac meeting just days earlier b/t her husband & AG Lynch, even tho he claims the meeting bothered him so much he made insubordinate move to cut Lynch out of plans to clear Hillary

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) December 9, 2018

Calling the meeting “highly unusual,” he conceded that after learning of the meeting, “I was very concerned.” (RELATED: House Committees Release James Comey Transcript)

James Comeys closed-door testimony on 2016 FBI probes: I was very concerned by Loretta Lynchs tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton https://t.co/4hLRm8XR13

— CNBC (@CNBC) December 8, 2018

Comey mentioned Lynch with regard to the Clinton investigation in his book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” but said then that he had ultimately concluded that she had not interfered.

He appeared to contradict himself, however, when he referenced still classified information, which he said was unverified but “would undoubtedly have been used by political opponents to cast serious doubt on the attorney generals independence in connection with the Clinton investigation.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responds forcefully to intense questioning on the September attacks on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington January 23, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed

In addition to his comments about Lynch and Clintons meeting, Comey noted that he would not have allowed Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to continue with their role in the investigation.

“Based on what I saw,” he started “—have seen in the media since I left the FBI — that unless there was some explanation for that that I was missing, in my judgment, they wouldnt have remained part of the investigation.”

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