House Speaker Paul Ryan sent a formal request to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper on Wednesday, asking him to deny Hillary Clinton any access to classified information for the remainder of the 2016 campaign.
The request comes after James Comey, FBI Director, said Clinton was “extremely careless” in her handling of classified material during her tenure as secretary of state.
Ryan argued that Clinton should not be permitted to receive top secret briefings, and formalized that recommendation with his request to the DNI.
Citing his own experience as VP nominee in 2012, Ryan stated that he understands Clinton will be receiving similar briefings after she is officially nominated at the Democratic convention in late July.
“There is no legal requirement for you to provide Secretary Clinton with classified information,” Ryan wrote. “It would send the wrong signal to all those charged with safeguarding our nation’s secrets if you choose to provide her access to this information despite the FBI’s findings,” he added.
GOP House Intelligence Committee members are looking for legislative methods to prevent Clinton from accessing classified briefings. However, many GOP aides say the decision is ultimately up to the intelligence community.
Ryan also asked James Comey, FBI Director, to release the unclassified material of his investigation into Clinton’s email use in a separate letter.
