UPDATE - Former FBI Director Comey Violated Bureau Policies In Handling Of Memos - Watchdog

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2019) Former FBI Director James Comey violated the agency's policies when handling memorandums of his private conversations with President Donald Trump in the weeks before being fired, the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General said in a report.

"Comey's actions with respect to the memos violated Department [of Justice] and FBI policies concerning the retention, handling and dissemination of FBI records and information, and violated the requirements of Comey's FBI employment agreement," the report said on Thursday.

The Office of the Inspector General said in the report said that Comey failed to live up the FBI's responsibility to protect sensitive law enforcement information.

"By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees - and the many thousands more former FBI employees - who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information," the report said.

After completing its investigation, the Office of the Inspector General provided a copy of its findings to the Justice Department.

However, the Justice Department subsequently declined to prosecute Comey for his violation.

Comey previously admitted in a congressional hearing that he had leaked a memorandum to the media to boost pressure to appoint a special counsel - his friend and previous FBI director Robert Mueller - to investigate allegations of Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 US election.

Later in the day, US Senator Chuck Grassley said Comey's actions and hypocrisy have inflicted lasting damage.

"This behavior is especially unbecoming of public servants who cultivate an appearance of honesty, integrity and transparency, and it has done great harm to the FBI's reputation," Grassley said in a statement.

Trump had repeatedly called the investigation a political witch hunt and pointed out that the nearly three-year probe produced no evidence to back the allegations against his.

Russia has said the allegations of interference in the US political system were made up to excuse the election loss of Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, and to deflect public attention from actual instances of election fraud and corruption.