Cornyn’s call for special counsel ups ante in Clinton email inquiry

McClathcy reports:

In the first such call from a member of Congress, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Tuesday asked Attorney General Loretta Lynch to name an independent counsel to investigate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state.

“The attorney general has a special duty to pursue justice even when political considerations run counter to doing so,” Cornyn said in a letter to Lynch, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama.

A senior Republican senator, Charles Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, came close to echoing Cornyn’s request.

“Chairman Grassley believes that the Justice Department should take whatever steps are necessary to reassure the public that the decisions about whether anyone is ultimately prosecuted in this matter are made solely on merits of the case, without regard to any political considerations,” said Beth Levine, a Judiciary Committee spokeswoman. “That includes . . . considering an independent counsel.”

The pantsuits update.