Political analysts freak out at FBI director after agency reopens Clinton email probe

Political analysts reacted to news on Friday that the FBI was reopening its probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server by suggesting the justice system was perhaps acting unfairly on Donald Trump's behalf.

Analysts questioned FBI Director James Comey's decision for announcing the news in a short, somewhat vague letter to Congress.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote on Twitter that "Comey needs to provide full info immediately."

"Otherwise he has clearly made a partisan intervention, betraying his office," the famed economist wrote.

Comey is a Republican, but has established a reputation over his decades of work as being a hard-nosed officer of the law. Nevertheless, many individuals questioned whether the FBI director was allowing his political persuasions to act with bias.

"It's almost as if Comey is a Republican," ThinkProgress justice editor Ian Millhiser tweeted.

"Why this late hit from Comey? He's getting dinged as corrupt by Republican friends and is trying to redeem his reputation," agreed MSNBC analyst Jonathan Alter. "Pretty lame."

"Why is FBI doing this just 11 days before the election?" wondered Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican.

Others merely complained that Comey's letter was too vague and did not offer the public enough information just 11 days before an election.

"It's insane," wrote Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama. "He at least owes the country a press briefing - anything more than a vague letter."

"Comey's letter is weirdly cryptic and seems almost designed to provoke questions it doesn't answer 10 days before the election," The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald echoed.

Questions of whether the FBI was acting unfairly or with a political agenda was a particularly ironic twist in the campaign. For weeks, Trump has been dismissed by many of the same journalists and analysts for declaring without evidence the justice system to be "rigged."

On Friday, the shoe appeared to be on the other foot.