Obama promises no political interference in Clinton email investigation

WASHINGTON - President Barack said there will be no political interference from his administration in the investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's email practices while she was secretary of state.

'I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department or the FBI,” Obama said in an interview on 'Fox News Sunday.” He said he adding that he doesn't talk to Attorney General Loretta Lynch or to the FBI about pending investigations. 'That is, institutionally, how we have always operated.”

'We have a strict line, and always have maintained it,” Obama said in the interview, recorded April 7 at the University of Chicago. 'Nobody gets treated differently when it comes to the Justice Department, because nobody is above the law.”

About 2,000 of Clinton's emails contained classified information and 22 were thought to have 'top-secret” information. Obama showed some skepticism of the government's classification process.

'What I also know, because I handle a lot of classified information, is that there are —— there's classified, and then there's classified,” Obama said.

'I continue to believe that she has not jeopardized America's national security,” Obama said of Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination to succeed him.

Obama also spoke at length of the fight to confirm Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court justice. He said he looks for the Republican-led Senate to 'evolve” on its refusal to hold a hearing on Garland.

'Things will evolve as people get familiar with Judge Garland's record. As it becomes apparent that the overwhelming majority of the American people think that the president nominates somebody to the Supreme Court, and the Senate should now do its constitutional job and give him a hearing,” Obama said.

Obama is pressing the Senate to hold a hearing on Garland, his nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by Antonin Scalia's death in February. Top Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said they don't plan to hold a hearing with the nominee. An number of Republican lawmakers have agreed to meet privately with Garland.