Obama says James Comey isn't trying to 'influence the election' but warns FBI cannot be 'politicised'

Barack Obama has been attempting to take the nonpartisan position on the recent FBI-Hillary Clinton scandal and subsequent criticism of FBI Director James Comey.

However, he did warn the FBI not to put out "innuendo" and "incomplete information" and in an interview with MSNBC on 4 November, the president once again stressed the importance of investigative bodies not getting "politicised" or being "used as a weapon to advantage either side".

"Historically, both under Democratic and Republican administrations, our goal has been and should be that our investigators and our prosecutors are independent of politics," Obama said.

"They're not politicised. They're not used as a weapon to advantage either side in partisan arguments. And I want to make sure we continue with that tradition and that norm."

Despite criticism of FBI Director James Comey's timing to reopen the investigation, the president said he believed that the bureau chief just wanted to do the right thing. "Jim Comey is a good man and I do not believe that he is in any way trying to influence the election one way or another," the Potus said.

"I think he is a serious public servant who wants to do the right thing. And I think the overwhelming majority of FBI feel the same way."

Pushing Obama's message, Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that it was essential to democracy to separate politics from law enforcement."Our democracy places a premium on separating out criminal investigations, law enforcement, from politics. That makes our democracy stronger," he said onboard the Air Force One on Friday.

"It inspires greater confidence in our criminal justice system by the public. And it has served our democracy well when investigators and law enforcement officials have observed those norms."