The investigation of James Comey is exactly what the country needs

The impact of Comey’s actions can never be definitively known. But it is important, for the Justice Department and for the country, to obtain a detailed accounting of what happened and why; to assign blame where it is warranted; and to understand how similar situations can be prevented.

In addition to looking into the actions of the FBI director regarding the email investigation, the probe will look into whether the FBI’s deputy director should have recused himself from the investigation because of his wife’s political involvement; whether a high-ranking Justice Department official or others improperly disclosed non-public information to both the Clinton and Trump campaigns; and whether the timing of the FBI’s election eve Freedom of Information Act disclosures relating to Bill Clinton’s 2001 pardon of Marc Rich was based on inappropriate considerations.

But the focus of the investigation — and the public’s interest in it — will remain on what Comey did and why.

The inspector general will have an unparalleled ability to get to the bottom of things. The investigation will be able to unravel the set of events that began with Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch’s June 2016 Phoenix airport tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton and that ended with the Nov. 6 letter.