One week to go, and we have a mess. What to make of FBI Director James Comey’s bizarre actions? Announcing an FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails a mere ten days before election day is difficult matter to parse.

Was Comey’s purpose to damage the Clinton campaign? Or in some peculiar way to boost Trump? Why did he announce the investigation publicly when FBI investigations of terrorist activities are not revealed publicly when they begin? And when he did make the announcement, why was he so cryptic in disclosing details (or rather, not disclosing anything)?

Interestingly, both Democrats and many Republicans have responded to this in exactly the same way: insisting that Comey provide more information. Simply announcing your investigation and going no further is not fair and just to either politicians or the public.

There have been calls from some for Comey’s resignation. That’s understandable because his actions are incomprehensible and destructive, whether done willfully or not. He has not come off as a selfless public servant, rather a director out of touch with his own agency, which it turns out, has been investigating the new trove of emails for some weeks before getting around to notifying Comey. This is a striking omission given the overheated nature of this presidential election.

What’s the Justice Department’s role in this anyway? Officials there are urging Comey to disclose more about what the FBI is doing. And so are leaders in both major parties. Republicans in the U.S. Senate want Comey to testify on November 4 about what the heck is underway and what is the FBI finding.

This is a matter of serious concern, certainly for Hillary Clinton, but for voters everywhere. Donald Trump is already spouting off with his usual mix of ignorance and lies about to re-emphasize his campaign’s ridiculous push to label Clinton as a criminal who should be jailed (What? no trial, just jail?). And Trump remains the reason Clinton must get through this mess; the alternative is the manifestly incompetent narcissist and sexual predator, Donald “small hands” Trump.

What a mess. Will this election ever end?