WASHINGTON - Justice Department officials have cited the proximity of the elections as a reason the FBI should not alert Congress to the unexpected discovery of emails potentially related to its investigation of Hillary Clinton's private email server.

A government official says Justice officials advised of the FBI's intention to notify Congress about the discovery expressed concern that the action would be inconsistent with department protocols designed to avoid the appearance of interference in an election.

The official said FBI Director James Comey acted independently when he sent several members of Congress a letter about the emails on Friday. The official was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.