James Comey

            My VIP for this week is former FBI Director James Comey because he has been in the news for several months. The liberals did not like him because they think that he cost Hillary Clinton the White House. Then President Donald Trump fired Comey on May 9, Comey immediately became the darling of the liberals because they wanted to use him to impeach Trump. They kept the event in the news cycle in order to convince the people that Trump had done something wrong that merited impeachment.

            Comey released a statement on Wednesday, June 7, and testified before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, June 8.  He admitted that he understood that he “could be fired for any reason and for no reason at all.” This statement should have cleared the air about the firing. He reaffirmed several times that Trump was never personally under investigation. There went another of the liberal’s talking points.

            Fred Lucas, the White House correspondent for The Daily Signall, posted his report of the event in which he lists “seven key points from Thursday’s much-talked-about event.”

1. Neither Trump nor his administration asked Comey to back off Russia probe…. [Even though there is evidence that Russia tried to hack the presidential election,] “Comey assured the committee the Russians’ actions didn’t change a single vote, to his knowledge…. [When asked if Trump or any of his administration asked Comey] to stop the FBI investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 elections, Comey responded: “Not to my understanding, no.” [Trump’s personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, is questioning why Comey did not go public with this knowledge but made] “false press accounts.”

2. A new revelation about Loretta Lynch. [When later asked] whether his decision not to bring charges in the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state was a result of a private meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton, [Comey replied] “that was just one of the reasons.” [He was also concerned that Lynch] “seemed to try to interfere with the probe of the Democratic nominee by pushing a political line.” [He explained that he] “had to do something separately to protect the credibility of the investigation, which meant both the FBI and the Justice Department.” [Lynch wanted Comey to call the issue a “matter” rather than an “investigation.” This was the final reason why he decided to make his announcement even though he did not recommend charges against Clinton.]

3. McCain alleges double standard. [McCain] sharply suggested that Comey’s FBI applied a double standard in concluding Clinton broke no laws in the email investigation, even though she potentially exposed classified material to the Russians and other adversaries. McCain appeared to suggest that the bureau treated Trump differently in the probe into Russia’s interference in the election, which includes unsubstantiated claims of “collusion” between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Comey seemed to try to make a distinction between the two investigations. … “So both President Trump and former candidate Clinton were involved in the investigation, yet one of them, you said, there is going to be no charges, and the other you said the investigation continues,” McCain said. “Well, I think there is a double standard there, to tell the truth.”

4. Trump told `lies, plain and simple,’ Comey says. [He explained his belief by saying that] he believes he was fired because of the Russia investigation, and that Trump was being dishonest about the reasons for the firing. [He also explained that] he kept notes of meetings with Trump because the president might “lie” about what was said. [He did not like Trump saying publicly that the FBI was] in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies – lies plain and simple.

5. The Flynn Conversation. [The conversation between Trump and Comey about former national security adviser Mike Flynn] was a major point of the hearing. [When asked directly if Trump ordered him to drop the investigation into Flynn, Comey replied] “Those words [“He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”] were not an order.” [Comey was asked] “You don’t know anyone that has been charged for hoping something?” Comey: “That is correct.” [Trump’s attorney Kasowitz commented] “Consistent with that statement, the president never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone….”

6. Feinstein to Comey: `You’re Big, You’re Strong.’ [Feinstein said that Comey was “big” and “strong” and that she understood that the Oval office was intimating. Then she asked] “But why didn’t you stop and say, `Mr. President, this is wrong – I cannot discuss that with you’?” [Comey responded that] perhaps [he] had acted in a “cowardly” manner in responding to Trump.

7. Comey confirmed as a leaker. [Comey admitted that he had leaked his memo about the discussion between Trump and himself and asked a friend to leak the information to a reporter.” [Trump’s attorney Kasowitz jumped on that admission and said] “It is overwhelmingly clear that there have been and continue to be those in government who are actively attempting to undermine this administration with selective and illegal leaks of classified information and privileged communications…. Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers…. Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he leaked to friends his purported memos of these privileged conversations, one of which he testified was classified. Mr. Comey also testified that immediately after he was terminated he authorized his friends to leak the contents of these memos to the press in order to `prompt the appointment of a special counsel.’ Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that The New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey’s excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to be entirely retaliatory.”

            It appears to this writer that Comey could be in trouble with the law for leaking classified information. Trump’s attorney appears to be sharp and willing to file charges against Comey if needed. It is a sad end to a man’s public service career! It also appears to this writer that the entire issue has turned out to be a “nothing burger” just like Senator Ted Cruz called it months ago.