In June 8th’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, James Comey admitted to leaking his private memos to The New York Times.
We still don’t know who leaked the transcript of a call between General Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak to the same paper. Nor do we know the identity of the “Justice Department officials” who leaked the existence of meetings between Jeff Sessions and ambassador Kislyak to the Washington Post.
It is presumed that Susan Rice, or someone else in the Obama administration, was responsible for the Flynn leak. But that is not confirmed.
Was the leak in the swamp coming from the FBI all along? It’s possible. Mark Felt, a.k.a. Deep Throat, was Woodward and Bernstein’s source and the FBI’s second-in-command during Watergate —just saying.
A guilty conscience would certainly explain some of James Comey’s odd behavior since Donald Trump was elected president, such as the awkward meeting in the Blue Room where he tried to blend into the drapes; or his anxiousness about being in private with the president. It would also explain Comey’s inexplicable reluctance to investigate the leaks; so far the only crime committed in the entire scandal. You wouldn’t want to investigate yourself, would you?
The FBI has been conducting their probe into Russian interference for close to a year, using a discredited dossier from a paid opposition-researcher as justification to obtain a FISA warrant. At one point they led an investigation into a server at Trump Tower which apparently yielded disappointing results. So far, there is not a single indictment or even a discernible crime.
Comey said the president’s request for loyalty made him uneasy. But given the torrent of leaks that have come out of the intelligence community since Trump’s election, is asking for loyalty from one of its highest ranking officials such an unusual request? Comey instead offered honesty, but if that is the same honesty he offered Congress, whom he failed to inform of his investigation for 8 months, then his honesty isn’t worth much.
On three separate occasions Comey assured the president that he was not personally under investigation, yet he refused the president’s request to inform the public of this vital fact. Instead he allowed the American people to become indoctrinated to a conspiracy theory that Trump himself was colluding with Russia. Wasn’t allowing this lie to persist a far bigger threat to our democracy than hacked DNC emails? Not unless that lie provides you with greater leverage to proceed with your rabid investigation.
James Comey hoarded detailed memos of his private meetings with President Trump. When the time came, he unleashed these political bombshells to the media to inflict maximum damage. And you wonder why Trump was reluctant to trust the guy? Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, or in the case of Comey’s memos, in the court of public opinion.
Comey stated that the president’s tweets prompted him to leak the memos, despite the fact that the leaks were published in advance of the tweets in question. Comey said that he leaked the memos to force a special counsel. Now the special counsel will determine whether obstruction of justice took place. But if Comey testified that the president never interfered with the Russia investigation, what is the purpose of the special counsel, other than revenge?
Comey reiterated during his testimony that the Russians were behind the intrusions at the DNC and elsewhere, and that their government officials were fully aware of these activities. Yet he failed, as he has before, to provide any proof. Amazingly, there is still insufficient evidence available to the public to verify the claim of Russian interference, the entire basis for our current predicament.
Comey said he was confused and concerned about the stated reasoning for his firing. Comey was dubious that Rod Rosenstein’s excoriating memo of his handling of the Clinton investigation was the real reason. But Rosenstein’s memo was in fact a perfectly rational explanation for his departure. If Comey did indeed make serious mistakes during the Clinton investigation and broke with longstanding practices, why would Trump allow him to botch another investigation now that he’s in office? Only a fool would permit a renegade FBI director with delusions of grandeur to serve in his administration.
Comey envisioned the FBI as a totally independent agency, and saw himself as its keeper. But a truly independent FBI is a nightmare. Without oversight the FBI could impede any politician it desired with endless, arbitrary probes, as it has with Trump. An independent Federal Bureau of Investigation would essentially make its director the most powerful man in government. Who would want that?
For Comey’s conduct to be justified, and for him to secure his place in history as the American hero he wishes to be, Robert Mueller’s investigation will have to bear fruit. Otherwise his reputation will be destroyed forever. Comey better say his prayers.
