C-SPAN host Greta Brawner cited reporting on James Comey’s alleged misconduct when a Democratic caller asserted the former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director never broke rules.
Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors indicted Comey on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation on Thursday. In response to the caller’s claim on “Washington Journal,” Brawner read from the Associated Press’ (AP) 2019 reporting on a DOJ inspector general report finding that Comey breached FBI policies.
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“I think that Comey, his record speaks for itself. He was a very honorable man who served his country; he did everything by the book. I think he was the prime example of someone you want to direct the FBI,” the caller said. “Now, currently, we have Kash Patel, who I think is a complete idiot. He’s sick! He’s a sick man in that position and unqualified. And for [President Donald] Trump to go after Comey at this point is very obvious, the trail that led up to this and his feelings about Comey. And the only mistake Comey ever made was getting involved with Trump.”
Brawner then read from the AP’s previous reporting. Comey had “violated FBI policies in his handling of memos documenting private conversations with President Trump.”
“The watchdog office said Comey broke bureau rules by giving one memo containing unclassified information to a friend with instructions to share the content with a reporter,’” Brawner said, reading the AP report. “‘Comey also failed to return his memos to the FBI after he was dismissed in May of 2017, retaining copies of some of them in his safe at home and shared them with his personal lawyers without permission from the FBI.’”
“Goes on to say ‘The report is the second in as many years to criticize Comey’s actions as FBI director, following a separate inspector general rebuke for decisions made during the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server,’” she continued. “‘It is one of multiple inspector general investigations undertaken in the last three years into the decisions and actions of Comey and other senior FBI leaders.’ Now, David, you said Comey didn’t make any mistakes.”
The caller claimed what Comey reportedly did was the “cost of doing business” before pivoting to attack Trump.
“And when Trump had all those documents in his house, Florida, Mar-a-Lago home, what about that? Did that ever get followed up on?” he said. “What about all the things that he has done, making his own Bitcoin, about going after his political enemies? What about his selling cars from Elon Musk on the White House lawn? If any other President, especially Obama, if he did that, what would we be hearing from the Republicans?”
Comey claimed he didn’t “authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source,” which the indictment found to be inaccurate, according to the DOJ.
The former FBI director responded to the indictment on Instagram Thursday, asserting he was not guilty of the counts.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent,” Comey said. “So let’s have a trial and keep the faith.”
Moreover, a CIA memo published in July showed that Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan might have given false testimony when they claimed under oath that the infamous Steele Dossier played no role in their 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA).
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