Capitol spill
COMEY DISHES ON ‘LIAR’ TRUMP, LEAKS, EVEN CLINTON, LYNCH, NY TIMES
President Trump dispatched his lawyer to refute James B. Comey’s damaging memos and sworn personal accounts, arguing the ousted FBI director is “one of these leakers” bent on “undermining” his administration.
“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,” Trump’s attorney Marc Kasowitz said yesterday.
“Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers.”
Kasowitz also denied that Trump ever demanded loyalty or ordered Comey to drop the investigation into fired former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Among a string of stunning revelations, Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee he gave one of the memos he wrote about his nine one-on-one conversations with Trump — the one asking him to end the Flynn probe — to a friend at Columbia Law School to leak to a New York Times reporter.
“My judgment was, ‘I need to get that out into the public square,’ ” Comey said. “I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
Trump was uncharacteristically quiet on Twitter yesterday and only vaguely referenced the ongoing Russia probe during remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual conference around the same time Comey was testifying.
“As you know, we’re under siege,” the president said. “But we will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever — you watch. You fought hard for me and now I’m fighting hard for all of you.”
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway wouldn’t say last night whether Trump watched any part of the Comey hearing, telling Fox News only, “He’s aware of the testimony.”
Overall, the White House downplayed the significance of Comey’s big day on Capitol Hill — carried live on all three major television networks. Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed it was business as usual in the West Wing.
“I would say that it’s a regular Thursday at the White House,” Sanders said. “We’re carrying on.”
But Capitol Hill observers sat rapt as Comey bluntly delivered what might have been an exit interview for the ages.
He said the Trump administration “chose to defame me” by claiming the FBI rank-and-file had lost confidence in him, which Comey dismissed as “lies, plain and simple.”
Comey recounted meetings where he alleged Trump had sought to develop a “patronage relationship” that would allow the former G-man to keep his job, and pressured him both to ease up on Flynn and to “lift the cloud” of the Russia probe.
“It’s my judgment I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey said. “I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation is being conducted. That is a very big deal.”
Comey also testified he
has no doubt Russia was behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, but also the rival superpower did not directly alter votes in the 2016 presidential election.
The key question for lawmakers now is whether Trump obstructed justice in his dealings with Comey. But the ex-FBI chief punted when asked directly by Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
“I don’t know. That’s Bob Mueller’s job to sort that out,” Comey said, referring to the special counsel now overseeing the federal investigation.