President Trump has called for the arrest of former FBI Director James Comey, following comments Comey made about the Russia investigation before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump: “Should Be Arrested On The Spot!”
Comey appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to take questions on his handling of the FBI’s role in the Russia investigation.
Replying to a tweet from D.C. journalist Paul Sperry, who noted that Comey had said that the investigation had been “done by the book,” President Trump tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that Comey should be “arrested on the spot!”
Should be arrested on the spot! https://t.co/x81s8npZEF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2020
Graham: “Somebody Needs To Go To Jail Or Get Fired”
Despite Comey defending himself and his team with his “by the book” claims, the former FBI Director admitted to the Senate Committee that there were mistakes made.
NPR reports that Comey told lawmakers that if he knew then what he knows now, he would have taken “a more skeptical view” on one of the key surveillance requests that targeted a junior campaign aide of President Trump’s back in 2016.
Lindsey Graham, the chair of the panel, said that “somebody needs to go to jail or get fired,” over the FBI’s handling of the Carter Page warrant application process, one of the key sticking points of the inquiry.
NOW: Senate Judiciary hearing. On @DNI_Ratcliffe letter + whether he received an “investigative referral” Sept 2016 about an alleged effort by Clinton campaign to distract from the email probe. @Comey said under oath, “It doesn’t ring a bell.” @LindseyGrahamSC “It went to you.” https://t.co/TqVz44GJX5
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 30, 2020
Despite admitting to mistakes, Comey continued to defend the overall investigation to lawmakers, claiming that it had been properly justified and all involved had conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism.
Senator Ted Cruz strongly disagreed with Comey’s rosy view of the investigation.
Cruz argued that the investigation amounts to a scarlet letter on the history of the storied law enforcement agency:
Sen. Ted Cruz to Comey:
“This has done severe damage to the professionals and the honorable men and women at the FBI because law enforcement should not be used a political weapon. That is the legacy you’ve left.”
pic.twitter.com/E5Hu7OEwKf— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 30, 2020
Senator Mike Lee also piled on, claiming that Comey didn’t really know what was going on at all.
Comey shows he doesn’t know anything about the investigation he ran. pic.twitter.com/Wz5TG9OucL
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) September 30, 2020
Comey Attacks Barr Over Investigation Criticism
CNN reported that Comey took a far stronger stance against Attorney General William Barr’s criticisms of the Russia investigation.
Barr had called the investigation “abhorrent.”
[totalpoll id=”211429″]
“I have no idea what on Earth he is talking about,” Comey said. He added:
This was an investigation, it was appropriately predicated and opened that had to be opened and it was in the main conducted in the right way, picked up by the special counsel, lead to the indictment of dozens of people, and a finding by your colleagues in the Senate that the head of Trump’s campaign was a grave counterintelligence threat to the United States of America because he was funneling in information to a known Russian intelligence officer.
“The notion that the attorney general believes that was an illegitimate endeavor to investigate that mystifies me,” Comey added.
President Trump, it seems, agrees with Bill Barr.