By PoliZette Staff | August 29, 2019
President Donald Trump — as well as his GOP allies in Congress and elsewhere — blasted former FBI director James Comey on Thursday after the Justice Department’s inspector general released an intensely anticipated report about Comey’s controversial handling of memos that detailed private conversations he had with the president while he was still head of the FBI.
Related: Case Against Comey: He Violated FBI Policies in Handling of Memos
“Perhaps never in the history of our country has someone been more thoroughly disgraced and excoriated than James Comey in the just released inspector general’s report,” Trump tweeted.
“He should be ashamed of himself!” Trump also said.
Here’s his tweet about it:
Perhaps never in the history of our Country has someone been more thoroughly disgraced and excoriated than James Comey in the just released Inspector General’s Report. He should be ashamed of himself!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2019
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham also criticized Comey.
She said the former FBI director has been shown to be a “proven liar and leaker” and said he “disgraced himself and his office to further a personal political agenda.”
The country needs to remember exactly how Comey himself described his own highly questionable actions in connection to investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties to the Trump.
Related: Trump Fires James Comey
Here’s what Comey himself said about it in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee back in June 2017: “[It was a] conversation in the Oval Office [about Michael Flynn] … I understood this to be my recollection, recorded, of my conversation with the president. As a private citizen, I felt free to share that,” declared Comey. “I thought it very important to get it out … I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons. But I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. And so I asked a close friend of mine to do it … A good friend of mine who’s a professor at Columbia law school.”
The DOJ’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, said this behavior and these actions “set a dangerous” example for officials with access to government secrets.
The IG report also said Comey “violated” FBI requirements.
Former U.S. attorney Joe diGenova told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, host of “The Ingraham Angle,” during an interview on her podcast on Thursday that the report today was “scathing” about his conduct as FBI director.
“All we need to know about this is that the inspector general has shown Mr. Comey for what he is: someone who embarrassed the bureau.”
“Let’s remember something: He was the FBI director,” said diGenova. “This is not some lowly street agent. [And] he’s being berated in a scathing tone by the inspector general because he used and leaked these memos for personal and political gain, according to Mr. Horowitz. And he set ‘a dangerous precedent,’ according to the inspector general, by providing confidential FBI material to the media for personal and political gain. It goes without saying that this is disgraceful in the literal sense of that word. James Comey, however, is beyond being embarrassed or disgraced.”
He added, “All we need to know about this is that the inspector general has shown Mr. Comey for what he is: someone who embarrassed the bureau … Whether or not he will face any legal consequences … remains to be seen.”
Related: Comey Thought He Was Above the Law
“But I will say, I really don’t care what James Comey thinks,” added diGenova.
He added, at the end of the day, that “in my view, he’s a criminal.”
DiGenova is an attorney and political commentator who served as United States attorney for the District of Columbia from 1983 to 1988.
Comey today tweeted this message and others to his followers:
DOJ IG "found no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the memos to members of the media." I don’t need a public apology from those who defamed me, but a quick message with a “sorry we lied about you” would be nice.
— James Comey (@Comey) August 29, 2019
Hear the entire compelling interview about the Comey report on Laura Ingraham’s podcast here.
And see these tweets with more information and reaction:
Comey, outrageously, given a "get out of jail free card" for his criminal abuse of @RealDonaldTrump. https://t.co/LexRMWtqSJ
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 29, 2019
DOJ IG Report: ‘@Comey Violated @FBI Policies’
CLICK LINK TO READ FULL REPORT
**RETWEET*https://t.co/bP2UscFRI1
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) August 29, 2019
Source points out: In addition to Comey undoubtedly leaking sensitive law enforcement information, he also leaked classified information to his attorneys. But info was classified after the fact & Comey said in his judgment it shouldn't have been; perhaps reason for DOJ decision.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) August 29, 2019
Remember the 1/6/17 dossier briefing Comey, Brennan, and Clapper gave Trump? Comey has said it was a defensive briefing, simply to give Trump a heads up.
The IG report contradicts this.
It says the FBI wanted to use the meeting to get "information of value" for Russia probe.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) August 29, 2019
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette.com:
Final Cut: These 10 Dems Will Debate in Houston on September 12
Case Against Comey: He Violated FBI Policies in Handling of Memos
Omar Is Accused of Using Campaign Funds to Pay for Alleged Lover’s Travel Expenses