For much of the 2016 election cycle, many on both sides were tired of hearing from FBI Director James Comey. To be sure, people had good reason for their disgust. In July of last year, Comey held a bizarre press conference, announcing that he was not recommending charges against Hillary Clinton. But just before the election, Comey issued another statement saying he was re-opening parts of the investigation. In the confusion, the public received no straightforward answers on whether or not Hillary Clinton should be charged with a crime.
Of course, the drama surrounding Comey didn’t end there. Just a few months into Trump’s presidency, Comey was fired from his post as FBI director. From there, a private memo he had written about interactions with President Trump caused a media firestorm.
Eventually, Comey was even forced to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Needless to say, an FBI director shouldn’t make news as often as James Comey did in a lifetime, let alone one year. Yet, if the few months of silence made you think the drama surrounding the former FBI director was over, think again. According to GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, new revelations about Comey’s behavior are in need of further investigation.
From Fox News:
Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News on Thursday that he wants to bring back James Comey to testify on Capitol Hill, citing concerns about his statements on the conclusion of the Hillary Clinton email case.
“This doesn’t add up, and I smell a rat here,” Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview with Fox News’ Catherine Herridge.
According to Graham, Comey was drafting an exoneration letter for Clinton months before his press conference, contradicting his earlier Senate testimony:
According to the senators, the transcripts say Comey began drafting an “exoneration statement” for Clinton weeks before interviewing her – which in turn raised questions about the former FBI director’s testimony in June before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
However, Comey testified that the infamous meeting between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton was what influenced his decision to hold the press conference. These new transcripts call that testimony into question.
In light of the revelations, Graham says he wants to bring Comey back in front of the Senate:
“He needs to come back to committee,” Graham said.
Graham said there are two issues he wants to discuss.
The first is whether Comey had “predetermined the result” of the email probe before the Clinton interview, “contrary” to his testimony.
The second concerns Comey’s claim that he jumped into the fray because of the tarmac meeting. Graham said he has reason to believe the “real reason may have been some email between the DNC and the Justice Department about the scope of the Clinton investigation,” and this would be “completely different than when he publicly testified.”
After a few months of silence, the James Comey saga is far from complete. If Graham gets his way, the former FBI Director isn’t out of hot water yet.
Source: Allen West
