The media tried to paint Jim Comey as a cleancut straight-shooter. Turns out he was anything but that:
James Comey’s history of misconduct
Former FBI Director James Comey was fired last May after it became clear he was unfit to lead the department. The end of his tenure was marked by missteps and the shameless politicization of our nation’s leading federal law enforcement agency.
Nearly a year later, Comey is releasing a memoir about his time as the head of the FBI – but it is shaping up to be nothing more than bitter partisan storytelling.
Comey’s history of misconduct at the FBI has hurt the agency’s reputation and sparked criticism about his credibility from members of both parties. Many lawmakers have pointed to Comey’s contradictory statements and violation of federal protocol as indication that he was unfit to lead the agency.
For instance, Comey broke FBI protocol by publicly speaking about ongoing agency investigations. In July 2016, he said the FBI was closing its investigation into Clinton’s emails. The Justice Department was not involved in this decision because unverified documents claimed they had an agreement with the Clinton campaign. Then, right before the 2016 presidential election, Comey announced he was investigating a new batch of Clinton emails, to the surprise of then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
The announcement caused an uproar among Democrats, who came out in full force against Comey. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said he was “not in the right job,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he did “not have confidence in [Comey] any longer.” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Comey had “damaged the institution of law enforcement,” while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called his actions “appalling.”
The missteps didn’t end there. Last January, he presented then-President elect Trump unverified information that had been compiled about his alleged ties to Russia, giving it undeserved credibility. The clearly unreliable dossier turned out to be opposition research funded by Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
Comey’s contradictions became increasingly clear during his investigation into allegations of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia – allegations that are still completely unsubstantial after multiple investigations spanning more than a year. Last spring, Comey testified before Congress that the FBI was never instructed to stop any investigation for political reasons. At the time, he also claimed he had never leaked information about the ongoing Trump or Clinton investigations, and gave inaccurate information about the emails found on Clinton’s server.
One month later, he testified that President Trump had suggested he stop investigating former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and that he had helped a friend leak his memos to the press with the hope of initiating a special counsel investigation. These statements went against his original testimony, raising questions about his credibility.
Over the past year, Comey not only undermined the important work being done by the FBI, he also put Democrats’ hypocrisy in full view. The same Democrats who once highlighted Comey’s lack of credibility came to embrace him as soon as he began attacking President Trump.
As Comey prepares for his upcoming book tour, Americans know that his attempts to smear President Trump and the administration are nothing more than a disgraced former official working in the pursuit of retaliation instead of justice.
Former FBI Director James Comey was fired last May after it became clear he was unfit to lead the department. The end of his tenure was marked by missteps and the shameless politicization of our nation’s leading federal law enforcement agency.
Nearly a year later, Comey is releasing a memoir about his time as the head of the FBI – but it is shaping up to be nothing more than bitter partisan storytelling.
Comey’s history of misconduct at the FBI has hurt the agency’s reputation and sparked criticism about his credibility from members of both parties. Many lawmakers have pointed to Comey’s contradictory statements and violation of federal protocol as indication that he was unfit to lead the agency.
For instance, Comey broke FBI protocol by publicly speaking about ongoing agency investigations. In July 2016, he said the FBI was closing its investigation into Clinton’s emails. The Justice Department was not involved in this decision because unverified documents claimed they had an agreement with the Clinton campaign. Then, right before the 2016 presidential election, Comey announced he was investigating a new batch of Clinton emails, to the surprise of then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
The announcement caused an uproar among Democrats, who came out in full force against Comey. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said he was “not in the right job,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he did “not have confidence in [Comey] any longer.” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Comey had “damaged the institution of law enforcement,” while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called his actions “appalling.”
The missteps didn’t end there. Last January, he presented then-President elect Trump unverified information that had been compiled about his alleged ties to Russia, giving it undeserved credibility. The clearly unreliable dossier turned out to be opposition research funded by Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
Comey’s contradictions became increasingly clear during his investigation into allegations of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia – allegations that are still completely unsubstantial after multiple investigations spanning more than a year. Last spring, Comey testified before Congress that the FBI was never instructed to stop any investigation for political reasons. At the time, he also claimed he had never leaked information about the ongoing Trump or Clinton investigations, and gave inaccurate information about the emails found on Clinton’s server.
One month later, he testified that President Trump had suggested he stop investigating former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and that he had helped a friend leak his memos to the press with the hope of initiating a special counsel investigation. These statements went against his original testimony, raising questions about his credibility.
Over the past year, Comey not only undermined the important work being done by the FBI, he also put Democrats’ hypocrisy in full view. The same Democrats who once highlighted Comey’s lack of credibility came to embrace him as soon as he began attacking President Trump.
As Comey prepares for his upcoming book tour, Americans know that his attempts to smear President Trump and the administration are nothing more than a disgraced former official working in the pursuit of retaliation instead of justice.
