Content originally published at iBankCoin.com
The big story out of today’s testimony had nothing to do with Trump collusion or obstruction of justice, but the revelation that Comey had, in fact, willingly leaked both privileged and classified information to a friend of his, who is suspected to be Professor Daniel Richman, the details of his communications with the President, to the media, in order to prompt a special counsel.
These retaliatory actions can only be viewed through one prism: he was out to get the President.
During today’s hearings, Comey said he took notes of every single meeting with the President, something he had never done with Bush or Obama, because he had a ‘gut feeling’ he’d need them, afraid that the President would lie. If this doesn’t give insight into the bias Comey harbored against Trump, nothing will.
Back on the topic of leaks, President Trump’s presidency has been beguiled by them since the day he was sworn in. The fact that Comey just admitted to being willing and able to become a source to a low-life degenerate NY Times or Washpo hack brings forth a very important question.
What else has Comey leaked? Moreover, was it legal for him to leak this information to the media, considering the conversations with the President were both privileged and classified?
Rubio pressed Comey on the fact that just about everything had been leaked from the White House, with exception to the fact that he was NOT under investigation — inferring that forces within deep state had withheld leaking info that might be viewed as a positive for the President.
The President’s attorney, Marc Kasowitz, laid into the former FBI director today — highlighting the fact that Comey had leaked to his friends and the media both privileged and classified information to the media. More to that point, Comey had stated that he leaked the info AFTER Trump made a tweet regarding having tapes of their conversation. However, and as Kasowitz points out, the NY Times ran a story, based upon the contents of these leaks, the day before Trump tweeted, which means Comey had lied under oath.
The President also never told Mr. Comey, “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty” in form or substance. Of course, the Office of the President is entitled to expect loyalty from those who are serving in an administration, and, from before this President took office to this day, 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. Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers.
Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the President. The leaks of this privileged information began no later than March 2017 when friends of Mr. Comey have stated he disclosed to them the conversations he had with the President during their January 27, 2017 dinner and February 14, 2017 White House meeting. Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he leaked to friends his purported memos of these privileged conversations, one of which he testified was classified. He also testified that immediately after he was terminated he authorized his friends to leak the contents of these memos to the press in order to “prompt the appointment of a special counsel.” Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that the New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey’s excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to entirely retaliatory. We will leave it the appropriate authorities to determine whether this leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.
In sum, it is now established that the President was not being investigated for colluding with the Russians or attempting to obstruct that investigation. As the Committee pointed out today, these important facts for the country to know are virtually the only facts that have not leaked during the long course of these events.
Here is his full statement.