The anticipated report on James Comey by the Justice Department inspector general delivered a blistering assessment of his handling of memos which violated agency policies.
But the former FBI Director seems to have read a different report than the one released Thursday, appearing to claim the report has basically cleared him.
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
And to all those who’ve spent two years talking about me “going to jail” or being a “liar and a leaker”—ask yourselves why you still trust people who gave you bad info for so long, including the president.
— James Comey (@Comey) August 29, 2019
The 83-page report did state that there was “no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information contained in any of the Memos to members of the media.”
However, Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Comey’s actions, “violated Department or FBI policy, or the terms of Comey’s FBI Employment Agreement. As described in this report, we conclude that Comey’s retention, handling, and dissemination of certain Memos violated Department and FBI policies, and his FBI Employment Agreement.”
“Former Director Comey failed to live up to this responsibility. By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example” https://t.co/Elaa2CUpK5
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 29, 2019
“…Comey had several other lawful options available to him to advocate for the appointment of a Special Counsel, which he told us was his goal in making the disclosure. What was not permitted was the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive investigative information…” https://t.co/Elaa2CUpK5
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 29, 2019
The ex-FBI chief fired off at his critics while proclaiming the report effectively exonerated him, sparking a torrent of reaction as many wondered if he was living in an alternate reality.
Holy shit: the arrogance and self-regard of @Comey is unparalleled. The Inspector General from his own Department just issued a scathing report accusing him of wrongdoing so severe that it "shocked" his own colleagues & he's demanding apologies instead of expressing contrition: https://t.co/skZkCzQZYf
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 29, 2019
“Comey violated FBI policies and the requirements of his FBI Employment
Agreement when he sent a copy of Memo 4 to Richman with instructions to provide the contents to a reporter, and when he transmitted copies of Memos 2, 4, 6, and a redacted version of 7 to his three attorneys”— Lawrence Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) August 29, 2019
James Comey vs. Reality pic.twitter.com/Ce5pqg4gjz
— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) August 29, 2019
? DOJ watchdog says Comey violated FBI policies https://t.co/w9rnbI2kYJ
— Marc Lotter (@marc_lotter) August 29, 2019
This shows #1 Comey and his partisan hacks believed the patently absurd allegations in the dossier
And #2 they were spying on the duly elected POTUS and trying to collect “evidence” to have him removed
They believed the HOAX they paid for from the DNC and Hillary! pic.twitter.com/2Ax1hUmH5K
— Elizabeth Harrington (@LizRNC) August 29, 2019
"The responsibility to protect sensitive law enforcement information falls in large part to the employees of the FBI…
Former Director Comey FAILED to live up to this responsibility." -Inspector General Report https://t.co/ea000xDdXv
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) August 29, 2019
According to the report:
Comey Memos by Danny Chaitin on Scribd
President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani thought Comey’s actions in lying to the FISA court should land him in prison. Fox News host Sean Hannity also suggested that the fired FBI Director was “sweating” it out ahead of the report’s release.
Comey’s reaction to the final report sparked a wave of comments on social media.
Based on what’s in this Comey IG report, the IG report on the origins of the Russia probe is going to be quite something. Wow.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) August 29, 2019
A curious request given the report’s bottom line was in fact this: “We conclude that Comey’s retention, handling, and dissemination of certain Memos violated Department and FBI policies, and his FBI Employment Agreement.” https://t.co/TOP5btZxNE
— Kimberley Strassel (@KimStrassel) August 29, 2019
Chaser: pic.twitter.com/9iPObJwkTX
— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) August 29, 2019
Although the I.G. report is a damning indictment against Comey and his abuse of power, for now, it looks as though he may escape prosecution:
Inspector General: Justice Department declined to prosecute Comey. For our part: 'We conclude that Comey’s retention, handling, and dissemination of certain Memos violated Department and FBI policies, and his FBI Employment Agreement.' https://t.co/CC4y3Srj8B
— Byron York (@ByronYork) August 29, 2019
Many Comey and ‘deep state’ critics believe that AG Barr may be saving prosecution for even bigger scandals, such as alleged FISA abuse:
https://twitter.com/mitchellvii/status/1167084126903635969
Stay tuned.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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