Trump lawyer: Prez feels ‘completely vindicated’ by Comey’s pre-testimony statement
By J.D. Heyes, editor-in-chief
(National Sentinel) Political nothing burger: Fired FBI Director James Comey released his pre-testimony statement on Wednesday that he will make before the Senate Intelligence Committee later this morning, and President Donald J. Trump couldn’t be happier.
His lawyer said the boss feels “completely and totally vindicated” by what Comey had to say – about private meetings with the president, about what was allegedly said during those meetings, and the fact that he will say Trump was never a target of FBI investigations into potential “collusion” with Russia to “steal” the election from Hillary Clinton.
“The president is pleased that Mr. Comey has finally publicly confirmed his private reports that the president was not under investigation in any Russian probe,” attorney Mark Kasowitz said in a statement. “The president feels completely and totally vindicated. He is eager to continue to move forward with his agenda.”
Mind you, the disgusting fake news establishment media is trying to spin this every which way it can to make it look as though the president has indeed done something wrong – something that rises to the level of, say, obstruction of justice. But while Comey may say he was “disconcerted” by Trump’s “pressuring” of him to back off on investigations into at least one member of his campaign/transition team, fired National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, experts from the Justice Department have said plainly that there is no there, there: None of that comes close to rising to a level of illegality.
And if it did, Comey had a duty to report that conduct to congressional committees and the Justice Department.
He didn’t. Instead, he wrote “memos.” And now it’s too late to claim any presidential improprieties.
Earlier, the acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, also testified that the bureau was under no pressure to end any investigations. And yesterday, all the head of U.S. intelligence told the same panel the same thing – at no time did any of them feel any pressure from the White House to drop investigations, change investigations, or prematurely end investigations.
Meanwhile, these nothing burgers did not stop Senate Democrats on the intelligence committee from engaging in political theatrics, accusing men of integrity and decades of flawless government service of trying to hide something.
There is still much to criticize about the president, namely, his seeming lack of understanding of the independent nature of the Judicial Branch, and how presidents can be perceived to be demanding something when they may not intend it that way. In this respect, it can certainly be said that Trump applied inappropriate pressure on the FBI director, though we don’t know to what extent because Comey hasn’t turned over his memos to Congress (and he should because they are government property under Open Records laws).
But did he break the law? It hardly appears so.
The Democrats are going to have a day (or three) in the sun, and because the hearing will be widely watched, they’re going to try their best to make it appear as though the country itself has been torn asunder by Trump’s boorish behavior.
It hasn’t; not even close – especially when you take into consideration all of the political motivations behind former President Obama’s unmasking and monitoring of Team Trump. That kind of all-powerful government surveillance is far more dangerous to the future of our republic than an oafish, amateurish approach by a brand new politician and president seeking to defend a loyal colleague and friend.
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