In a huge disappointment to the press and the Democrats, the Comey hearing essentially brought an end to the frenzy over Russia, impeachment, and the whole Trump imbroglio. Comey confirmed Trump is not a target, he said Trump said he “hoped” the FBI could go easy on Flynn, which is in no way obstruction and was never an order to end the investigation, there was no indication of any collusion and, overall, there is no potential charge against Trump. There were no charges or bombshells.
What was interesting was the revelation Comey probably violated the law by leaking his memo to the press, and it raises a big question what else he leaked. The memo was of an official meeting of the head of the FBI with the President in the oval office. That under the law is official business, so the memo is likely official government property according to rules already on the books. Comey decided there should be a special counsel. It is not up to the FBI Director to use surreptitious means to get a special counsel appointed. Then we have the whole Loretta Lynch pressure to adhere to more Hillary-friendly language of “matter” versus “investigation.” That is direct political interference with an investigation. What else did she do to impede or influence the Hillary investigation and decision not to prosecute her?
Bottom line, this all played in Trump's favor and left CNN, NBC, the NY Times and Washington Post being called out for publishing fake news based on sources who had no actual knowledge, according to Comey. Exactly what Trump and the Republicans have been saying. So now the press is left with no credibility, and the public being told by the head of the FBI, don't believe what the press says.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.