Whether our reader are Democratic or Republican, or somewhere in between, the hearing of former FBI Director, James Comey was incredibly compelling and informative. There has not been an FBI Director laid off by a President, since the Clinton era, where Director Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993. However, this hearing has been all over the mainstream media in the last month, with everyone wanting to hear the truth behind the conversations and the firing of James Comey. There was so much hype, even the bars in Washington DC opened early so the local political fans could watch the hearing, beer in hand.
But what came of the hearing? A lot of questions were answered, and a ton of answers remained unanswered, usually because Comey believed answering them would counter the efforts of National Security organizations. But here are some questions and answers that the public should take away. Comey was asked if he had documented any conversations with the President, and Comey replied, “I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting so I felt the need to document it.” He had never before documented any conversation between himself and President Obama and Bush before this time.
Other responses to his testimony included the details of his firing. The Trump administration had stated that Comey was fired because of the Clinton email investigation. But there was currently a started investigation on Trump and his connection to Russia. “That didn’t make sense to me for a whole bunch of reasons,” Comey said, as well as “Those were lies, plain and simple.” He believes he was fired based on the words President Trump said to an NBC Reporter, there were “made up stories” of the ties between Russia and his campaign. So Comey responded with, “I take the President at his word that I was fired because of the Russia Investigation.”
The fact that Comey was worried that Trump wouldn’t tell the truth, and that Trump believed he would come out as more truthful than Comey, and encouraged Comey to “release the tapes,” is what led Comey to testify in the first place. He knew that Trump was lying, and he now hopes that these tapes and memos documenting the former FBI Director and the President will be released to the public.
Comey has since told his colleagues in the Justice Department that they need to be careful, especially concerning the Russia connection and National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn. There will be more of a response from the White House and Trump in the next couple of days, but as of now, the only small response is Trump’s tweet, “Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” We will see the impact the Comey hearing has on his Presidency, moving forward.
So, as a lawyer, one piece advice for everyone, is to tell the truth! The truth will usually come true, and especially in the court of law, could come back and bite you! If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, like the former FBI Director, then please feel free to give me a call at the Law Offices of Nick Del Pizzo.