Expect to see a very strong case of selective amnesia today coming from Democrats in regards to James Comey.
Senator Warner’s pre-released opening statement is a great example of this. Warner is expected to state, “You have been a straight shooter with this Committee and have been willing to speak truth to power…”
Does Warner not remember just a month ago when Comey grossly misstated key facts about the Clinton email investigation that the FBI was forced to later clarify? These misstatements “severely damaged” his reputation.
Senator Warner also is expected to say in his opening statement that DNI Coats and NSA Director Rogers did not deny reports that they felt pressure to intervene in the Russia investigation. However, they both said that they never felt pressured … yesterday.
See below for more details…
Comey’s Gross Inaccuracies During His Congressional Testimony “Severely Damaged” His Nonpartisan Reputation And Didn’t “Help Him On The Competence Front”
Then-FBI Director Comey Told Congress That A Top Aide To Clinton Had “Sent Hundreds Of Thousands Of Emails To Her Husband’s Laptop,” Which Included Classified Information. “The FBI on Tuesday corrected the sworn testimony of Director James Comey, who last week told Congress that a top aide to Hillary Clinton had sent ‘hundreds and thousands’ of emails to her husband's laptop, including some with classified information.” (Eric Tucker, “FBI Correct Comey Testimony On Clinton Aide Huma Abedin,” The Associated Press, 05/10/17)
- In Fact, Only A “Small Number” Of Emails Were Sent To The Laptop. “In fact, the FBI said in a two-page letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, only ‘a small number’ of the thousands of emails found on the laptop had been forwarded there [to the laptop] while most had simply been backed up from electronic devices.” (Eric Tucker, “FBI Correct Comey Testimony On Clinton Aide Huma Abedin,” The Associated Press, 05/10/17)
- Of The Emails Sent To Her Husband, Anthony Weiner, “Only Two Email Chains Contained Classified Information.” “However, only a ‘small number’ of the emails were forwarded by Abedin, the letter said, even though she ‘commonly forwarded emails to others who would print documents for her.’ Of those forwarded to Weiner, only two email chains contained classified information.” (Jessica Estepa, “FBI: Director Comey’s Testimony On Clinton Aide Was Inaccurate,” USA Today, 05/09/17)
Comey’s Misstatements Were “Key To Comey’s Testimony, In That He Used Them To Defend His Decision To Disclose The New Clinton Emails” And Were Cited As “Proof Of The Seriousness Of The Email Discovery And The Need To Say Something.” “To be clear, these weren't just small details that emerged from Comey's testimony on Wednesday; they were the headline for many new outlets that covered Comey's visit to the Senate Judiciary Committee, including The Post. They were also key to Comey’s testimony, in that he used them to defend his decision to disclose the new Clinton emails just 11 days before Election Day. Facing questions from Democrats about why he did what he did, Comey cited these facts as proof of the seriousness of the email discovery and the need to say something.” (Aaron Blake, “James Comey Just Stepped In It, Big Time,” The Washington Post, 05/09/17)
Comey’s Reputation As Nonpartisan Was “Severely Damaged.” “Besides severely damaging Comey’s nonpartisan reputation, here’s why the number of emails of Weiner’s computer matters: It risks undercutting the FBI's entire reason for notifying Congress 11 days before the election that it had found new information regarding its criminal probe of Clinton.” (Amber Philips, “Why Does It Matter How Many Clinton Emails Were On Anthony Weiner's Computer?” The Washington Post, 05/09/17)
Getting Details “Of Such Import” Wrong During His Testimony “Doesn’t Help Him On The Competence Front.” “Getting details of such import wrong in his [Comey] much-watched testimony to Congress certainly doesn't help him on the competence front; indeed, it's difficult to see how he could get them so wrong.” (Aaron Blake, “James Comey Just Stepped In It, Big Time,” The Washington Post, 05/09/17)
Rogers and Coats Said Yesterday They Were Never Pressured To Act Inappropriately
Admiral Mike Rogers: Never Asked To Do Anything “Immoral, Unethical, Or Inappropriate”
ROGERS: "In the three plus years that I have been the director of the National Security Agency, to the best of my recollection, I have never been directed to do anything I believe to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate. And to the best of my recollection, during that same period of service, I do not recall ever feeling pressured to do so."
DNI Director Dan Coats: “I Have Never Been Pressured,” Nor Have I “Felt Pressure To Intervene”
COATS: "And then secondly, when I was asked yesterday to respond to a piece that I was told was going to be written and printed in the "The Washington Post" this morning, my response to that was in my time of service, which is interacting with the President of the United States or anybody in his administration. I have never been pressured, I've never felt pressure to intervene or interfere in any way with shaping intelligence in a political way or in relationship with the ongoing investigation."
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