Tag

#Comey

4 incidents

Updated February 25, 2020 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Firing James Comey: Obstruction of Justice and Attack on FBI Independence

Trump fired FBI Director Comey while Comey's bureau was investigating Trump campaign ties to Russia. Trump's own statements to Lester Holt and to Russian officials — that the firing relieved 'great pressure' from the Russia investigation — directly contradicted the White House's stated justifications. Mueller's report identified ten episodes of potential obstruction and declined to exonerate Trump; it explicitly left open the question of indictment.

Sources
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obstruction-of-justiceComeyFBIRussia-investigationrule-of-law
Updated May 11, 2017 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

James Comey Firing: Obstruction of the Russia Investigation

The Comey firing followed Trump's request to Comey for 'loyalty' and a request to drop the investigation of Michael Flynn. Comey had declined both. After the firing, Trump told NBC: 'When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.' In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak the next day, Trump reportedly said firing Comey had taken 'great pressure' off him. The Mueller report identified 10 instances of potential obstruction; regarding the Comey firing specifically, Mueller found 'substantial evidence' of corrupt intent but did not recommend charges based on DOJ policy.

Sources
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ComeyobstructionRussiaFBIfirst-term
Updated November 25, 2020 Rule of Law
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Michael Flynn: National Security Adviser Lied to FBI, Trump Pressured Comey, Flynn Pardoned

Flynn's conversations with Kislyak on December 29, 2016 — the day President Obama announced sanctions against Russia for election interference — were intercepted by U.S. intelligence. Flynn told Pence the conversations had not touched on sanctions; Pence publicly repeated that claim. After the Washington Post reported Flynn had indeed discussed sanctions, Flynn resigned. On January 27, 2017, Trump told Comey at a one-on-one dinner that he hoped Comey could let the Flynn investigation go. Comey did not drop it. Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017. Flynn pleaded guilty December 1, 2017. His cooperation with Mueller provided significant intelligence about the transition period. Trump pardoned Flynn in November 2020, after Flynn had withdrawn his guilty plea.

Sources
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FlynnComeyfirst-termrule-of-lawMueller
Updated June 14, 2019 Rule of Law
Significant Democratic Concern

White House Press Briefings: Documented Lies to Press and Public Under Oath Admission

Sanders told reporters in May 2017 that the reason Trump fired Comey was that FBI rank-and-file agents had lost confidence in him — a claim supported by the White House's stated justification for the firing. When Mueller's investigators interviewed Sanders, she acknowledged that statement had not been based on anything, that she had made it up in the moment, and that it was a 'slip of the tongue.' The Mueller Report quoted her directly: the claim was not based on 'any of the things you heard.' Other documented false claims from the briefing room included statements about the Trump Tower meeting, Trump's involvement in drafting a misleading statement about the meeting, and numerous false claims about immigration, trade, and policy matters that fact-checkers documented.

Sources
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SandersSpicerpress-briefingfirst-termrule-of-law