Former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday sought to defend the bureau’s 2016 investigation into Russian election interference as Senate Republicans alleged an anti-Trump …
Former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday sought to defend the bureau’s 2016 investigation into Russian election interference as Senate Republicans alleged an anti-Trump bias by top bureau officials. Comey testified before the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee, which is examining the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential race and ties between the Kremlin and Trump. While Comey indicated he would’ve made some decisions differently had he known about the faults in applications for wiretaps on then-Trump campaign aide Carter Page, he defended the investigation as a whole. “I would say in the main it was done by the book, it was appropriate and it was essential that it be done… There are parts of it that are concerning… but overall I’m proud of the work,” Comey said. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is months into an investigation that touches broadly on “Crossfire Hurricane,” the name for the FBI’s investigation; the subsequent probe led by former special counsel Robert Mueller; and warrant applications under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). When asked by Graham whether it was “fair to say” the FBI investigation was “not done by the book,” Comey replied: “No, I don’t think that is fair to say.” His response did little to sway Republicans, who spent the hours-long hearing quizzing him on the investigation and venting about the handling of warrant applications. “God help us all if this was done by the book,” Graham said. “It was such an egregious violation of fairness, altering exculpatory information, failing to tell the court the unreliability of information… If this is by the book, we need to rewrite the book and I promise you we will.” Republicans were frustrated after Comey either declined to weigh in or said he could not recall in response to several of their questions about the warrant applications tied to Page, questions that come four years after the inquiry was launched.
