ABC News Political Director Rick Klein responds to how Comey revealed that he leaked notes of his conversations with President Trump.
Rick Klein richest turning to get reaction now from Capitol Hill some of those senators coming out of the hearing and talking to reporters I just when I read you a couple of things were getting from our colleagues. Senator Marco Rubio who actually was a pretty fierce defender of the president during that hearing just told one of our colleagues that for him. The most explosive moment in the hearing with the mr. Komi revealed he intentionally leaked his memo to try to force. A special counsel if that is the most explosive moment. For senator does that show there’s going to be bipartisan support to work forward on a Russian investigation. But the best unified explosives that blew me away to be on I’ll I’ve never heard anything like that he just said directly without even really much prompting. That he decided to leak. This memo that he had prepared in directly. We in an effort to get a special counseling that he said that a nonchalant way and an 88 into the delivery may have. Covered up what a big headline that is the that’s unprecedented in my mind’s eye can see frankly what’s and the revealed. Would think that but in terms of the most lasting. And of the revelations of the discussion today. I don’t even know that’s in the top five I mean it doesn’t get to the issues involving the president. Keep in mind here we’re gonna put it now the president up against James only you can choose one’s work is coming doesn’t have a job. President United States does so in terms of how big revelations are focusing on Colby will be tempted many Republicans try to distract and try to undercut and try to raise serious questions about its conduct as he saw the hearing. But this question still comes down to the sitting president of the United States not the now former FBI director. Although Rick I will say it is worth revisiting that moment because he was so laid back in his delivery at a lot of us were looking at each other likely that he just say what I think he’s. But we have that sound for anyone him at that lets just take a listen to it now. I asked. President tweeted on Friday after I got fired at a better hope there’s not tapes. I woke up in the middle of the night a Monday night because it didn’t dawn on me originally that there might be corroboration. For our conversation that might be a tape. In my judgment was I need to get that out into the public square and so I asked a friend of mine. To share the contents of the memo with a reporter into a myself for a variety of reasons by asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. It’s like asked a close friend of mine to do it. And Rick a Brit the obvious question is who has close friend and Twitter has responded we think we’ve got the name. Of this corporate as a who’s now going to be hounded by reporters circulating. Which leads me to my next question which at that they are going to be other people who need to be questioned moving board mr. Komi. Actually hinted at some of them himself when he talked about those senior colleagues with whom he shared his contemporaneous notes. After his meetings with mr. count. God god they’ll be ascent the VP his supervisor that aren’t just me but we’re still wearing most of whom were still there going to be asked I would presume to corroborate or its utter question. Their recollection of the events and one on one conversation that’s one of the things that’s fascinating that’s what meet the president’s threat of what book tapes so poignant. Is it seemed the president of states was in this I have evidence and put it up against your evidence call me appears for an out of called law and by leaking that his own private memo he gets his storyline out there yet that narrative out there we still don’t know for the White House whether there aren’t notes and or taping. That I think that’s going to be irrelevant questioning your right who would who was talking about. Real time to. What kind of alarm bells that it is it rank. I do think it’s relevant ideas column he’s a guy that stood on principle of the bush years. And offered to resign over the continuation of a program that he. He thought was illegal senators are asking today why didn’t he get to this point on this occasion. Was it seriously the case that what bush Justice Department officials are doing work was worse than what the president it’s was doing here why didn’t you. It’s no more people why didn’t you offer to resign Whitey news raise alarms at the time. If you felt like you’re being influenced those laws are legitimate questions regarding his motives I don’t know that those are things that you only able to answer correctly. They’re on argument. Exit to Rick’s point I think he was he was being honest he was trying to figure it out he was stunned that the president of the United States this person with so much. Responsibility. As a world leader would be saying these things and doing these things that he didn’t quite know what to do with it but he knew enough to write it down. So that they could revisit it and figure it out and sometimes that’s the answer. You know everything isn’t as cut and dry in the moment as people think it would be with hindsight and that’s where he would let. The thing that I thought was interesting in the testimony. Is calling me is setting so he could have corroborating witnesses he said I’ve told the professor who this person told that person. So for all of that he said he said. I’m telling you what I did and you could go back the exit of the receipts you could cope back and check with every single one of these people and they’ll tell you the same thing where the president’s receipt.
