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Comey rejects request for closed-door interview with House Republicans
The Hill ^ | 10/01/18 | MORGAN CHALFANT

Posted on 10/01/2018 11:58:54 AM PDT by yesthatjallen

Former FBI Director James Comey has rejected a request from Republicans in Congress to sit for a closed-door interview as part of their efforts to probe allegations of bias at the Justice Department and the FBI.

Comey instead offered to testify publicly, according to a letter sent by his attorney to leaders of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees on Monday.

“Mr. Comey respectfully declines your request for a private interview,” David Kelley, Comey’s attorney, wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Hill. “He would, however, welcome the opportunity to testify at a public hearing.”

Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), the committee leaders, had requested that Comey appear for a transcribed, closed-door interview in a letter sent in September, according to Kelley’s letter.

Republicans on both committees have accused the FBI of exhibiting bias in the early stages of the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference. They have pointed to text messages critical of President Trump that were exchanged by officials before the 2016 election and later unearthed by a Justice Department inspector general investigation.

The committees have launched a probe into allegations of bias, interviewing witnesses from the FBI and Justice Department behind closed doors. Critics view the moves as a Republican effort to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017, a decision that was first predicated on a Justice Department memo critical of Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation. Later, the president indicated that the Russia investigation -- the existence of which Comey revealed publicly months earlier – factored into his decision.

Comey’s firing precipitated Mueller’s appointment. In addition to investigation potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow, Mueller is also investigating whether the president obstructed justice.

Comey has appeared publicly before lawmakers once before as a former director of the FBI. In dramatic June 2017 testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey revealed that Trump told him to "let go" of the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has since pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in Mueller's probe.

Still, the former FBI director has hardly been out of the spotlight, having embarked on a highly-publicized tour for his book "A Higher Loyalty" over the summer months.

“Given that Mr. Comey no longer has a security clearance, we do not anticipate the public setting to present concerns about the disclosure of classified information,” Kelley wrote to the Republican leaders.

“Moreover, we also expect that, because any information about which you may inquire was acquired by Mr. Comey while he was in the employ of the FBI, you will obtain in advance the necessary approvals from the FBI for Mr. Comey to disclose FBI information that may be responsive to your examination,” he wrote.

Kelley asked the committees to contact him "as soon as possible" to schedule a hearing date, citing Comey's busy schedule.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: South Carolina; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: 115th; bobgoodlatte; comey; gop; jamescomey; lisapage; peterstrzok; robertmueller; southcarolina; treygowdy; trump; virginia
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1 posted on 10/01/2018 11:58:54 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
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To: yesthatjallen

Where are all the people on the left who were saying ‘You only fear an investigation if you have something to hide’?


2 posted on 10/01/2018 12:00:48 PM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: yesthatjallen

“Mr. Comey respectfully declines your request for a private interview,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t a request, moron.


3 posted on 10/01/2018 12:01:44 PM PDT by shelterguy
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To: neverevergiveup

The only interview Comey should be doing is under oath before a Grand Jury.


4 posted on 10/01/2018 12:02:38 PM PDT by Col Frank Slade
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To: yesthatjallen
A diva can't be expected to perform without an audience.


5 posted on 10/01/2018 12:03:06 PM PDT by dead
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To: yesthatjallen

He will get his chance to testify in public.

AT HIS TRIAL!...................


6 posted on 10/01/2018 12:04:17 PM PDT by Red Badger (Q............PREPARE FOR 'SKY IS FALLING' WEEK...........................)
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To: yesthatjallen
“Given that Mr. Comey no longer has a security clearance,...

I missed when his security pulled...good job whoever did it.
7 posted on 10/01/2018 12:05:53 PM PDT by stylin19a ( Best.Election.Of.All.Times.Ever.In.The.History.Of.Ever)
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To: yesthatjallen

Comey and Flake should hook up. They are two pieces of nasty work.


8 posted on 10/01/2018 12:05:57 PM PDT by madison10 (Pray for President Trump, Judge Kavanaugh and their families)
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To: yesthatjallen

Don’t give this fool a public stage.


9 posted on 10/01/2018 12:07:05 PM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (HTTP 500 - Internal Server Error)
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To: yesthatjallen

“Mr. Comey respectfully declines your request for a private interview,”

Because he couldn’t avoid answering questions?

“He would, however, welcome the opportunity to testify at a public hearing”

Because he is an attention hoor?


10 posted on 10/01/2018 12:07:10 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: yesthatjallen

Difficult to schedule an interview “citing Comey’s busy schedule”.

I bet that schedule would calm down considerably if Mr. Comey was in a cell at GITMO.


11 posted on 10/01/2018 12:08:44 PM PDT by spiderpig (does whatever a SpiderPig does)
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To: yesthatjallen

Comey doesn’t decide how the interview will e conducted. Subpoena his ass now.


12 posted on 10/01/2018 12:09:19 PM PDT by kabar
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To: yesthatjallen

He wants another chance to bash Trump on live TV.


13 posted on 10/01/2018 12:09:35 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: yesthatjallen

Do both and get him on perjury.

“It’s a TRAP!”


14 posted on 10/01/2018 12:09:38 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: madison10

Looks like Flake has taken a couple of left hooks to that honker of his.


15 posted on 10/01/2018 12:11:26 PM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear
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To: stylin19a

Me, too - wonder who else got pulled?


16 posted on 10/01/2018 12:11:39 PM PDT by txhurl (whoa)
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To: yesthatjallen

sorry, but witnesses don’t get to dictate how they may be questioned.
if Congress is not satisfied, it can just subpeona him and he’s gonna have to testify however they wish (public or private)

most witnesses would much prefer Private, anyone who doesn’t is probably a SorozNazi mole trying to grandstand for the SorozNazi mass media


17 posted on 10/01/2018 12:12:13 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." -Marcus Tillius Cicero (3 BCE))
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To: yesthatjallen

I think we should waterboard him. Either in public or private. Doesn’t matter to me.


18 posted on 10/01/2018 12:13:08 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (The MSM is in the business of creating a fake version of reality for political reasons.)
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To: Paladin2

They already have him on perjury. Don’t you remember his testimony, ‘We don’t leak, we don’t comment of false stories we just don’t do that.’


19 posted on 10/01/2018 12:13:16 PM PDT by VRWCarea51 (The Original 1998 Version)
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To: yesthatjallen
It's an investigation. The FBI says nothing in public for an ongoing investigation.

Comey is such an a**.

20 posted on 10/01/2018 12:14:31 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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