James Comey Is Exhibit A In A Case For An Independent Prosecutor

James Comey as FBI director inserted himself and his agency into the presidential election at the last minute, very likely throwing the election to Donald Trump, the candidate of his party.  One of the things that was revealed during the uproar over that was that his home in Connecticut had a Trump sign on its lawn.   He had broken Department of Justice rules several times last year commenting on an investigation and, when it was concluded that there was nothing the investigation turned up would warrant bringing a prosecution.  The policy is to not comment on such unproductive investigations.

Now we find out from Congressman Adam Schiff, one of the senior members of the House and Senate who comprise the "Gang of Eight" who are supposed to receive timely and confidential notice from, among others, the FBI of serious issues involving national security, has said that James Comey has been refusing to answer questions from them, not claiming any kind of executive privilege for information, not really giving any reason.

One of the bigger problems with Comey not informing the Gang of Eight and other members of Congress on those issues could be that the disgraced Trump Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has already been trying to suppress an investigation in which he is, obviously, one of those who must be a focus of that investigation.   That would be a complete and total violation of just about every pertinent rule to prevent that happening and would be all the reason any honest person could have to call for his immediate firing or demanding his resignation.   If that's the case it's obvious his mere and rather fuzzy recuseal statement won't suffice.

If there is a serious matter of national security,  Vladimir Putin and his regime coordinating with the Trump campaign to throw our election to a man who is his puppet is about as serious as it can get.

But, given his recent behavior, it's entirely possible that either James Comey and,or parts of his FBI are more than possibly involved in a cover up of their own behavior in trying to throw the election to Donald Trump.   For exactly the same reasons Sessions should never have had any possible influence on the investigation into that national security disaster, James Comey and the FBI under his directorship cannot be trusted to do an investigation that might target themselves.

There is no reason for anyone to believe any investigation of this which isn't conducted by an independent investigator with full powers to subpoena witnesses and to require them to respond to questions and provide evidence.   Some have talked about doing it with a bi-partisan panel appointed by the Congressional leadership of both parties.  I am not optimistic about the history of such panels. During an interview with Rachel Maddow, last night, Congressman Schiff pointed out that while the FBI or other law enforcement agencies' natural inclination is to try to develop a criminal case that could be prosecuted, the higher priority is the national security of the United States.   That's true, but the trouble with Comey is that he has a clear history in this very matter which has favored the Republican Party he belongs to.   There is not only no reason to trust him, he has given honest people every reason to distrust him.  If he reveals that, in fact, the reason he has not cooperated with the Gang of Eight and informed the Senate they were about to confirm, AS HIS BOSS, a man who was under investigation for a serious breach of national security, was interference by Sessions and the Trump regime, he might possibly repair some of his squandered reputation.  Though holding your breath for that is probably dangerous to your health.  If he does not, it should be assumed that this is his choice and he should, rightly, be considered to be part of a Nixonian cover up and should be under investigation, himself.

See Also:  In the various thing I found out about James Comey, who had traded in the kind of "integrity" that will be promoted by the Washington DC insider class was the evidence that he's quite apt to bend reality to suit his own warped moral code.  James Comey The Man Who Tried To Turn Jerry Falwell Into Reinhold Niebuhr?  If Barack Obama, who certainly knows Niebuhr knew about that, his appointment of Comey was even worse than being what he admitted, the worst appointment he made as president, it was incredibly stupid.  I said this in November:

Looking at that decision in the most cynical manner, Comey is still in the job in January it is tempting to imagine him becoming a thorn in the side of a possible President Trump, but only if the pattern of using the FBI on his behalf and the behalf of the Republican Party is stopped.  That would largely hinge on whether Comey's behavior is based in the self-righteousness his friends claim or in the clear partisanship where I believe his motivation and those of many of his subordinates lie.  Another consideration is who would replace him.  I cannot imagine Donald Trump - especially with a Republican Senate - would appoint someone less bad in his place.   

If, as I think is likely, now, that Comey is impeding an investigation of this on behalf of Trump and his Republican Party, replacing him isn't an option, it's a risk we must take.