Conservative watchdog Judicial Watch has sued the Justice Department for all records relating to former FBI director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 8th, 2017.
Judicial Watch reports:
Judicial Watch sued after the Justice Department failed to respond to an August 14, 2017, FOIA request seeking:
All records of communications between the Department of Justice and former FBI Director James Comey prior to and regarding Comey’s testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on June 8, 2017.
Fox Newsreported: “A source close to James Comey tells Fox News the former FBI director’s Senate testimony has been ‘closely coordinated’ with Robert Mueller, whom the Justice Department appointed as special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation.”
On June 8, 2017, Comey gave testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, in which he admitted: “I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter [for The New York Times]. I didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
Comey told Congress, “I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter [for The New York Times]. I didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
Was the friend Mueller?
“It would be a scandal if Comey coordinated his Senate testimony with Mr. Mueller’s special counsel office,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.
“That we have had to sue in federal court speaks volumes.”
“It would be unheard of for a prosecutor to allow his star witness to testify before Congress without heavy coordination,” says Fox News’ legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano.
While Judge Napolitano makes an important point, heightened scrutiny over the alleged coordination would be prudent given Comey and Mueller’s long friendship.
