Former FBI Director Admitted He Was the Source Of At Least One Leak To the Press (theoutline.com)

Shortly after his dismissal as head of the FBI, James Comey authorized "a close friend" to leak the contents of his memos to the press in order to prompt a special counsel investigation, he said today. From a report: Former FBI Director James Comey testified that he asked a friend, a law professor at Columbia University, to leak details of his dinner with the President to The New York Times, including the claim that the President asked Comey to drop the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's contacts with Russian officials. Comey kept meticulous memos of all of his interactions with Trump, and he gave that memo to a friend to pass it along to the Times in order to spark a special investigation. "You considered this not a document of the government, but your own personal document that you could share with the media as you want to?" Senator Roy Blunt asked Comey. "Correct," Comey replied. "I understood this to be my recollection recorded of my conversation with the President. As a private citizen, I felt free to share that. I thought it very important to get it out." Edward Snowden tweeted, "It seems the [former] FBI Director agrees: sometimes the only moral decision is to break the rules."

Comments

How was this not already common knowledge?

[JoeyRox]

Who else could leak a private memo written by Comey except Comey himself?

Re:How was this not already common knowledge?

[Anonymous Coward]

In his written statement (posted several places) he makes it clear that he distributed said memos and discussed them with FBI leadership. So I'm not sure that 'private' is the correct term or that he wrote them as a private citizen outside of his role as FBI director.

Re:How was this not already common knowledge?

[Rei]

Also made clear was the fact that the memos weren't classified, and they were deliberately written to not contain information that was classified, so that they specifically could be made public if the FBI needed to defend itself against charges of what Comey perceived to be a White House attempt to influence an investigation.

Comparing this to the leaking of classified information is silly and bordering on clickbait. And what the heck is this crappy site that Slashdot is linking to as its article source?

Re:How was this not already common knowledge?

[clong83]

A thousand times this. Mod parent up.

"Leaking" the contents of an unclassified memo that you wrote is no different that simply calling the press and saying "Hey, I had a private conversation with Trump about xyz". It just carries a bit more weight when it is written up and dated appropriately. If you aren't divulging classified info, then there is absolutely nothing illegal about publishing it. Unlike what Snowden did....

Re:How was this not already common knowledge?

[avandesande]

The problem is that it undermines his assertion that he was doing things 'by the book' and a non-political person. It is the same kind of thing that he did with his Clinton investigation announcements.

Re:How was this not already common knowledge?

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing he did wrong in the case of the Clinton investigation announcements (as they had been announced previously, he wasn't breaking ground) was the timing of the 2nd to last one. Announcing the investigation continued regarding new emails was not in and of itself a big mistake. The timing was the big mistake.

Comey is as apolitical as I can think possible given the politics of the job. He made a jumbo mistake in thinking his announcement wouldn't be seized on. However the rest of his career is pretty stainless, he is liked and trusted by both sides' true professionals. Unless you can think of something he did previously that was partisan somehow, I think you're slandering him by saying he's overtly political. I call bullshit.

Bull

[BradleyUffner]

No rules were broken. The documents were completely unclassified, and he was fully within his rights to release them. The only mistake is calling it a "leak".

Re:Bull

[Rick Schumann]

Mod parent up. I don't believe he broke any laws, either. Furthermore, I think he did what he did knowing damned well that he'd probably get canned regardless, but thought that the truth of things getting out into the light was more important than his own personal welfare, which is admirable.

It is pretty shocking and telling of our times

[Lucas123]

The director of the FBI leaks his own memos in order to spur an investigation outside his agency.

Re: There is a difference

[Lisandro]

Bullshit. Comey was very careful in explaining that even when Trump didn't explicitly order the investigation to be dropped, he felt it as an implicit directive. "Let the Flynn matter go", "get rid off" or "lift this cloud" (sic) are all very clear statements, specially coming from the goddamn POTUS.

I'm pretty shocked that people trying to spin this scandal as Comey confirming Trump was under no personal investigation. A former FBI director just declared that a President asked him to drop an active investigation into one of his staff members. How is the US congress not starting impeachment procedures already?

Re:What?!

[MightyMartian]

Comey's testimony savages both sides, but ultimately, Clinton lost, so it scarcely matters now, save as a means by which Trump supporters hope to deflect any criticisms of the President.

Re:What?!

[swillden]

You mean the part where he confirmed that the Obama DOJ(Lynch) directly interfered with the investigation into Hillary? Yep, much lying, much obstructing.

"Call it a 'matter', not an investigation", hardly rises to the level of obstruction. I'm not saying it was right -- I don't think the White House should try to spin FBI investigations -- but if you equate that to ordering (however phrased) that an investigation be halted, you have no interest in truth or accuracy. Lynch never asked that the Clinton investigation be shut down, just that Comey use a different name for it. That's not remotely similar to what Trump did.

Re:Comey admits its all fake!

[MightyMartian]

I think his statements today go some way towards explaining his treatment of the DNC leak, and a lot of it has to do with Lynch and Bill Clinton meeting on the tarmac.

I think Comey is just one unlucky fucking bastard, who got stuck being director of the FBI during an election year when both candidates were pretty damned dubious individuals and the Russians were trying to fuck things over.

Re:Is Comey going to jail?

[tbannist]

The real question is "Is Comey going to jail for violating the Official Secrets Act" The rest is a sideshow. Flynn spoke to the Russian Ambassador? Big deal. Its the NSA chiefs jobs to talk to foreign leaders and representatives and normal during the transition. He lied to Pence about it? Big deal . The VP is NOT the President and not Flynn's boss and he was not under oath. However Comey leaking a conversation with the President which took place in the White House? Definitely jail time if not a treason charge with a possible death penalty.

I am somewhat concerned that you might actually believe the horse shit that you're writing. If that's the case you either need to start taking your medications, or stop self-medicating.