Former FBI Director James Comey took a subtle swipe at Republican leaders in Congress who “stood idly by” or “silent” while President Trump attacks the credibility of the FBI and Justice Department.
The dig comes in a brief passage from Comey’s upcoming book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” published by the Washington Post on Thursday.
“It is also wrong to stand idly by, or worse, to stay silent when you know better, while a president brazenly seeks to undermine public confidence in law enforcement institutions that were established to keep our leaders in check,” Comey wrote.
Trump and his 2016 campaign are under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller for possible collusion with the Russians.
Since the inquiry began, Trump fired Comey as FBI director — that was in May 2017 — has repeatedly called the probe a “witch hunt,” and has even come close to firing Mueller. More recently, Trump alarmed Democrats and Republicans alike when it was reported he was on the verge of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mueller’s probe. This prompted the Senate Judiciary Committee to move on a bill that would protect Mueller from being fired.
Speaking to the prospect of some sort of legislative effort to shield Mueller being rejected by Republicans in the House, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on Thursday challenged the GOP to “develop a spine” and stand up to Trump.
“The question is, will the Republicans in the House finally develop a spine and stand up to a president and be willing to defend the liberties of the American people and defend the rule of law?” Nadler asked during an interview on CNN.
The DOJ and FBI have come under fire in recent months over allegations of wrongdoing and bias, ginning up malcontent among Trump’s right-wing base and some GOP lawmakers.
The Justice Department inspector general is looking into the DOJ and FBI over their actions, including the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s unauthorized private email server, which Comey oversaw.
At the center of the controversy of alleged bias at the Justice Department and the FBI was former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired late last month, less than 48 hours before he was set to retire with a full pension.
Responding to Trump, who celebrated McCabe’s ouster as a “great day for democracy,” Comey issued a stern warning last month: “Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.”
