Trey Gowdy lashed out at former national security adviser Susan Rice over an email she sent stressing the commitment of Obama administration members to conducting an investigation into retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn “by the book.”
The former lawmaker and federal prosecutor told Fox News host Ed Henry on Wednesday that the monitoring of Trump campaign staff, possibly including President Trump’s children, went “pretty deep” and that people would be “shocked” to learn about the alleged abuse carried out by Obama-era officials.
“Devin Nunes started this in 2017, and he was scoffed at by the D.C. media and our Democratic colleagues,” Gowdy said. “These surveillance programs are not directed towards Americans. Americans are kind of collateral consequences … which is why we treat their names with privacy, with security, and why unmasking [is] such a big deal. I think your viewers are going to be shocked at the level and the identity of who was unmasked and who was looked at during this transition period.”
The former South Carolina congressman referenced an email sent by Rice on the last day of the Obama administration, which was fully declassified on Tuesday and is raising new questions about Trump’s transition process into the White House.
“It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve read,” Gowdy said. “It is: ‘Dear diary, President Obama is perfect, and Jim Comey says he’s done everything by the book.’ Well, I’d like to know what book he’s following.”
Rice’s reference to FBI Director James Comey in the email has fanned the flames of those who believe members of the FBI conducted an unfair investigation into Flynn after agents uncovered “no derogatory information” within his communications with former Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.
“Director Comey affirmed that he is processing ‘by the book’ as it relates to law enforcement. From a national security perspective, Comey said he does have some concerns that incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian ambassador Kislyak. Comey said that could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information,” Rice wrote in the email.
“President Obama asked if Comey was saying that the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn. Comey replied ‘potentially.’ He added that he has no indication that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that ‘the level of communication is unusual,'” she added.
Gowdy slammed the FBI for its failure to identify who leaked details from Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak to the press, which is a criminal felony that carries a 10-year prison sentence.
“My question for the FBI is: I know the lengths to which you went to interview Michael Flynn. That’s well documented,” he said. “How is your leak investigation going? It’s been almost four years. How’s your leak investigation? We know Flynn was the victim of a crime.”
