Fox News anchor Bret Baier said former FBI Director James Comey “set up” ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn to be removed from the Trump administration.
Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer asked Baier on Thursday about unearthed notes between top FBI agents that reveal plans to interview Flynn with the intent to have him either prosecuted or fired from his position at the White House, which Baier said could be characterized as a “setup.”
Baier quoted Jonathan Turley, a criminal defense lawyer and law professor, who said, “I’ve been a criminal defense attorney for decades. I’ve seen abusive tactics. However, this one is one of the most thuggish records I have seen. Most concerning is they were trying to create a crime, not investigating a crime.”
Hemmer and Baier then played a sound bite from December 2018, where MSNBC host Nicole Wallace spoke with Comey about the process by which he sent FBI agents to interrogate Flynn in the White House.
“It’s something I probably wouldn’t have done or maybe gotten away with in a more organized administration,” Comey admitted. “If the FBI wanted to send agents into the White House itself to interview a senior official, you would work through the White House counsel, and there would be discussions and approvals, and who would be there. And I thought it’s early enough, let’s just send a couple guys over.”
Baier said Comey’s comments, upon reflection, can be “characterized as a setup,” adding, “Some analysts are saying this is what happens, but it’s not really what happens in the big scheme of things if you look at what happened to Michael Flynn and all the coverage after that moment and all he’s dealt with since.”
