BREAKING: Trump Says DOJ Told Comey Not To Answer House Questions During Hillary Email Inquiry

Jeff Rainforth Jeff Rainforth, Politics

This is major if President Trump is right. Trump just sent a message via Twitter stating:

“It is being reported that Leakin’ James Comey was told by Department of Justice attorneys not to answer the most important questions. Total bias and corruption at the highest levels of previous Administration. Force him to answer the questions under oath!”

Politico just reported of the House inquiry.

“Republicans spent much of Friday trying to wring new information from former FBI Director James Comey during an all-day deposition — but identified little new ground after six hours of free-wheeling inquiries.

GOP members peppered Comey with queries about the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation, the bureau’s surveillance of a Trump campaign aide and allegations of anti-Trump bias among senior officials.

But emerging from the meeting, lawmakers were tight-lipped about what answers, if any, they got. Some, like Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), came out frustrated, claiming efforts to pry loose new information were sidelined by a lawyer who intervened to block Comey’s answers on matters “at the core” of their inquiry.

Democrats disputed this characterization, describing a free-flowing interview with few obstacles. They claimed the session yielded little unknown info and lots of repetitive questioning. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said one of the only areas of new ground came in response to his questions about allegations of leaking by agents in the FBI’s Southern District of New York office, which some Democrats accuse of tipping off Trump allies to inner workings of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Comey may return to Capitol Hill either Tuesday or Wednesday to answer even more questions.

The scene was a far cry from the last time Comey faced lawmakers, when the recently fired director came to Capitol Hill to tell a sordid tale about President Donald Trump haranguing him to “lift the cloud” of the bureau’s deepening Russia investigation.

Since that June 2017 hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey has memorialized his tale in a book eviscerating Trump, traveled the country condemning Trump’s character and taken Twitter potshots at the president. Trump has responded in kind, lambasting Comey 80 times on Twitter and calling for his jailing.

Comey’s return to Capitol Hill Friday was his first in 18 months, and this time he faced some of Trump’s closest allies out of the camera’s glare. Despite Comey’s pleas for a public hearing, House lawmakers required the ousted FBI chief to appear behind closed doors, ensuring the first version of events will be told through the lens of self-interested participants as they exit. A transcript of his testimony — which was before the House oversight and judiciary committees — is expected to be released sometime on Saturday.

On his way to the hearing, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), a top Trump ally, brandished a thick packet that he said included 14 pages of questions for Comey. Another close Trump supporter involved in the deposition, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), said he had a notebook full of questions for Comey.

But later, Issa came out complaining about the DOJ and FBI attorneys. He said the agencies will have to provide more detailed rationales for their intervention and arrange to have Comey return to provide more detailed answers.

Democrats exiting the meeting strongly disputed the characterization that Comey was unable to answer lawmakers’ questions.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), a member of the Oversight Committee, said FBI attorneys intervened just a handful of times and that Comey was generally forthcoming. He called the interview a “waste of time” and said Republicans focused their questions on perceived anti-Trump bias by a handful of officials involved in the probes of Trump and Clinton.

Lawmakers wrapped up their interview shortly after 4 p.m., shortly before two deadlines for Mueller to release potentially headline-grabbing court documents. By the end of the day, the special counsel will file two memos detailing cooperation between Mueller and Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

House Republicans are eager to try and nail down Comey on several issues before they cede their majority to the Democrats after the new year.

Republican leaders on the oversight and judiciary committees, which have been conducting a joint probe into possible FBI malfeasance, have questioned Comey’s honesty about his interactions with Trump and his decision to not recommend criminal charges against Clinton for her handling of classified information. They also are trying to press Comey on a court-approved surveillance warrant for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.”

Here’s the Tweet President Trump just posted.

Prior to that Trump tweeted:

“Robert Mueller and Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest. And bye the way, wasn’t the woman in charge of prosecuting Jerome Corsi (who I do not know) in charge of “legal” at the corrupt Clinton Foundation? A total Witch Hunt…”

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