Comey: 'loud' Russia 'didn't care that we knew' about intervention
Comey said the Russian intervention was unusually loud:
They were unusually loud in their intervention. It’s almost as if they didn’t care that we knew.
Why so loud?
Comey: “I don’t know the answer for sure. Their number one mission is to undermine the credibility of the entire democracy enterprise. Of this nation. Their loudness in a way would be counting on us to amplify... and freaking people out.”
Rogers agrees. “We never saw information being published on such a massive scale.”
Trump spins conspiracy theory around Comey 'no comment'
The president of the United States tweets from his official account a snippet of testimony in which the director of the FBI declines to comment on classified briefings between himself and the past president.
The current president frames the testimony as a dodge by Comey, saying that the director “refuses to deny” he briefed Obama.
Perfectly equally, of course, Comey here “refuses to confirm.”
But that’s now how Trump wishes to spin the moment. The tweet suggests that Comey here is engaging in implicit confirmation. Trump is encouraging conspiracy-minded speculation about Comey and Obama. The kind of speculation that would discredit the integrity of the FBI, Congress and the presidency and of these proceedings. But serve Trump’s private purposes.
FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia. pic.twitter.com/cUZ5KgBSYP
Republican's leak accusation focuses on Brennan, Clapper and Comey
Comey tells King that yes, leaking activity lately has seemed prevalent.
“I do think in the last six weeks, couple of months, there’s been apparently a lot of conversation about classified matters that’s been ending up in the media. A lot of it is dead wrong.”
He calls the leaking scene “unusually active.”
King says it must have been an FBI person who leaked to the New York Times that Flynn was meeting with Kislyak.
King turns to the purported dossier on Trump – the one drawn up by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. How did that get out?
Comey: It is an enormous problem whenever you find information that is actually classified in the media.
This is not OK. This behavior can be deterred, and it’s deterred by locking some people up.
King: Come on. [He’s pressing on a reported meeting with Trump about Steele’s dossier.] It was you, Trump, Brennan and Clapper? Four people in the room, right? And it was leaked hours after that meeting about the dossier. It’s a small universe of people?
Comey: No comment. I can tell you ... it often turns out there are more people that know about something than you expected.
King: I’ll be advising Clapper and Brennan that I’ll be asking them the same questions next week.
Nunes: You’ve said that the Russians favored Donald Trump.
Comey: I want to clarify. We didn’t change our view from December to early January. I don’t know that anybody in the intelligence community did.
Nunes: The change was from, hurt-Clinton to help-Trump. You changed your mind?
Comey and Rogers: No – “That’s not my recollection.”
Nunes: Do Russians historically prefer Republicans to win over Democrats? Did the Russians prefer Mitt Romney to win over Barack Obama in 2012? Did the Russians prefer John McCain in 2008 over Barack Obama? Isn’t it ridiculous to say that Russians prefer Republicans to win over Democrats? Wouldn’t that be preposterous to say?
Comey and Rogers: Basically dumbfounded.
Rogers: There is some classified analysis that discusses this.
Rep King of New York takes over. He seems to say that the classified report notes that Russia has preferred Republicans. He seems to indicate that this analysis undermines the report.
Democrats call for criminal investigation of Flynn for taking money from RT
Sewell: Is it right that RT is owned by Moscow.
Rogers: We’re aware of direct connections and monetary flow.
Sewell: how long have you known?
Rogers: Years.
Sewell: Wouldn’t Flynn know when he agreed to speak at anniversary gala for RT in 2015 of ties between RT and Moscow?
Rogers: no comments.
Sewell: Isn’t this unusual?
Comey: No comment.
Sewell: Reads from July 2016 Flynn communications with Yahoo correspondent. “Yeah, I didn’t take any money from Russia, if that’s what you’re asking me,” Flynn wrote. But last week the House oversight committee said that Flynn accepted almost $35,000 from RT. Right?
Comey: I saw that report. No comment.
Sewell: Does the emoluments clause apply to Flynn?
Comey: No comment.
Sewell: It does. I can’t believe that Flynn would take money from the Russian government in violation of the US constitution and I believe such violations worthy of a criminal investigation by the FBI.
Now Sewell, the Democrat from Alabama. How is it possible that Flynn did not remember talking to Kislyak?
Comey won’t talk about Flynn.
Sewell asks whether this skullduggery warrants an investigation.
Comey can’t comment he says.
Sewell wants the public record to reflect that Flynn texted Kislyak on Christmas and talked on the phone with Kislyak on 28 December, and again on 29 December, when the Obama administration expelled 35 operatives and announced new sanctions. Also Flynn and Jared Kushner met with Kislyak at Trump tower.
“The White House and Mr Flynn didn’t disclose this face-to-face meeting until this month,” Sewell says.
She notes that Pence went on TV in January and said Flynn never discussed sanctions with Kislyak.
Schiff asks Comey whether Russians had a positive preference for Donald Trump?
Comey: Correct.
Schiff: Would it be logical for the Kremlin to want someone who had a dim view of Nato?
Comey: Beyond my responsibilities.
Schiff: Do Russians like Nato.
Comey: Not my expertise but no.
Schiff: How about Ukraine sanctions? Would Russia like to see sanctions go away?
Comey: Yes.
Schiff: What about Putin?
Comey: Mr Putin would like Putin who liked him.
Schiff: Would they like to see more Brexits?
Comey: Yes.
Schiff: Do they like business people because they can entangle them?
Comey: In our joint report we say Putin preferred business leaders – Schroeder and Berlusconi. He believes they’re more open to negotiation and easier to deal with.
