Comey speculates Russians may have damaging info on Trump
WASHINGTON — In his scathing appraisal of the man who fired him as FBI chief, James Comey cited “some evidence of obstruction of justice” in President Donald Trump’s actions and speculated that Russians might have dirt on the president. Trump struck back, branding Comey a criminal.
Their war of words escalated Monday after Comey, in an ABC interview broadcast the night before, labelled Trump “morally unfit” for office.
Trump tweeted that Comey drafted an exoneration of Hillary Clinton long before he talked to her as part of an investigation into her email practices. He labelled Comey “disgruntled” and accused him and allies of having “committed many crimes.” For his part, Comey has said that nine or 10 months into the Clinton probe, he had a “clear picture” where it was going and it’s common to draft statements before an investigation is complete.
Comey’s remarks, coupled with the release of his forthcoming book, offer his version of events surrounding his firing and the investigations into Russian election meddling and Clinton’s email practices. Several of the episodes he describes in detail, including a private conversation about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, are central to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and his recollections are presumably valuable for prosecutors examining whether the president’s actions constitute obstruction of justice.