Ten days after 70-year-old President Donald Trump fired 56-year-old FBI Director James Comey, the media reluctantly reports Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein’s densely reasoned rationale for terminating the FBI director. For 10 days, the press was happy to blame Trump for obstruction of justice, trying to interfere with an investigation into his campaign’s alleged ties to the Kremlin. Major news outlets only reported about Trump’s attempt to quash an ongoing FBI investigation, despite knowing that Comey had little to do with investigation. “Notwithstanding my personal affection for Director Comey, I thought it was appropriate to see a new leader,” said Rosenstein, standing behind his May 10 three-page memo. Media outlets ignored his memo, blaming Comey’s firing on Trump trying to obstruct an FBI investigation, something today looking more like pernicious propaganda.
Rosentein emphatically stated that Comey breached his duty has FBI director, usurping the Department of Justice in former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s email investigation. Rosenstein noted in the memo that Comey politicized the FBI, telling voters July 5 that Hillary acted “carelessly” with classified information, then reopening the investigation Oct. 28, only 11 days before the election. Members of the press didn’t want to hear anything to justify Comey’s firing, only advance the narrative that Trump acted to obstruct an FBI investigation. Picking 72-year-old former FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel, Rosenstein defused Washington’s feeding frenzy, branding Trump as an un-indicted felon for obstructing and FBI investigation. When former CIA Director John Brennen pushed back against the media narrative on Trump yesterday, the story’s begun to fade.
Brennen reminded Washington’s press that the real crimes committed were not about Trump but how deep-state holdovers from the Obama administration continue to leak specious stories to the press. Once a leak hits the press, like the one about Trump obstructing justice, the media finds Trump-haters on both sides of the aisle to lend credibility to the story. Anti-Trump politicians like Sen. John McCain (R-Az..) jump at the chance to interview in liberal outlets, routinely discrediting Trump, despite no facts behind the stories. McCain didn’t hesitate one second to talk about impeachment following an unverified New York Times story claiming Comey’s personal memos prove Trump tried to obstruct justice. Without seeing the evidence, it’s easy for reporters to get the anti-Trump crowd to validate specious stories. Rosentein’s memo upends the press narrative that Trump obstructed justice.
Calling Comey a “showboat” and “grandstander,” Trump fed the press narrative that he fired Comey to impede an ongoing FBI investigation. Rosentein’s May 10 memo essentially said that Comey politicized the FBI by deciding July 5, 2016 and Oct. 28, 2016, showing that the FBI influenced the 2016 election. Rosenstein dispelled false media reports that Trump fired Comey when he asked for more resources to conduct the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign. Yet that story spread like wildfire in the mainstream press, showing, once again, that when it comes to Trump the media has an agenda. Trump humiliated the media in the 2016 election, upending almost universal endorsements for Hillary. Since winning office Nov. 8, 2016, the media’s done everything possible to sabotage the Trump presidency, trying recently, with daily scandals, to hound him out of office.
Speaking behind closed doors before the Senate Judiciary Committee May 18, Rosenstein made clear that Comey deserved to be fired. “I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it,” said Rosenstein, referring to how Comey botched the Hillary email investigation, politicized the FBI and breached his role as FBI director. Rosenstein cited Comey’s decision July 5, 2016 to call Hillary “careless” in handling classified material but did not refer the matter to the Department of Justice. Comey admitted May 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee that he bypassed the DOJ because he couldn’t trust Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch after she met with former President Bill Clinton on the tarmac of Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport June 29, 2016. Rosenstein made clear it wasn’t up to Comey to take the law into his own hands. Letting the DOJ do its job would have been the right protocol.
Hearing Rosenstein explain more fully the reasons behind Comey’s termination threw the press for a loop. Ignoring Rosenstein’s memo for 10 days enabled the press to slam Trump for obstructing justice. “He again usurped the authority of the Department of Justice, by sending the letter over the objection of the Department of Justice, flouted rules and deeply engrained traditions; and guaranteed that some people would accuse the FBI of interfering in the election,” said Rosenstein. Rosenstein’s remarks highlight clearly that Comey had gone rogue as FBI Director. Speaking before the House Intelligence Committee May 11, Acting FBI Director Andrew McCain said, “Comey enjoyed broad support in the FBI,” despite breaching protocol with the DOJ. McCabe’s remarks probably cost him realistic consideration to replace Comey, proving the FBI doesn’t know what it did wrong.
