Breaking: DOJ Refuses To Prosecute Comey for Leak, Despite Info Ending up in NYT
The Department of Justice has declined to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey for leaking classified information that was eventually published by the news media, multiple reports have claimed.
Before he was fired by President Donald Trump, Comey authored memos detailing his conversations with the president.
He eventually shared with them with his friend Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University, who passed them on to The New York Times. Comey has admitted to sharing the memos with Richman.
“Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz’s team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution,” The Hill reported Wednesday night.
Fox News and CNN both confirmed the news Thursday.
“Everyone at the DOJ involved in the decision said it wasn’t a close call,” an official told Fox.
“They all thought this could not be prosecuted,” that official added.
It appears a major reason the DOJ opted against prosecuting Comey was that the two memos containing “confidential” information were only marked as such “after the fact,” Fox reported.
“One of the key factors leading to the DOJ declining to prosecute apparently was the fact that the two memos were labeled “confidential” after he set in motion the chain of events that led to them ending up with the press,” the outlet noted.
Still, many conservatives were not pleased with what they saw as a “double standard.”
If the nation’s top cop doesn’t have to obey the law, why does anyone? A double standard of justice is NO standard at all. https://t.co/C3TuGENmDF
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 1, 2019
Swamp wins again:
James Comey will get off with NO CHARGES after he illegally leaked memos and endangered US national security all in an attempt to destroy Trump
We have two levels of justice
Those who are friends of the ruling class like Comey
And everyday people
DISGRACE!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 1, 2019
On Wednesday night, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said it would be “stunning” if Attorney General William Barr decided not to prosecute Comey.
“If Bill Barr decided not to prosecute on disclosing the memos, I accept his judgment. I’ve known him for 20 years,” Graham said, according to the Washington Examiner.
“I want him to do what he thinks is right by the law and not prosecute anybody if you don’t think the case is there, because somebody else got mistreated is no reason to continue that practice,” Graham said.
“If it’s true, and we will know pretty soon, it’s stunning, beyond stunning,” he added.
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