In Midst of Political Storm, Comey Urges Americans To Vote Democrat
Three years ago, he was looked upon as the impartial leader of America’s most respected law enforcement agency. Now, James Comey has taken his feud with President Donald Trump to a new level by urging Americans to vote for Democrats.
Comey, who as chief of the FBI was entrusted to render an impartial verdict in the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, sent out his partisan message Tuesday via Twitter.
“This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that ‘Ambition must … counteract ambition.’ All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us,” Comey tweeted.
Comey, who attacked Trump repeatedly after Trump fired him and during his tour to market a new book, had stepped up his rhetoric after a Monday news conference in which Trump said he would accept Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s word that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election.
Trump’s comments launched a domestic political furor because they contradicted the findings of the American intelligence community.
“This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country. Patriots need to stand up and reject the behavior of this president,” Comey tweeted Monday.
Trump later said he misspoke and aligned his views with that of United States intelligence agencies, according to Fox News.
“I came back and said ‘What is going on, what’s the big deal?’” Trump said, saying he saw the need for “some clarification.”
He said he meant to say that he didn’t see why Russia “wouldn’t” be responsible for interference.
“I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t’ … sort of a double negative,” Trump said. “I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place.”
Comey’s criticism of Republicans in general has been a thread in his public comments in recent months.
“The Republican Party has left me and many others. I need no better evidence than their new website — which I think is ‘Lyin Comey’ maybe? — attacking me. I just think they’ve lost their way, and I can’t be associated with it,” he said in April, according to CNN.
“I see the Republican Party, as near as I can tell, reflects now entirely Donald Trump’s values,” the former FBI director added. “It doesn’t reflect values at all. It’s transactional, it’s ego-driven, it’s in service to his ego.”
Republicans have been quick to fire back at the former FBI director.
“Comey is a liar and a leaker and his misconduct led both Republicans and Democrats to call for his firing,” Republican chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in an April statement. “If Comey wants the spotlight back on him, we’ll make sure the American people understand why he has no one but himself to blame for his complete lack of credibility.”
Trump, as noted by The Washington Post, has called Comey an “untruthful slimeball.”
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