Former FBI Director Jim Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee has Washington on the edge of its seat.
Networks are breaking into their programming to cover the hearing because the media thought it would be the end of Trump.
But word has leaked about what he will testify to – and it shocked even the most experienced Washington observers.
Democrats and their friends in the anti-Trump media have promoted Comey’s testimony like a heavyweight title fight.
Once word leaked that Comey had drafted memos claiming Trump hoped he would let the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn go, the left kicked the impeachment talk into high gear.
They declared Trump had obstructed justice and this was a clear example of a high crime.
But while Comey raised the bar among those on the left for what he would say, Comey’s camp put word out ahead of the hearing that the Democrats and media should not get their hopes up.
ABC reported Comey will not testify that Trump obstructed justice or interfered in his investigation:
“There will be much in former FBI Director James Comey’s upcoming congressional testimony that will make the White House uncomfortable, but he will stop short of saying the president interfered with the agency’s probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a source familiar with Comey’s thinking told ABC News.
Although Comey has told associates he will not accuse the President of obstructing justice, he will dispute the president’s contention that Comey told him three times he is not under investigation.
The president allegedly said he hoped Comey would drop the Flynn investigation, a request that concerned Comey enough that he documented the conversation in a memo shortly after speaking with the president. In the memo, according to sources close to Comey who reviewed it, Trump said: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” during a February meeting.
The request made Comey uncomfortable, but the source tells ABC News that Comey has told associates he will not accuse the President of obstructing justice…
… Comey told associates he plans to testify that despite the unusual request from the president he believed strongly that if he did his job properly he could conduct the investigation in an honest way.”
While Comey will discuss his conversations with Trump, he is expected to speak very little about the ongoing Russia investigation.
Comey and his allies may claim that it’s improper for him to comment on an ongoing investigation.
But Comey’s critics point out he has not hesitated to do that before.
Critics believe Comey will clam up on the Russia case because there is nothing there.
It’s fake news.
So Comey is willing to talk about what he believes will damage Trump the most.
However, there is no evidence Trump committed any wrongdoing, and in previous testimony Comey stated he never felt political pressure on any investigation.
He is counting on the media to hype up what he has to say in order to keep the fake cloud of scandal swirling around Trump.
