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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 3 February 2018
Fired FBI director Comey slams GOP memo: ‘That’s it?’

By ERIC TUCKER and CHAD for Joe McCarthy” — a ref-
DAY erence to the senator who,
Associated Press in the 1950s, conducted
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- hearings aimed at rooting
mer FBI Director James out Communists in the U.S.
Comey scorned the memo government.
that was released by House Since his firing last May,
Republicans after being Comey has made his per-
declassified Friday by Presi- sonal feelings about Trump
dent Donald Trump, saying known, testifying in detail
it doesn’t add up to much. about personal interactions
“That’s it?” Comey said on he says troubled him.
Twitter. He also authorized a close
“Dishonest and mislead- friend to share with report-
ing memo wrecked the ers details from a memo he
House intel committee, produced documenting
destroyed trust with Intel- one such encounter — a
ligence Community, dam- February conversation in
aged relationship with FISA the Oval Office in which
court, and inexcusably ex- he said Trump encouraged
posed classified investiga- him to drop an FBI inves-
tion of an American citizen. tigation into former na-
For what?” Comey wrote, tional security adviser Mi-
adding: “DOJ & FBI must In this June 8, 2017 file photo, former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence chael Flynn. That revelation
keep doing their jobs.” Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. prompted the Justice De-
The tweet was the latest in Associated Press partment’s appointment of
a series from Comey this House to block the release time ago. Rank & File are stages of the investigation. a special counsel to run the
week as Trump clashed of a partisan memo on the great people!” The FBI, Justice Depart- Russia investigation.
with the FBI over the release Russia investigation. Trump and congressional ment and Democrats furi- Comey has also used lan-
of the GOP-written memo. On Friday morning, the Republicans have been at- ously lobbied Trump to stop guage about “weasels”
On Thursday, Comey stood president continued his tacking the FBI for its inves- the release, saying it could before, most notably in a
up for the bureau’s position verbal attacks against the tigation of potential ties be- harm national security and September 2016 congres-
against the document’s FBI, writing on Twitter, “The tween Russia and Trump’s mislead the public. sional hearing when he de-
disclosure and took aim at top Leadership and Inves- 2016 campaign. Trump and On Twitter, Comey urged fended the FBI’s handling
unnamed people he calls tigators of the FBI and the Republicans on the House his former colleagues to of the Hillary Clinton email
“weasels and liars.” Justice Department have intelligence committee fol- “take heart: American his- investigation.
“All should appreciate the politicized the sacred in- lowed up on those attacks tory shows that, in the long “You can call us wrong,
FBI speaking up. I wish more vestigative process in favor through the publication run, weasels and liars never but don’t call us weasels,”
of our leaders would,” of Democrats and against Friday of a GOP-authored hold the field, so long as Comey said. “We are not
Comey tweeted Thursday Republicans — something memo that they say shows good people stand up.” weasels. We are honest
night amid news that the which would have been improper use of surveil- He concluded, “Not a lot people and we did this in
FBI had lobbied the White unthinkable just a short lance by the FBI in the initial of schools or streets named that way.”q
Senator seeks documents on

Russia money links to the NRA

lobbying organization. his letter to Mnuchin. Trump’s presidential candi-
News reports last month A separate letter ad- dacy.
said the FBI is investigating dressed to NRA treasurer The candidate strongly
contact between Alex- Wilson Phillips Jr. included backed gun rights. Torshin,
ander Torshin, who is the a more specific request who is a lifetime member
deputy governor of Russia’s for documents that detail of the NRA, reportedly met
central bank and a close financial transactions with with Donald Trump Jr. dur-
ally of President Vladimir Russian nationals. ing an NRA gala in 2016.
Putin, and the NRA. “I am specifically troubled As a member of the Sen-
In this Dec. 13, 2017 file photo, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Wyden is ranking mem- by the possibility that Rus- ate Intelligence Commit-
Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee speaks during a ber of the Senate Finance sian-backed shell compa- tee, Wyden is part of one
House and Senate conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Committee, as well as a nies or intermediaries may of three congressional
Associated Press member of the Senate have circumvented laws committees carrying out
By DESMOND BUTLER neled money to the group Intelligence Committee, designed to prohibit for- investigations into Russian
Associated Press during the 2016 presidential which is conducting a eign meddling in our elec- meddling in the 2016 cam-
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top campaign. probe into Russia election tions,” Wyden wrote. paign.
Democrat is seeking docu- In letters sent to Treasury meddling. The letter cited a story on But as a member of the mi-
ments from the National Secretary Steven Mnuchin “The national security as the FBI investigation pub- nority party, he holds less
Rifle Association and the and the NRA on Friday, well as legal implications lished by McClatchy last sway in forcing the Trea-
Treasury Department fol- Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon of these reports make it month. The NRA, one of sury Department or an in-
lowing reports of an FBI in- requested any documents imperative that Congress the most powerful lobbying dependent organization
vestigation into whether a showing financial links be- conduct a thorough inves- groups in U.S. politics, spent like the NRA to produce
Russian central banker fun- tween Russia and the gun
tigation,” Wyden wrote in heavily to support Donald documents.q