I had my blog about halfway written. Then yesterday, late in the afternoon, reports began to appear on the news that FBI Director James Comey, was claiming that President Trump, had asked him to drop the investigation of General Michael Flynn. Apparently Comey had been composing memos after his meetings with Trump. And one of Comey’s memos states that Trump allegedly said “I hope you can let this go – he’s a good guy.” The White House denies that President Trump said any such thing.
So where do we go from here? Well, some Democratic Members of Congress are rushing to the mics and claiming President Trump is guilty of obstruction of justice, and therefore, needs to be impeached. In fact, California Democrat Maxine Waters, has been calling for Trump’s impeachment almost from the day he was sworn in.
If what Comey claims Trump said is true, does that constitute obstruction of justice? It’s too early to tell. I would predict that most Congressional Democrats will conclude that it does. On the other hand, an argument can be made that as the head of the executive branch, the President had every right to express his desire that a subordinate in the executive branch (the FBI Director) follow a specific course of action.
One final point. President Trump tweeted out last week that former FBI Director Comey “better hope there are no tapes…” of their conversations. Well that obviously raises the question as to whether there actually ARE any tapes of the Trump/Comey discussions. And if there are, it would seem obvious that these tapes must be turned over to the appropriate investigative committees of Congress, and at the earliest opportunity be made available to the public.
Finally, as a Member of the House Judiciary Committee, I believe it is my responsibility not to jump to conclusions, and let the facts determine the appropriate course of action in this matter.
