Fired FBI Director James Comey tweeted Thursday morning to say Happy Thanksgiving. In the same breath, he said he had received a subpoena from House Republicans.
“Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions,” he said.”
Comey would add that he’s going to “resist” any attempt by House Republican lawmakers to set up a closed door meeting. He said that he doesn’t trust that they would act in good faith after a closed door interview.
“But I will resist a ‘closed door’ thing because I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see,” he said.
It appears Comey is alluding to the way House Republicans handled the closed-door interview of fired FBI agent Peter Strzok.
You may recall that Strzok’s lawyer Aitan Goelman accused Republicans of forcing Strzok to testify behind closed doors and then distorting what he said. He claimed a Republican-orchestrated “trap” was afoot , and said he was unhappy about some of the questions his client was asked.
Some of the infamous questions included: “Did you love Lisa Page?”, “What DO Trump supporters SMELL like, agent?” and “Which party primary did you vote in in 2016?”
“Having sharpened their knives behind closed doors, the committee would now like to drag back Special Agent Strzok and have him testify in public — a request that we originally made and the committee denied,” Goelman said at the time. “What’s being asked of Special Agent Strzok is to participate in what anyone can recognize as a trap.”
“Given that the committee is playing political games, violating our trust and its own rules, it no longer makes sense for us to keep playing along. [My client] is willing to testify again, and he is willing to testify publicly,” he said. “He might even be willing to testify publicly before this committee. But not under conditions that are so obviously designed to embarrass and a trap an honorable man who has spent 25 years serving his country in the military and in law enforcement.”
Strzok, for what it’s worth, got his public hearing, and it went off the rails anyway.
Nonetheless, both Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch have been subpoenaed to appear behind closed doors on Dec. 3 and Dec 4.
[Image via Alex Wong/Getty Images]
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