Trump’s lawyer accused Comey of committing a felony, but the lawyer got the facts he based this accusation on wrong.
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“Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that the New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey’s excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to entirely retaliatory,” Marc Kasowitz, President Trump’s personal lawyer said in rebuttal to Comey’s stunning testimony.
However, Trump’s lawyer got the timing wrong. Michael Isikoff pointed this out on MSNBC and additionally Julie Davis, who covers the White House for the New York Times, corrected Kasowitz, “Kasowitz is mistaken re NYT stories on Comey memos. We never quoted memos prior to Trump’s 5/12 tweet re tapes; 1st story doing so was 5/16.”
Kasowitz is mistaken re NYT stories on Comey memos. We never quoted memos prior to Trump's 5/12 tweet re tapes; 1st story doing so was 5/16
— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) June 8, 2017
Marc Kasowitz, President Trump’s personal lawyer, said (many typos were in the original document sic sic sick):
“Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the President. The leaks of this privileged information began no later than March 2017 when friends of Mr. Comey have stated he disclosed to them the conversations he had with the President during their January 27, 2017 dinner and February 14, 2017 White House meeting. Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he leaked to friends his purported memos of these privileged conversations, one of which he testified was classified. He also testified that immediately after he was terminated he authorized his friends to leak the contents of these memos to the press in order to ‘prompt the appointment of a special counsel.'”
“Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that the New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey’s excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to entirely retaliatory. We will leave it the appropriate authorities to determine whether this leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.”
It’s quite incredible that Trump’s lawyer accused Comey of a felony and in the doing, used incorrect facts. Additionally, it’s hard to understand how a conversation Trump is denying took place can also be privileged.
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