James Comey Destroys Trump’s Russia Scandal Defense In 18 Seconds

On Meet The Press, James Comey destroyed the foundation of Trump’s Russia scandal defense in just 18 seconds.

Video of James Comey on Meet The Press:

Transcript via Meet The Press:

CHUCK TODD:

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Was Hillary Clinton ever a target or a subject during the investigation?

JAMES COMEY:

Sure. She was a subject of the investigation.

CHUCK TODD:

But not a target?

JAMES COMEY:

Correct.

CHUCK TODD:

And why was that?

JAMES COMEY:

Because we didn’t develop substantial evidence to support a criminal prosecution against her.

CHUCK TODD:

So at no time she was ever considered a target?

JAMES COMEY:

Correct.

At a rally in Michigan on Saturday night, Trump claimed that Hillary Clinton colluded with the FBI and Russia during the campaign, “Look at how the politicians have fallen for this junk — Russian collusion. Give me a break. I will tell you that the only — I will tell you that the only collusion is the Democrats colluding with a lot of people, and a lot of people, and take a look at the intelligence agency, and what about — hey, did you watch Comey on the interviews? Hey, hey. What about Comey? What about Comey?”

The basis for Trump’s attack on the FBI fell apart

Trump claims that he is attacking the FBI and the DOJ because they didn’t prosecute Hillary Clinton for her “crimes,” but according to Comey and others who were involved in the Clinton investigation, she was never a target. Hillary Clinton was never going to be locked up because she didn’t commit any crimes. The basis for Trump’s attacks on the investigators is that they are biased against him. Trump loves to claim that he didn’t get the same treatment as Clinton.

The chants of lock her up at Trump campaign rallies were smokescreens that were intended to distract from the real crimes being committed by the Trump campaign.

Trump’s defense for his behavior was crushed by Comey. There was no Clinton/Russia/FBI collusion.

The ugly reality is that Trump is trying to crush a federal investigation because he doesn’t want the crimes of his presidential campaign to come to light. Coney only needed 18 seconds to cut through the BS that is the heart of the Trump defense of his attacks on the investigation.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association