Friday, April 20, 2018

Why Did FBI-DOJ Give Comey Special Treatment for $2 Million Book Deal?

Judicial Watch filed the suit after the Justice Department failed to produce any records in response to a March 16, 2018, FOIA request, which had sought: 1) "All records of communications between the FBI and former FBI director James Comey relating to an upcoming book to be authored by Mr. Comey"; and 2) "All records, including but not limited to forms completed by former FBI director James Comey, relating to the requirement for prepublication review by the FBI of any book to be authored by Comey with the intent to be published or otherwise publicly available."

Judicial Watch notes that Comey reportedly received an advance in excess of $2 million for his book, and observes further that former FBI agents and officials intending to write books concerning their tenure are customarily required to submit the entire transcript for pre-publication review.

"James Comey illegally took and then leaked material from his FBI memos in order to get a Special Counsel appointed to target President Trump," stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

"And so now Judicial Watch is asking questions about whether James Comey is getting special treatment from the FBI to use these ill-gotten FBI documents in his book."

Shortly after Comey signed to write his book, in August 2017, Judicial Watch sent a FOIA request seeking FBI documents related to the deal and coordination on his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Comey has been allowed, and is being allowed, to do all of that, with the apparent benediction of the powers that be at the DOJ and FBI. He and his allies in the media and the Democratic Party are being given full leeway to utilize Comey's FBI memos to attack and undermine the Trump administration, but Senator Grassley and other members of Congress are denied access.

As The New American's C. Mitchell Shaw reported on April 19, 11 members of the House of Representatives, led by Represetative Ron DeSantis have sent the Department of Justice and the FBI a criminal referral calling for criminal investigations of former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and others.

https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/28798-why-did-fbi-doj-give-comey-special-treatment-for-2-million-book-deal

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