Kirsters Baish| Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein unleashed hell on former FBI Director James Comey in a blistering speech this past Monday evening which he delivered to the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC). Rosenstein condemned Comey’s transition to a “partisan pundit.” Rosenstein insisted that Comey deserved to be terminated from his position in the bureau, blaming him for crossing “bright lines that should never be crossed.”
Fox News reports:
Rosenstein formally stepped aside as deputy attorney general two days ago. His speech specifically took aim at Comey’s comments earlier this month implying that Rosenstein and Attorney General Bill Barr lacked the “inner strength” to “resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump.”
Comey also derided Rosenstein’s “character” and suggested his “soul” had been consumed “in small bites.” The former FBI boss, who has taken to posting numerous photographs of himself in nature staring wistfully at trees and roadways since leaving public office, had been showered with media attention in recent months, and his memoir earned him over $2 million.
“Now, the former director is a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul,” Rosenstein stated. “That is disappointing. Speculating about souls is not a job for police and prosecutors. Generally, we base our opinions on eyewitness testimony.”
While Rosenstein made sure to note that he “did not dislike,” even going so far as to say he “admired” James Comey in the past, he continued on to explain that the former FBI Director’s handling of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email probe was totally unacceptable.
“The clearest mistake was the director’s decision to hold a press conference about an open case, reveal his recommendation and discuss details about the investigation, without the consent of the prosecutors and the attorney general,” Rosenstein stated. “Then, he chose to send a letter to the Congress on the eve of the election stating that one of the candidates was under criminal investigation, expecting it to be released immediately to the public.”
Later, Comey stated that he felt that he had to hold the July 2016 news conference, during which he said that “no reasonable prosecutor” would charge Hillary Clinton, even though he, personally, called her actions “extremely careless” in the way she handled classified government information.
Rosenstein also said, “Those actions were not within the range of reasonable decisions. They were inconsistent with our goal of communicating to all FBI employees that they should respect the attorney general’s role, refrain from disclosing information about criminal investigations, avoid disparaging uncharged persons, and above all, not take unnecessary steps that could influence an election.”
