The Enigmatic Mr Comey

I am having a real hard time figuring out James Comey, the director of the FBI. Once I was an admirer. After his back and forth performance during the Hillary Clinton email debacle, he left both sides confused including me. Now he comes forth again and muddies the waters on the current flap over the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the election.

Yesterday, Comey confirmed in his testimony before Congress that the FBI is investigating any possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Russians. As yet, no evidence has been found to indicate there was a connection. He also stated that there was no evidence as yet to show that the Russians were able to hack into the voting machines or affect the voting totals. He did say that the Russians attempted to hack into voter registrations.

Comey also stated that the FBI had no evidence of Trump being bugged by the Obama administration.

What Comey would not comment on is whether the FBI is investigating who leaked details of Americans (like Michael Flynn) being caught on electronic intercepts.

It is in the latter issue that we can safely say there is fire. If you want to discount the other allegations on both sides, you might be on safe ground. It is obvious, however, that somebody in our government leaked the Flynn story. That is a crime, and with a little effort, the FBI should be able to identify the perp(s). Whether they are Obama hacks, holdovers, or merely anti-Trump malcontents remains to be seen, but somebody violated the law. Flynn was almost certainly caught up in this when he spoke with a person who was being monitored under a FISA warrant (e.g. the Russian ambassador). As an American citizen, that information should not have been publicly divulged (unless he were subsequently charged with something as a result).

If I were a betting man, I would bet that when everything is settled, it is this story that will be a real scandal. Hopefully, someone will be charged. If it is not even being investigated, something is dreadfully wrong in Washington.