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Rod Rosenstein, just two days after leaving the DOJ, is making it very clear that he is not a fan of James Comey. Comey is a ‘partisan pundit’ now. In other words, Rosenstein called Jim Comey an opportunistic hack.
Keep in mind, Rosenstein wrote a memo at Trump’s request outlining why Comey’s firing was appropriate and had nothing to do with the course of or outcome of the Russia investigation. Yet it seems that Comey is a sore loser. Why else would he have slammed Rosenstein along with Trump in an op-ed tantrum a few days back?
“But more often, proximity to an amoral leader reveals something depressing. I think that’s at least part of what we’ve seen with Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein. Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from. It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites…”
How does Rod Rosenstein feel about Comey’s slam?
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein slams former FBI Director James @Comey: "The former director seems to be acting as a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul" pic.twitter.com/fs9aWBmWAM
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 14, 2019
Oh OUCH. That’s a very nice way to completely dunk on James Comey. Then again Comey, in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper dunked on Rosenstein…so tit for tat?
James Comey: "I think people like that, like Rod Rosenstein – people of accomplishment but not strong character […] find themselves trapped."
Anderson Cooper: "So you're saying Rod Rosenstein isn't a person of strong character."
James Comey: "No. I don't think he is."
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) May 10, 2019
Remember, this is the same Rod Rosenstein whom we and many others wondered if he actually planned to wear a wire to any meetings with Trump.
Needless to say, Rosenstein’s commentary is raising eyebrows.
I’ll be blunt. Former FBI counsel James Baker is a weasel. It was traumatic and horrible to have to investigate a presidential candidate for emails and servers? He literally implied in the above clip that having to investigate Hillary was THE WORST THING EVER!
Note to Baker. The DOJ and FBI are supposed to follow the LAW. It’s evident by his remarks that investigating Hillary was so inconvenient and just not done.
What did Rosenstein have to say about the Hillary investigation?
“Although Rosenstein emphasized that he “did not dislike” and even “admired” Comey in the past, he asserted that the former FBI head’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation in 2016 was a grievous and defining professional error.
“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 said. “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.””
During that time, Comey explained that ‘no reasonable prosecutor’ would charge Hillary with anything. Evidently private servers in bathrooms, classified information sent over unsecured phones, Bleach Bit, and email destruction was pocket change.
“Rosenstein added: “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.””
Now that is a serious dunk! Earlier in the day Rosenstein spoke at the University of Baltimore School of Law commencement.
““You need to be prepared to compromise when you can do so without violating your principles,” Rosenstein said during remarks Monday afternoon. “Of course, you will face pressure to compromise on things that matter most, perhaps even to trade virtue for the appearance of virtue. But you should exercise caution when circumstances tempt you to disregard principles.”
“As Robert Mueller once said, ‘There [may] come a time when you will be tested. You may find yourself standing alone, against those you thought were trusted colleagues. You may stand to lose [all that] you have worked for. And [it may] not be an easy call,’ ” Rosenstein continued.”
Rod Rosenstein has evidently decided that silence is unwarranted. After Comey dissed him and threw him under the bus, he decided to go on the offensive.
Comey dunked on Rosenstein. Rosenstein dunked on Comey. Any bets on what Act Three will be?
Feature Photo Credit: FoxNews Screen Shot via YouTube, cropped and modified
David Lentz says: Pass the popcorn. It is called fratricide. Both James Comey and Rod Rosenstein should face their day of reckoning. Comey had no reason to exonerate Mrs. Clinton for her negligent handling of classified material. He had no reason to spy on the Trump campaign. For his part, Rosenstein had no reason to appoint the inept Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor.
Hate_me says: I would argue it’s not fratricide. Brotherhood is not a concept they understand. It is, rather, a greatly extended night of the long knives. They’ve learned to savor the taste of their own.
GWB says: I still think – based on that weird press conference, and the weirder semi-re-investiagation – that Comey wanted to do the right thing and hand off a real case to the DoJ. But he already had direction from the AG that no prosecution was going to happen, so he decided to dump the crap into the lap of the public. Because nothing he did in that press conference actually helped HRC. But it sure as heck wasn’t the action of an anti-Hillary partisan (or, at least, not a smart one).
Of course, *I* don’t think that precludes (nor excuses) his previously demonstrated incompetence and his several acts of cop-bullying. I think they go hand-in-hand.
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