Sarah Huckabee Sanders: DOJ ‘Should Certainly Look At’ Possibly Prosecuting Comey
- 7 years ago
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said James Comey's actions should certainly be "looked at" by the Justice Department.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said that the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, “should certainly look at” pursuing an investigation against former FBI director James Comey amid allegations that he illegally leaked information, among other violations.
During a press briefing Tuesday, Sanders was asked if President Trump “would encourage the DOJ to prosecute Comey,” and she said, “That’s not the president’s role. That’s the job of the Department of Justice, and something they should certainly look at.”
And, after Sanders was pressed further, she said, “I think if there's ever a moment where we feel someone's broken the law, particularly if they're the head of the FBI, I think that's something that certainly should be looked at.”
This exchange was a follow-up to an earlier part of the press briefing when the New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman brought up a controversial remark made by Steve Bannon.
In a recent '60 Minutes' interview, the former White House chief strategist called Comey’s firing the biggest mistake in “modern political history.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that if James Comey had not been fired, we would not have a special counsel,” Bannon explained to CBS host Charlie Rose. “We would not have the [Robert] Mueller investigation, we would not have the Mueller investigation in the breadth that clearly Mr. Mueller is going.”
After Haberman mentioned the comment, Sanders said, “I think there is no secret. Comey by his own self-admission leaked privileged government information. Weeks before President Trump fired him, Comey testified that an FBI agent engaged in the same practice, they’d face serious repercussions. I think he set his own stage for himself on that front. His actions were improper and likely could have been illegal.”
“Comey leaked memos to the New York Times...he politicized an investigation by signalling he would exonerate Clinton before he ever interviewed her or other key witnesses,” Sanders continued.
In July, Trump had publicly accused Comey of breaking the law, tweeting, “James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said that the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, “should certainly look at” pursuing an investigation against former FBI director James Comey amid allegations that he illegally leaked information, among other violations.
During a press briefing Tuesday, Sanders was asked if President Trump “would encourage the DOJ to prosecute Comey,” and she said, “That’s not the president’s role. That’s the job of the Department of Justice, and something they should certainly look at.”
And, after Sanders was pressed further, she said, “I think if there's ever a moment where we feel someone's broken the law, particularly if they're the head of the FBI, I think that's something that certainly should be looked at.”
This exchange was a follow-up to an earlier part of the press briefing when the New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman brought up a controversial remark made by Steve Bannon.
In a recent '60 Minutes' interview, the former White House chief strategist called Comey’s firing the biggest mistake in “modern political history.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that if James Comey had not been fired, we would not have a special counsel,” Bannon explained to CBS host Charlie Rose. “We would not have the [Robert] Mueller investigation, we would not have the Mueller investigation in the breadth that clearly Mr. Mueller is going.”
After Haberman mentioned the comment, Sanders said, “I think there is no secret. Comey by his own self-admission leaked privileged government information. Weeks before President Trump fired him, Comey testified that an FBI agent engaged in the same practice, they’d face serious repercussions. I think he set his own stage for himself on that front. His actions were improper and likely could have been illegal.”
“Comey leaked memos to the New York Times...he politicized an investigation by signalling he would exonerate Clinton before he ever interviewed her or other key witnesses,” Sanders continued.
In July, Trump had publicly accused Comey of breaking the law, tweeting, “James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!”