So, while we all sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, House Republicans decided to take one more swing at fired FBI Director James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. They issued subpoenas for a closed-door session into the Department of Justice’s decision-making of the Hillary Clinton email probe and the Russia investigation during the 2016 elections. There have been various allegations of bias from the DOJ, specifically the FBI, concerning Donald Trump. Former FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page became the poster children from these allegations, which, by the way, were pretty much true. The two sent each other tens of thousands of texts, many of them anti-Trump, between each other when Strzok engaged in an extramarital affair with Page. Strzok, then a top counterintelligence agent in the bureau, spoke of an “insurance policy” and references to stopping Trump from becoming president. Page resigned from the DOJ, while Strzok was fired after his testimony before Congress this year.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, in one of his last acts in power, issued subpoenas for James Comey and Loretta Lynch to come for private depositions on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, respectively. pic.twitter.com/q6zqeUYIwM
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 22, 2018
Comey rejects subpoena for closed-door hearing. House GOP may try to hold him in contempt in final days of the majority https://t.co/6lYUDRcJN1 https://t.co/AfoyTCXkr1
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 22, 2018
Many questions remain, the GOP want them answered before the Democrats retake control of the committees (via Politico):
House Republicans served up some subpoenas with their Thanksgiving turkey this week, issuing last-minute demands for former FBI Director James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to appear for closed-door testimony on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, respectively.
The subpoenas, issued Wednesday but revealed publicly Thanksgiving morning, completed the threats issued by GOP committee chairman Bob Goodlatte earlier in the week.
Comey had rejected an earlier invitation from the committee to testify privately and instead asked for a public hearing. Democrats say they prefer the hearing to be public as well.
Republicans have been investigating the FBI and Justice Department's decision-making in 2016 and 2017, contending that deep-seated anti-Trump bias among senior officials led the bureau to downplay its probe of Hillary Clinton's private email server and home in on the investigation of Trump campaign connections with Russia. Trump himself has cheered on the attacks, calling the Russia probe a "witch hunt" and contending that Comey and his inner circle were corrupt.
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Comey rejected the subpoena:
Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a “closed door” thing because I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see.
— James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018
House Republicans can ask me anything they want but I want the American people to watch, so let’s have a public hearing. Truth is best served by transparency. Let me know when is convenient.
— James Comey (@Comey) November 16, 2018
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