Fired FBI Director James Comey seemed amused as he exited questioning by a House committee, but inside the room, he seemed awfully forgetful.
Comey’s non-answers:
– Said “I don’t remember” 71 times.
– Said “I don’t know” 166 times.
– Said “I don’t recall” 8 times.https://t.co/BjcueUYTsv— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) December 8, 2018
According to a tabulation of the times he couldn’t remember the answer to a question, Comey said “I don’t remember” 71 times, “I don’t know” 166 times and “I don’t recall” 8 times, for a total of 245 times.
Kyle Morris’s calculation is based on a transcript published by CNN.
Outside the room, he didn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to reporters.
“After a full day of questioning, two things are clear to me. One, we could have done this in open setting, and two, when you read the transcript you will see that we’re talking again about Hillary Clinton’s e-mails for heaven’s sakes,” says ex-FBI director @Comey on Capitol Hill pic.twitter.com/uN5ZAHFOIT
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) December 7, 2018
“After a full day of questioning, two things are clear to me. One, we could have done this in open setting, and two, when you read the transcript you will see that we’re talking again about Hillary Clinton’s e-mails for heaven’s sakes,” the fired Director, who campaigned for Democrat candidates during the midterm elections, said.
The AP reports Comey “begrudgingly” answered questions.
After the questioning was underway, some Republicans signaled they were unhappy with Comey’s level of cooperation. California Rep. Darrell Issa said Comey had two lawyers in the room, his personal lawyer and a lawyer from the Justice Department. He said the department lawyer repeatedly instructed Comey not to answer “a great many questions that are clearly items at the core of our investigation.”
“He answered the questions he had to answer,” Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Read the transcript of Comey’s interview Friday here:
