Mere seconds after ABC wrapped up their Sunday night broadcast of its exclusive interview with former FBI Director James Comey, CNN began its so-called two-hour “Special Report” in which they mostly gushed about what it meant for him to trash Trump like that.
While they did have some criticisms (which largely centered on his handling of the Clinton investigation), the stacked liberal panel sang Comey’s praises for speaking out against the President.
“Just moments ago, we heard fired FBI Director James Comey unleash on President Trump, calling him ‘morally unfit to be president,’ ‘a stain on the people who work for him’ and a ‘liar’ who treats women like pieces of meat. Really, just a jarring critique of a sitting president,” former Obama administration official-turned CNN correspondent and host Jim Sciutto hyped at the top of the show.
Sciutto was immediately followed up by co-host Pamela Brown, who marveled at Comey’s claims that Trump may have obstructed justice and was compromised by the Russians:
And in Comey’s first TV interview since he was fired, he says there is, quote, “some evidence of obstruction of justice” by the president when Mr. Trump asked him to let go of his investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. And he suggestions it's possible that Mr. Trump has been compromised by the Russians.
Brown went straight into seeking reaction from the largely liberal panel, starting with chief political correspondent Dana Bash making sure people understood the gravity of the interview. “Look, I mean, this is something that in any other time would be seismic. And I think, even in this time, where it's easy to kind of lose sight of things that are enormously out of bounds and enormously unusual,” she opined. “To say the things he did about a sitting president of the United States is absolutely extraordinary.”
“This is the kind of thing that a former FBI director or former official does usually many years down the road. This is an active investigation that he started,” Bash added. While she noted that Comey was looking for some kind of “retribution” for being fired, she didn’t pay it much mind beyond that, essentially overlooking his powerful motive.
Looking for more praise of Comey, Sciutto then turned to chief political analyst Gloria Borger, asking if Comey was a “credible critic of the President?” Of course, despite his spiteful attacks on the President’s physical appearance and his marriage, she found no issues with him:
So when you want to look at his credibility, he's got ego, his book is full of criticism so the President perhaps shouldn't have made the size of his hands, the color of his hair, his tan, et cetera, et cetera, put that ego aside and I think the arguments he makes here about the man he is dealing with are quite persuasive.
The only time the liberals on the panel actually had any kind of critique of Comey’s actions was when it came to his handling the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation. “And his explanation, particularly for the October 28th letter, is so weak and this sort of helplessness, ‘I had no choice.’ He had every choice in the world and he never acknowledges the incredible strong justice department tradition of not interfering with elections,” bemoaned legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Their hypocrisy here was truly a wonder to behold. Reverence for Comey when he attacked Trump and hard-hitting criticism when it’s about Hillary Clinton. This is CNN.
Transcript below, click "expand" to read:
CNN Special Report: Comey Speaks Out
April 16, 2018
11:00:18 PM EasternJIM SCIUTTO: This a CNN Special Report Comey Speaks Out. Just moments ago, we heard fire FBI Director James Comey unleash on President Trump, calling him “morally unfit to be president,” “a stain on the people who work for him” and a “liar” who treats women like pieces of meat. Really, just a jarring critique of a sitting president. Welcome to our viewers from the United States and around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto.
PAMELA BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown. And in Comey’s first TV interview since he was fired, he says there is, quote, “some evidence of obstruction of justice” by the president when Mr. Trump asked him to let go of his investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. And he suggestions it's possible that Mr. Trump has been compromised by the Russians.
Needless to say, there is a lot to discuss this evening following the interview with James Comey on ABC. Let's get to our correspondents, analysts and political commentators. And Dana, I’m going to go to you first on this because, look, we've been waiting for this interview to happen. Finally James Comey is speaking out. This is the man who used to be the head of the FBI, one of the highest offices in the government calling the President of the United States morally unfit. Your reaction?
DANA BASH: Look, I mean, this is something that in any other time would be seismic. And I think, even in this time, where it's easy to kind of lose sight of things that are enormously out of bounds and enormously unusual. For an FBI director, even though he was fired and he has, you know, he certainly feels a sense he says of higher loyalty but retribution, let's face it.
To say the things he did about a sitting president of the United States is absolutely extraordinary. Especially, as you mentioned, things like he believes that it’s possible that the President did obstruct justice. Because remember, this isn't -- this is the kind of thing that a former FBI director or former official does usually many years down the road. This is an active investigation that he started.
BROWN: And he's a central witness in the obstruction of justice probe.
SCIUTTO: Gloria Borger, you listened to James Comey there. He is a polarizing figure. In fact, he reiterates this in the interview saying the Democrats hated him during the election and Republicans – many do who are Trump supporters.
GLORIA BORGER: He said his life sucked, if you recall.
SCIUTTO: There was colorful language, a lot of colorful language at this time. But as you heard him there, is he a credible critic of the president?
BORGER: It's in the eye of the beholder, obviously. I think my -- Jason Miller over there is not going to believe that he is. But I do believe that he is somebody, as a witness in this investigation, somebody who was involved directly, one on one with the president, who is saying the President is lying. Is lying about a bunch of things.
Is lying about a conversation they had about loyalty, for example. And when he says when he says the President is obstructing justice and there is evidence of it, possibly, we know he's telling that to the investigators. And the most stunning thing to me was that a question is asked about the president of the United States: do you believe that he could be compromised by the Russians. And Comey's answer is, “I never thought I would say this”—“I never thought I would say this but it's possible.”
And I mean, I think his word was, “you know, what always struck me and still strikes me as unlikely but I would have been able to say that with high confidence about any other president I dealt with but I can't, not with this president.” So when you want to look at his credibility, he's got ego, his book is full of criticism so the President perhaps shouldn't have made the size of his hands, the color of his hair, his tan, et cetera, et cetera, put that ego aside and I think the arguments he makes here about the man he is dealing with are quite persuasive.
(…)
