DOJ Inspector General releases report, says Comey violated FBI rules [UPDATE: Even CNN says report is damning]

by The Right Scoop

The DOJ Inspector General has released a new report on former FBI Director Comey’s handling of classified information with respect to his Trump memos, saying that he violated FBI policies:

(I replaced the reporting below with Fox News’ more full reporting on the report)

FOX NEWS – A scathing inspector general report released Thursday said that fired FBI Director James Comey violated bureau policies by drafting, leaking and retaining memos documenting discussions with President Trump.

The Justice Department’s official watchdog concluded that the memos Comey kept were in fact “official FBI records,” and said Comey set a “dangerous example” with his actions.

The office said he “violated applicable policies and his FBI Employment Agreement by providing one of the unclassified memos that contained official FBI information, including sensitive investigative information, to his friend with instructions for the friend to share the contents of the memo with a reporter.”

Further, the IG determined that Comey kept copies of four memos (out of the total seven he drafted) in a personal safe at home after his removal as director — and in doing so also “violated FBI policies and his FBI Employment Agreement by failing to notify the FBI that he had retained them, or to seek authorization to retain them.” And the IG said Comey again violated the rules “by providing copies … of the four memos he had kept in his home to his three private attorneys without FBI authorization.”

It’s worth noting that AG Barr has already declined to prosecute Comey for his handling of the memos. Fox News does say that a criminal referral was sent to the DOJ by the IG.

It continues:

In a pointed passage, the report faulted Comey for disclosing sensitive information.

“[E]ven when these employees believe that their most strongly-held personal convictions might be served by an unauthorized disclosure, the FBI depends on them not to disclose sensitive information. Former Director Comey failed to live up to this responsibility,” the report said. “By not safeguarding sensitive information obtained during the course of his FBI employment, and by using it to create public pressure for official action, Comey set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees—and the many thousands more former FBI employees—who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information.”

You can read the full report by the IG here.

UPDATE: Smug Jim Comey has responded to the report, suggesting people need to apologize for smearing him:

UPDATE: Even CNN acknowledges this report is pretty damning for Comey…


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