Ben Shapiro doesn’t see any smoking guns in the testimony by Comey that was released today. In fact here’s how he summed it up on Twitter:
Here is what Comey testimony says:
1) Comey told Trump privately he wasn't under investigation. Repeatedly. Comey wouldn't say it publicly.— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
2) Trump asked for Comey's "loyalty." Comey shrugged it off.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
3) Trump wanted Comey to investigate Trump's associates over Russia collusion stuff, wanted Flynn phone call investigation closed.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
4) Trump never impeded the Russia campaign collision investigation.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
5) Comey only took contemporaneous notes on Trump.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
6) Trump wanted Comey to investigate outlandish dossier claims to prove them false.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
If all of this makes you think Trump collided with Russia on 2016 campaign, you're nuts.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
It shows a frustrated egotist puzzled as to why he's being linked with Russia, lashing out foolishly. That's pretty much it.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
The only real bust here is Comey saying Trump wanted Flynn phone call investigation stopped. But Comey isn't saying Trump obstructed it.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
There is not much here to support anything but the overall appearance that Trump is frustrated and ignorant.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 7, 2017
I just finished reading the whole thing myself and agree with Shapiro here. It’s not as though there isn’t anything damning to Trump. Obviously the loyalty oath is somewhat troubling, as Shapiro points out in his write-up, arguing that it could be seen as Trump expecting a quid pro quo. It’s also easy to believe considering Trump’s love for loyalty during the campaign.
Shapiro also notes, as he did above, that Trump’s wanting the Flynn phone call investigation to end is also troubling. But Comey didn’t follow suit and there was never a direct command to stop it, which is why Comey isn’t accusing Trump of obstruction.
So there’s no smoking gun and, just to point out, Trump wasn’t lying when he said Comey told him he wasn’t under investigation.
Trump is obviously very frustrated and I empathize with him on that. There is a cloud over his presidency that has yet to yield any substantive error or wrongdoing from him. He wants all of this behind him, but between the leaks and the subsequent claims it just keeps building steam. As one columnist put it, Trump is a smoke generating machine.
Just as with this testimony, I’m not sure there is ever going to be a smoking gun with which is enemies in the media and on the left can oust him. And if there isn’t one, they will most likely keep the cloud over his presidency for as long as they can in hopes that it will eventually smother any hopes he has for getting reelected.