Trump legal team to reportedly file complaint against Comey over 'leaked' memos
Former FBI Director James Comey admitted on Thursday to leaking unclassified personal memos to the press about his interactions with President Trump, a point that Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, heavily criticized in a statement. "Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president," Kasowitz said, adding: "We will leave it [to] the appropriate authorities to determine whether [the] leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.
That stance didn't last long, though: CNN reported Friday that Trump's legal team is planning to file a complaint against Comey with the Justice Department inspector general and the Senate Judiciary Committee next week. CNN adds: "Trump had a long history of threatening legal action. But the businessman-turned-president rarely followed through on those claims."
What's more, former White House ethics expert Norm Eisen suggested Kasowitz could even be punished for his actions. "The conversation was not classified, and neither was the memo about it," Eisen said of the information Comey "leaked." "There can ... be bar penalties for abuse of process, and civil ones for libel ... but we need to let this play out more before those assessments are made."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Political cartoons for January 12Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Mayflower colonisers, Lady Lawless, and more
-
Golden Globes affirm ‘One Battle,’ boost ‘Hamnet’Speed Read Comedian Nikki Glaser hosted the ceremony
-
Trump, Iran trade threats as protest deaths riseSpeed Read The death toll in Iran has surpassed 500
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
