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."
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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.
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