April 15, 2018

Trump Threatens Comey With Jail Time in Unhinged Tirade

“Slimeball”! “Not Smart”! “FAKE”!

Olivier Douliery/Abaca (Sipa via AP)

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President Donald Trump spent Sunday morning railing against former FBI Director James Comey, whose highly anticipated book will be released Tuesday. In a series of unhinged tweets, the president described Comey, whom he fired last year, as “not smart”; the “worst” FBI chief in history; a “self serving” liar; and a “slimeball.” He even threatened Comey with jail time.

Trump kicked off his tirade by referencing reports that Comey discloses in his book that Hillary Clinton’s lead in 2016 election polling may have influenced Comey’s handling of the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s email server.

Whatever one thinks of this troubling admission from Comey, it’s worth noting that what Comey actually wrote, according to early reports, is that he may have treated Clinton more harshly because of his assumption that she’d win.

https://twitter.com/gdebenedetti/status/984558103638237185?tfw_site=voxdotcom&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F2018%2F4%2F13%2F17233600%2Fjames-comey-weiner-emails

Comey made a similar statement to ABC News in an interview clip released Saturday, saying that his decision to disclose the reopening of the email investigation “must have been” influenced by his belief that Clinton would win.

Trump went on to call “Slippery James Comey” the “WORST FBI Director in history, by far” and insist that the notes Comey took documenting his conversations with Trump are “FAKE.”

Trump even threatened Comey with jail time. He also complained that the FBI had not seized the Democratic National Committee’s server during the 2016 campaign.

Trump also lashed out once again at the law enforcement officials behind last week’s raid on the office, hotel room, and home of Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal attorney. Trump lamented that attorney-client privilege “is now a thing of the past” and that his “many” lawyers are “probably wondering when their offices, and even homes, are going to be raided.”

This story has been revised.

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