>> I’M TRYING TO RESPECT THE
INSTITUTION AND TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS IN A RESPECTFUL WAY.
YOU WILL SEE I DID THAT IN THE
TRANSCRIPT.
YOU’LL SEE THAT IF YOU GET A
TRANSCRIPT OF MY RETURN VISIT
WHICH WILL BE WEEK AFTER NEXT
AND THEN THIS WILL BE OVER.
>> Bill: THAT WAS JAMES COMEY
ON FRIDAY AFTER TESTIFYING FOR
SEVEN HOURS.
THE FIRED F.B.I. DIRECTOR NOW
CALLING PRESIDENT TRUMP A
CO-CONSPIRATOR IN THE CROSS
HAIRS OF MUELLER’S RUSSIA PROBE
AS WE GET NEW DETAILS ON THE
INVESTIGATION THAT FROM A
TRANSCRIPT.
MATT GAETZ WAS THERE AND WHAT
DID YOU LEARN FROM JAMES COMEY?
>> HIS AMNESIA IS VERY
SELECTIVE ON ANY FACTS THAT ARE
UNFAVORABLE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP
HE REMEMBERS THEM WITH GREAT
PARTICULAR TEE.
WHEN YOU TRY TO CREATE FOUR
CORNERS AROUND WHO KNOWS ABOUT
THE COMMUNICATIONS, WHO CAME
INTO POSSESSION OF DOCUMENTS,
THE ACTUAL DETAILS.
THEN COMEY BECOMES MORE HAZY ON
I THINK IT REALLY SPEAKS TO
WHAT WILL HAPPEN GOING FORWARD
IN THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS AS
WE GET FARTHER AWAY FROM THE
EVENTS THAT HAPPENED WITH ALL
THE WITNESSES YOU CAN SEE
MEMORIES START TO FADE AND
BECOME INCONSISTENT.
THE LEAKING OF COMEY, THE LYING
ABOUT IT TO CONGRESS,
INCONSISTENCIES WITH THE PERSON
THAT CAME AFTER HIM, ANDREW
MCCABE RAISES A LOT OF
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE F.B.I.
WAS OPERATING DURING COMEY’S
LEADERSHIP.
>> Bill: HE WAS NOT FORTHCOMING
IS WHAT YOU’RE SAYING.
>> YEAH, IT IS CONCEIVABLE HE
MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN THINGS BUT
IT IS REALLY IRONIC AND BIZARRE
TO THINK HOW CLEVERLY HE IS
ABLE TO HAVE THOSE LAPSES IN
MEMORY SO AS TO BLOCK THE
OVERSIGHT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO
DO.
>> Bill: POINTED QUESTION.
WAS HE HIDING SOMETHING OR JUST
HOLDING BACK OR SOMETHING ELSE?
>> I THINK THAT HE DID NOT WANT
TO DETERMINE HIS
TO GIVE US THE TOOLS TO BE ABLE
INCONSISTENCIES.
THERE IS A SPECIFIC EVENT THAT
--
>> Bill: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
>> HE HAS THIS CONVERSATION
WITH THE PRESIDENT ALLEGEDLY
ABOUT MICHAEL FLYNN AND
MEMORIAL IZES IT IN A MEMO AND
THE TALKS ABOUT IT WITH SENIOR
LEADERSHIP.
HE REMEMBERS WITH GREAT -- WHEN
ASKED HOW DID PEOPLE REACT HE
WASN’T ABLE TO GIVE VIEWPOINTS
THEY OFFERED.
HE NEVER TOLD JEFF SESSIONS,
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
SESSIONS HAD NOT RECUSED
HIMSELF AT THIS POINT SO WE SEE
THEMES WITH COMEY THAT WERE
REINFORCED BY THE INSPECTOR
GENERAL.
COMEY VIEWED THE JOB OF THE
F.B.I. DIRECTOR AS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT THAN IT’S CALLED.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS APPROPRIATE
TO BECOME A POLITICAL HACK TO
CREATE LINKS AND PERCEPTION
AROUND THEIR ACTIVITY AND
REALLY WE WANT AN F.B.I. THAT
INVESTIGATES THE FACTS AND THEN
PROVIDES INFORMATION TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
WE DON’T WANT IT TO BE AN
EPICENTER OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY
AND COMEY IS ON THE TRAIL.
YOU SAW HIM YESTERDAY.
I THINK HE WILL BE VERY
INVOLVED IN THE REELECTION
CAMPAIGN IN 2020.
ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK
PRESIDENT TRUMP NEEDS TO PICK
MARK MEADOWS TO BE CHIEF OF
STAFF.
HE UNDERSTANDS THE FACTS AND
TIMELINE AND MAKE SURE THE
WHITE HOUSE IS PREPARED TO GO
TOE-TO-TOE WITH A POLITICALLY
ENGAGED JAMES COMEY.
>> Bill: DO YOU THINK MARK
MEADOWS WILL GET THE JOB?
>> I THINK THEY HAVE A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP.
MARK SPENDS A LOT OF TIME AT
THE WHITE HOUSE ALREADY.
I THINK IT WOULD BE PRETTY
SEAMLESS AND A BIG MISTAKE TO
BRING SOMEONE IN AS CHIEF OF
STAFF WHO IS A GOOD MANAGER BUT
WHO HASN’T LIVED THE TIMELINE
AND THE FACTS AND THE DETAILS
THE WAY MEADOWS HAS.
HE WILL BE ABLE TO DEPLOY
COUNTER MEASURES TO PROTECT THE
INSTITUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY
AGAINST WHAT I BELIEVE IS A
VERY ILLEGITIMATE ATTACK FROM
THE LEFT AND FROM ELEMENTS OF
THE F.B.I. AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
>> Bill: TWO MORE SPECIFIC
QUESTIONS.
TREY GOWDY’S OFFICE RELEASED
THIS OVER THE WEEKEND.
MR. COMEY STATED I DON’T KNOW
166 TIMES AND ANSWERED I DON’T
RECALL 8 TIMES.
DID THAT STRIKE YOU AS
EXCESSIVE?
>> IT WAS A BIT.
I COULD SENSE GOWDY’S
FRUSTRATION AS HE WAS ENGAGED
IN THAT INTERVIEW.
WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW IS TAKE
THAT TRANSCRIPT AND BOUNCE IT
AGAINST OTHER STATEMENTS COMEY
MADE TO THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE.
THERE MAY BE SOME
INCONSISTENCIES IN THE
TREATMENT OF MICHAEL FLYNN.
AS FLYNN WAS TALKING TO THE
F.B.I. THERE WAS NO INDICATION
HE WAS LYING AND YET THAT’S
WHAT’S CREATED THE LEVERAGE
AGAINST FLYNN THAT’S RESULTED
IN COOPERATION.
>> Bill: IF YOU WERE TO GO TO
35,000 FEET AND VIEW OF THE
REPUBLICANS DO YOU THINK HE
MATTERED THE CLINTON EMAIL
MATTER AND THE PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN OF DONALD TRUMP IN
2016?
>> VERY CLEARLY A DOUBLE
STANDARD.
>> Bill: DO YOU BELIEVE HE
FAIRLY ASSESSED THE REASONING
FOR THAT DURING THAT SEVEN
HOURS?
>> NO.
I THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS WERE
GIVING COMEY A SEVEN HOUR CAT
BATH.
THE DOCUMENT CAME FROM THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL, A DEMOCRAT
APPOINTED BY OBAMA.
HE SAID VERY CLEARLY THAT JIM
COMEY DID NOT FOLLOW THE
PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES OF THE
F.B.I.
THAT RESULTED IN PEOPLE WHO HAD
A STRONG PRO-HILLARY CLINTON,
ANTI-DONALD TRUMP BIAS MAKING
THE DECISIONS NOT JUST ON THE
HILLARY CLINTON INVESTIGATION
BUT THEY THEN MIGRATED TO THE
DONALD TRUMP INVESTIGATION AND
AGAIN AT THAT 35,000 FOOT LEVEL
REMEMBER COMEY SAID EVEN WHEN
HE WAS FIRED, NO EVIDENCE OF
COLLUSION.
THAT SQUARES WITH WHAT LISA
PAGE TOLD US, 10 MONTHS IN
THERE WAS NO THERE THERE.
HERE WE ARE STILL NO EVIDENCE
OF COLLUSION.
COMEY SAID IT, PAGE SAID IT.
>> Bill: HE IS BACK IN A WEEK’S