What James Comey Will and Will Not Comment On Is Absolutely Baffling

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | October 31, 2016 |

As reported by the Miami Herald earlier this month, Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone admitted that he had a “back-channel tie” to Wikileaks.

“I do have a back-channel communication with Assange, because we have a good mutual friend,” Stone said. “That friend travels back and forth from the United States to London and we talk. I had dinner with him last Monday.”

It’s the “back-channel ties” that probably allowed Roger Stone — a Trump advisor — to tweet something like this on October 2nd.

In other words, Roger Stone knew — and has known, all along — that Wikileaks would be dumping John Podesta’s emails throughout the entire month of October.

Does that somehow make Roger Stone an accessory to a crime? Did he in some way help to coordinate the Wikileaks dump? Was he part of the process?

I don’t know. I have no idea. It seems like something worth investigating, however. In fact, in August, several ranking members of a number of House committees asked the FBI to investigate potential connections between Trump campaign officials and Russian interests and whether they contributed to the illegal hacking of the Democratic National Committee. This request came after Roger Stone admitted in early August that he had communicated with Julian Assange.

It doesn’t take a genius to perceive a possible connection. But let’s put aside the idea that a Trump advisor might have been working with Wikileaks and Russian hackers to interfere with U.S. elections, and focus on only this one statement from FBI director James Comey after he was asked by Rep. Jerrold Nadler during a hearing with the House of Representatives about whether he was looking into these connections:

NADLER: Obviously if someone is stating publicly that he is in direct communication with the organization that obtained these illegally hacked documents, I assume the FBI would want to talk to that person. Has the FBI interviewed Roger Stone about his communications with Julian Assange or his knowledge of how WikiLeaks got these illegally obtained documents? COMEY: I can’t comment on that. NADLER: Mr. Stone stated that he has knowledge about upcoming leaks of additional illegally hacked documents. Has the FBI asked him about those communications? COMEY: I also can’t comment on that. NADLER: Because it’s an ongoing investigation? COMEY: I don’t want to confirm whether there is or is not an investigation.

James Comedy refused to comment on whether the connections between Wikileaks, Russian intelligence, Donald Trump and Roger Stone were being investigated, but he had no problem commenting on an investigation into emails on Anthony Weiner’s server that has thus far uncovered no wrongdoing.

What?

James Comey may only be a spineless bureaucrat as Brian suggested earlier today, but he’s also a spineless bureaucrat who seems awfully selective about the investigations he will and will not comment upon. That he would offer “no comment” on an investigation that might actually mean something, yet release a letter announcing that he’s looking into emails most of which he spent a year already examining is confounding.

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.