Washington (CNN) Former FBI Director James Comey has a well-known history of documenting important and controversial moments -- and there's a history of those emails or memos surfacing at politically opportune times.

Trump administration officials surprised at revelations that Comey documented conversations with President Donald Trump in memos he shared with friends should have taken a clue from Comey's past in the Bush and Obama administrations.

In 2009, The New York Times published stories on how top Bush administration and Justice Department officials signed off the use of torture on detainees suspected of terrorist links.

One story was based on emails leaked to the Times shows that Comey had written to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2005, arguing that the torture tactics were a bad idea and that Gonzales and other Justice officials would regret being pushed by the White House to approve them.

At the time the stories were published, Obama Justice Department officials marveled at the fortuitous timing of someone close to Comey coming to rescue of his larger-than-life, good guy reputation.

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