Writing on Twitter, a confidante of former FBI Director James Comey predicted high level non-compliance and resignations at the FBI and the Justice Department if President Donald Trump makes good on a Twitter threat to demand an investigation of both agencies on Monday.

Trump made a stunning announcement on Sunday, issuing a proclamation on Twitter — of all places — complaining about an FBI informant who was tracking presidential campaign advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos in 2016.

ADVERTISEMENT

The president tweeted, “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!”

Responding to the threat, Benjamin Wittes — who writes for Lawfare and was privy to Comey’s notes on meeting with Trump before they were released — predicted chaos at the Justice Department and the FBI if Trump goes through with what Wittes called, “a nakedly corrupt attempt on the part of the President to derail an investigation.”

In a series of tweets, Wittes provided some perspective and predicted that FBI Director Chris Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would quit rather than bend to the will of the president.

“I normally ignore presidential tweets. This one requires attention, because it could genuinely produce a crisis with the Justice Department and the FBI. Here’s an explanatory thread that may (or may not) be useful,” Wittes began.

“The President in this tweet announces that he will tomorrow formally demand of the Justice Department a specific investigation—to wit, one about whether the DOJ and FBI spied on the Trump campaign and if the Obama administration demanded such action of them,” he continued before conceding, “There is no doubt that he has the constitutional authority to make this demand.”

ADVERTISEMENT

He then got down to how he thinks it will be received, over a series of tweets that can be seen below in their entirety.

I normally ignore presidential tweets. This one requires attention, because it could genuinely produce a crisis with the Justice Department and the FBI. Here’s an explanatory thread that may (or may not) be useful. /1/ https://t.co/uB62J45TwK — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

The President in this tweet announces that he will tomorrow formally demand of the Justice Department a specific investigation—to wit, one about whether the DOJ and FBI spied on the Trump campaign and if the Obama administration demanded such action of them. /2/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

There is no doubt that he has the constitutional authority to make this demand. /3/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

There is also no doubt in my mind that neither the attorney general (who is recused anyway) nor the deputy attorney general nor the FBI director can in good conscience comply with such an order. And I don’t believe they will. /4/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

This is a nakedly corrupt attempt on the part of the President to derail an investigation of himself at the expense of a human source to whose protection the FBI and DOJ are committed. See @qjurecic and my piece on this from yesterday. /5/ https://t.co/TsMMdPGp9g — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

So if the President really gives Rod Rosenstein or Chris Wray an order (as opposed to Twitter bluster) demanding a particular investigation not properly predicated under FBI/DOJ guidelines for this overtly political purpose, I believe both men will resign rather than comply. /6/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

In other words, this tweet is different from other Trump craziness tweets. It’s one that promises a specific action on a specific date (tomorrow) with respect to a specific agency that will, if it takes place, precipitate a showdown. /7/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

Trump is a wuss, so he may well back down. He was going to fire Rosenstein, and he wussed out. He was going to fire Mueller and he wussed out. So I don’t want to overstate this. There’s lots of ways this could peter out. But this tweet is no joke. /8/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT

As Quinta and I wrote yesterday, “Don’t underestimate this episode. It will have a long tail and big consequences—all of them terrible.” Those consequences, if you believe the President, may start tomorrow. /9/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

Eyes open people. /10/ — Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 20, 2018

ADVERTISEMENT