Comey Debunks Steele Dossier
One interesting aspect of James Comey's recent interview on ABC was that he made it clear, though without realizing it, that the Steele dossier isn't true.
Comey did so by saying Trump was thinking about having Comey prove that the salacious allegations in the document weren't true.
If those allegations were true, the last thing in the world Trump would want is the FBI taking a closer look at them. Remember that at that time, the FBI was saying it couldn't verify the accounts, meaning that if Trump were guilty he would think that he was safe. So why would he then risk everything and ask the FBI do a deep dive into allegations that were true?
Given that the conversation was in private, there was no reason for Trump to be lying about his concerns.
Comey in fact urged Trump not to ask him to investigate, supposedly because it might create a narrative that the FBI was investigating Trump.
This is also interesting. The FBI had already used the dossier to justify spying on Trump associates and it would seem odd that the FBI would use a document for something so significant, using the full force of the government to spy on an American citizen, without trying to verify everything in the file. After all, if there was clear proof that parts of the dossier were lies, more evidence would be required to prove that other parts, like the ones used in the FISA warrant application, were correct.
This is just speculation, but was Comey really saying that, given the personalities involved, if the FBI attempted to verify the charges, there would be leaks designed to cast Trump in a bad light? If not, why shouldn't the FBI investigate all parts of a document that they used to get an authorization to spy on an American citizen?
Finally, the way Comey viewed Trump's reaction tells us a lot about Comey. Trump has been married three times, and thanks to Democrat mudslinging everyone, including his wife, he knows that at least until twelve years ago, he hasn't been a big fan of monogamy. Hence, a reasonable person wouldn't say:
So, what kind of marriage to what kind of man does your wife think [that] there's only a 99 percent chance you didn't do that?
Apparently, that comment was just another backhanded personal attack on Trump, or else it shows that Comey really doesn't know anything about people. A wife who knows that her husband has cheated in the past, even when she wasn't married to him, would not be insane to think there's a 1% chance he might have done what he was accused of in the dossier.
Comey can't have it both ways – that Trump is a serial philanderer and that it's insane for his wife to be suspicious that he did do what the dossier said he had done. Keep in mind that the whole dossier was subsequently leaked and spun in such a manner as to imply, incorrectly, we now know, that the FBI had reason to consider it was credible.
The final point of interest is, could one imagine the FBI getting a FISA warrant on Hillary based on unsubstantiated innuendo paid for by the RNC? Yet even now, Comey seems more concerned to tell us about his personal dislike of Trump rather than explain why a document that he urged the president to not have the FBI investigate was used to target the Trump campaign with the full power of the American intelligence establishment.
Given that everyone would agree that if the RNC had gone to Moscow and said it would pay for dirt on Hillary, it would have found lots of people willing to lie for cash – precisely what the DNC did – it's truly amazing that Comey isn't doing mea culpas for bad judgment on the FISA warrant.
As often happens with those afflicted with hubris, it's clear that Comey told us much he didn't really want us to know in his interview with Clinton flunky Stephanopoulos.
You can read more of Tom's rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious, and feel free to follow him on Twitter.