Yesterday's testimony in front of the Senate Judicial Committee by former Deputy Attorney Jim Comey was stunning on a number of levels.
The most obvious was the made-for-Hollywood tale of Comey rushing to former Attorney General Ashcroft's bedside to thwart an effort by the White House to get Ashcroft's signature on a reauthorization of the controversial NSA wiretapping program. Salacious in its details, the testimony left many people with their jaws on the floor.
Also obvious, but not as sexy, were the questions raised by senators over the legality of the White House proceeding with the program without a DOJ signature for around two weeks while the program was tweaked to overcome objections raised by the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel. When pressed, Comey would not make an assessment as to the legality of this path taken by the administration.
Due to the classified nature of the program, Comey would not discuss some issues publicly and Senator Schumer called for the committee to have a closed hearing to explore other aspects further. Several threads can be unwound in that venue and all appearances are that the committee under the leadership of Senators Leahy and Schumer will make every effort to do so.
Read More