OPINION: Correcting Democratic deceptions about Jim Comey

If you turn on your television, you will bear witness to some of the richest partisan hypocrisy we have seen in some time.

“I do not have confidence in him [Jim Comey] any longer” was a quote, not from President Trump, but from Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in early November. But in a remarkable turn of events, today, Schumer called Trump’s abrupt firing of the F.B.I. Director,  “deeply troubling.”  

{mosads}Echoing Schumer just months ago, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi lamented, “Maybe he’s not in the right job.” Just six days ago Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff complained about Comey’s “disparate” treatment of Trump versus Clinton. And Democratic Congressman Tim Walz joined the chorus: “I no longer have faith in him. Some of the things that were revealed in this classified briefing — my confidence has been shook.” 

After calling for Comey’s head, Democrats were outraged when they got it. 

As Democrats take a swift 180, here are three Democratic deceptions mandating correction.

(1) The Timing

First, they complain about “the timing.” Why did Trump fire Comey now, as opposed to, say, right after he was inaugurated?

The reasons are many. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who recommended the firing of Comey, was confirmed by the Senate just 14 days ago in a bipartisan 94-6 vote.  Rosenstein enjoys the confidence of none other than Democratic wonder girl and fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. 

When Sen. Lindsey Graham asked her just yesterday, “The current deputy attorney general … do you have confidence in him?” she replied with an emphatic, “Yes, I do.”

Schumer has also praised Rosenstein, saying “He had developed a reputation for integrity.”

But now after Rosenstein — an appointee praised by Democrats — gives Democrats exactly what they wanted in advocating for the release of Comey, they throw both him and their previous rationale out the window.

In addition to Rosenstein’s recent confirmation and advocacy for firing Comey, there are other reasons for “why now.” Rosenstein cited several reasons for letting Comey go — his botched handling of Hillary Clinton’s email investigation, his letter to Congress weeks before the election, and two recent reasons that occurred within the last week. 

The FBI, today, was forced to correct a portion of Comey’s recent testimony before Congress. Rosenstein additionally took issue with Comey using the language of “concealing” during his Wednesday testimony, arguing that FBI agents “are not concealing anything” during a quiet investigation.

These two recent flubs combined with Rosenstein’s recent addition to the administration answer quite clearly “why now.”

(2) A Russia Cover-up?

Democrats’ next line of deception is accusing Trump of firing Comey because of the FBI’s investigation into Trump associates’ alleged ties with Russia. 

One problem with this line of argument: the new acting FBI Director is more of a liability for the Trump administration than Comey himself. Deputy Director Andrew McCabe — No. 2 at the FBI — has deep and well-known ties to the Democratic Party. 

His wife, Jill McCabe, accepted $700,000 in donations from Democrats. Half a million dollars of that came from a political organization aligned with Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia, a long-time Clinton ally.

Why remove the F.B.I. Director — who Democrats falsely claim handed Trump the election — and replace him with one clearly aligned with Democrats? The logic would make no sense, and thus Democrats are patently wrong in the assertion that this is a Russian cover-up.

(3) The Authority

Finally, there is the amusing argument that Trump lacks the authority to fire the FBI Director. Newsweek published a heavily sourced article that argues to the contrary just five days ago.

A 2014 report from the Congressional Research Service clearly states, “There are no statutory conditions on the president’s authority to remove the FBI director.” Likewise, Scott Bomboy from the National Constitution Center says that once the FBI Director is approved, “[I]t’s really up to the president as the head of the executive branch to determine their employment status.”

The president clearly has the authority to fire the FBI director, but Democrats nonetheless act as if this is a Nixonian cover-up and usurpation of unauthorized power.

As you parse through the Democratic talking points that now fill the media, just remember this: Democrats hated Comey before they loved him. While hailed as a saint today, Democrats were dismissing him as a miscreant yesterday.

What a difference 24 hours can make.

Kayleigh McEnany (@KayleighMcenany) is a political commentator and graduate of Harvard Law School. She completed her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and studied politics at Oxford University.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.