Fears many would see coup,
further roiling the nation
James Comey, the FBI director fired
by President Trump, yesterday warned against Congressional impeachment and removal of Trump on grounds it would further polarize the nation.In a New York Times opinion piece, Comey cautioned Congress against proceeding without "the provable facts." The piece, entitled "What I Want From the Mueller Report," made apparent that Comey was not expecting a criminal case against the President, though he wrote that he didn't desire to see criminal charges filed against Trump nor did he wish to see Mueller "clear" the President. Yet, in the same short piece Comey said "I also don't care" whether Mueller will find that Trump "knowingly conspired with the Russians in connection with the 2016 election or that he obstructed justice with the required corrupt intent."
Concerning impeachment, Comey wrote,
I hope that Mr. Trump is not impeached and removed from office before the end of his term. I don’t mean that Congress shouldn’t move ahead with the process of impeachment governed by our Constitution, if Congress thinks the provable facts are there. I just hope it doesn’t. Because if Mr. Trump were removed from office by Congress, a significant portion of this country would see this as a coup, and it would drive those people farther from the common center of American life, more deeply fracturing our country.As Comey is known as a Washington insider who is assiduous, if not always skillful, at protecting his flanks, a number of observers were wondering about his motive for expressing his views. It is possible he is anticipating a report without sufficient "provable facts" against Trump and is positioning himself politically in a centrist manner. But why position oneself? The answer may be inside the Justice Department, which is still investigating matters that could result in Comey's high-powered defense lawyers having to defend him in federal court.
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