Loretta Lynch Denies Telling James Comey to Call Hillary Investigation a “Matter” – Someone is Lying
Newly released Lynch Congressional testimony contradicts sensational Comey testimony that Lynch told him not to call it an “investigation”
Former FBI director James Comey is on the record, claiming that he was told by then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch to classify the Hillary email investigation as a “matter” rather than an “investigation.” A newly released transcript of Loretta Lynch’s testimony contradicts that account.
Daniel Chaitin reports at the Washington Examiner:
Loretta Lynch denies telling James Comey to call Clinton email probe a ‘matter’
Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch denied to congressional investigators last year that she ever instructed former FBI Director James Comey to minimize the Hillary Clinton email investigation by urging him to call it a “matter” instead of an “investigation.”
“I did not. I have never instructed a witness as to what to say specifically. Never have, never will,” Lynch told a joint task force of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees.
The transcript of the Dec. 19 interview, released Monday evening by House Judiciary ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga., clashes with what Comey testified under oath.
He told the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017 that Lynch “directed” him to call the investigation a “matter” during a September 2015 meeting. Comey brought it up in the context of describing his decision to do a press conference in the summer of 2016 in which he recommended no criminal charges against Clinton but called her handling of classified information “extremely careless.”
Here’s a short video of Rep. Collins announcing the release of the transcripts:
Today I’m releasing the remaining interview transcripts from @JudiciaryGOP’s investigation into decisions made at the Department of Justice and FBI. To read the transcripts, visit https://t.co/EcAYT7JPdA. pic.twitter.com/kYy9YKSIZI
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) May 20, 2019
It didn’t take long for people to spot the discrepancy:
Loretta Lynch DENIES telling Comey to refer to the Clinton email case as a “matter,” rather than an investigation, directly contradicting statements made by Comey. SOMEONE IS LYING. pic.twitter.com/qb0U4Jopp3
— Cory Groshek (@CoryGroshek) May 20, 2019
When Lynch was asked about this in April of 2018, she didn’t deny it, but of course, Lester Holt didn’t press her on it. Real Clear Politics reported:
Loretta Lynch on Requesting Comey To Call Clinton Probe A ‘Matter’: “Concerns Were Not Raised”
Holt grilled Lynch on the directive Comey claimed that he received, how she reacted and what really happened. According to Lynch, it was a meeting like any other and “concerns were not raised” by Comey.
“Comey says you wanted to call it the ‘Clinton matter,’ he wants to call it the Clinton investigation. To the extent though that he noted it, that it bothered him, did he go to you and question your credibility with regard to the Clinton case?” Holt asked the former AG.
“I can tell you though that it was a meeting like any other that we had, where we talked about the issues,” Lynch answered. We had a full and open discussion about it.”
“He didn’t raise any concerns about it?” Holt asked.
“Concerns were not raised,” she said.
See the video below:
In June of 2017, while offering testimony on this, James Comey made it perfectly clear that Lynch told him to refer to the investigation as a “matter.” Watch:
Who is going to win this dispute over what really happened?
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Comments
Comey is a smarmy character. I don’t know if there is enough here for perjury. People’s accounts of conversations differ.
Perjury occurs in a legal setting (including talking to police, etc.) That’s why the key is to get these people to testify UNDER OATH before a grand jury, etc.
They both are bald faced liars.
They’re all liars.
Lynch and her private secret meeting with Clinton to discuss the grandchildren. Sure.
She’s not answering the questions. Clintonian-level hairsplitting and non sequuntur do not honest responses make. She’s misleading without technically lying, though she doesn’t seem to be doing it terribly convincingly.
Comey is a known lying weasel and nobody anywhere is going to believe anything he says.
These two sound like a match made in . . . well, wherever.
So why isn’t the SWAT team giving Comey’s door a 6am kick in? Barr is playing games and will indict no one
I am skeptical as well but Barr is not Mueller, and he won’t be putting on the same kind of dog and pony show.
I certainly agree with the “liars” opinion of the commenters here. I read her responses and wondered why the questioners left her so much wiggle room. That being said, the idea of former president Willy showing up unannounced, and the perception that would result from his stay on the plane was well thought out it seems. The reports from that scene of the ancillary people questioned that Willy just chatted with them is just too good of a play for the then AG to dismiss. She would immediately see he was spending time knowing no one would believe any denial she made thus compromising her. I in no way think she is a patsy in any of this, but, I question how much she controlled the “meeting” on the tarmac.
you make very cogent point –
I think that Lynch did tell Comey to change to ‘matter’.
His presser led logically to an indictment and
I was ready for that, when he said NO, jaws dropped all over
the USA.
Perhaps her denial is her way of saying to Comey, “We need a sacrificial lamb and you’ve been voted acceptable.”
Here’s an alternate theory.
Lynch: “‘The Clinton Investigation.’ It makes Hillary sound like some kind of criminal. Isn’t there some way we can massage the language to sound less judgmental?”
Comey: “How about ‘The Clinton Inquiry?'”
Lynch: “No. Still too much like there’s been some wrong doing. How can we help Hillary?”
Comey: “Gee. This is a tough one.”
(Someone else in the room, or on the email chain, or the call or whatever): “I got it! We’ll call it ‘The Clinton Matter!’ How about that?”
Lynch: “Sounds good! That should help her spin things her way.”
Comey: “Good thinking boss. I’ll start using that right away. Thanks!”
This was a secret meeting that got exposed.
It was quite obviously pre-arranged.
I don’t think the exposure of the meeting by the journalist changed the statement I believe that was being made by the former president. That being “we don’t like your boss, and he does’t like us, but that doesn’t change my ability to make you look bad anytime, anyplace.”
Loretta Lynch; James Comey. “Who is lying?”
Alex, I’ll take “both” for $500.
Off the cuff, she did not instruct him to call it a ‘matter’ she merely requested he call it a ‘matter.’
Or hinted at it or used some other word to describe the same thing or simply directed him not to use the word ‘investigate’. Wink, wink, nod, nod.
I’ve had very little faith in the justice system since 1968 (long story). With all that has gone on over the past three years, all the talk and virtually no do, I now have none. Justice is for the well-placed or us for those who can afford it. For the rest of us, it’s a risky business.
At least one person is lying, but probably both. Lynch probably did push Comey to avoid calling it an investigation, and suggested “matter” or “issue.” She seems to admit here that she used that language and encouraged him to do the same. The dispute seems to be whether she ordered or “pushed” him use that language.
On the other hand, I’ve always thought it suspicious that Comey would act like the principle of using that langage bothered him, but only long after the fact. It sounds to me like Comey is just trying to promote the idea of his own great “integrity” without actually living up to it.
As part of the meeting, they considered that Comey holding the presser to call the whole thing a nothing-burger would leave him openly discussing the contents of an FBI investigation, a rule they like to use as a shield to avoid answering questions. So they needed a way to get around it. And they decided to give the rose a new name, “issue”, “matter”, whatever, just not “investigation”. Which ever one thought of that tack, they agreed it was the way to go. And it left Comey to drop the “intent” bomb at the end. Lynch wouldn’t have to explain how the AG was so unfamiliar with how intent worked.
Lynch’s answers dodge all around the actual question as to who told who what. Her FBI Director becomes a “witness”….?? She might never have told a witness what to say, but sure as God made little green apples she has suggested wording for what the witness was going to say. She never did say “I never told director Comey what to call the thing. Not then, not ever.”
Real English majors can spot fake ones instantly.
“Concerns were not raised,” said the Tarmac Hobbit .
Remember, all these lawless machinations were undertaken to protect the sainted Obama’s ass, as much as crone Hillary’s, because any serious and substantive investigation would have necessarily implicated St. Obama, as well, as her boss, and, as someone who was. Aware of her private server and did nothing to get her in line to obey the law and to safeguard national security.
If AG Lynch didn’t tell Dir Comey to refer to it as a “matter” why didn’t she correct Lester Holt? To me, Holt emphasised the word “matter”, it’s odd to me that AG Lynch didn’t correct him. AG Lynch didn’t look surprised which makes me think she said something along the lines of “matter”.
I find the use by Loretta Lynch of an amorphous word like “mischaracterized” too much of a ‘wild card’ to believe either of them are “without sin”.
This is all a sideshow and means nothing. The important thing to remember is that Lynch and WJC had an “unscheduled” meeting in a plane on the tarmac at Sky Harbor, immediately after which Comey does his “HRC is guilty as sin, but no prosecutor would ever prosecute her for this” shtick. Following that, LL says that she will abide by the decision of the FBI and senior prosecutors. Whether LL knew what Comey was going to say or not, once he said it, she was painted into a corner. She had to accept his claim that no prosecutor would prosecute in this case, or indict HRC, which she could not do.
Personally, I think that Lynch was totally blindsided by WJC and/or Comey. He locked her into the conspiracy, whether she wanted to be or not. I think that LL was reluctant to close the Servergate case and told WJC that in Phoenix. And that Clinton went to Comey to close the file before the election. Comey did that, protected himself by laying out the prima facia case against HRC and locking Lynch in at the same time.
If you pay close attention to what she’s actually saying here, the only thing she’s denying is that she ordered or “pushed” Comey into using that terminology. It’s still pretty clear that she at least suggested the terminology.
And I believe Comey did call it a matter as requested, then much after the fact claimed it made him a little “nauseous” to use the word. Protesting his “integrity” long after it mattered.
If we believe Lynch, she was sandbagged by Bill Clinton inviting himself onto her plane. I’m not at all convinced by that claim, though. The eventual IG report made it very clear that the DOJ was in control of the FBI investigation and making sure it could not lead to charges. When Lynch announced she would accept the determination by the FBI, Lisa Page remarked to Peter Strzok that it was not exactly a profile in courage, because the AG already knew exactly what the FBI was going to recommend.
Which of course reveals Comey’s claim that no one knew what he was about to announce a lie. They weren’t expecting the huge scene he caused with his press conference, but they knew very well he was going to recommend no prosecution for Hillary.
The two principals involved are both Commiecrats and lawyers to some degree,lying is their stock in trade.
We believe in the jury system, because after 200,000 of evolution as humans, we CAN read the minds of others.
Loretta was close enough to Barry, evil enough, and clever enough, to make up “matter” excuse. Though evil, Comey was not close or clever enough. That was above his pay grade.
One or both of them heard that Hillary was saddened to hear of their impending suicide. Now both are pointing fingers saying, ‘not me’. I would guess both are lying.
Surely there must be a scintilla of honesty in the combo of Comey and Lynch. To quote another well known crook, “At this poiint what difference does it make.”
So to help, split the difference and instead of a scaffold with a trap door, give them both 20 years wearing an orange jumpsuit breaking big rocks into small ones. With any amount of luck, they’ll be housed to share their life’s future history at the same facility as Hillary, John Brennan, James Clapper, Samantha Powers, Andy McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Sally Yates, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Bob Mueller, Rat Rod Rosenstein, Susan Rice, Jack Lew, John Kerry, and “The Kingfish, Barack Obola.
Boy howdy, I sure wish I fancied Comey, because then Loretta Lynch could hit the bricks, courtesy of Loretta Lynn.
You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)