The Comey testimony from yesterday has so many juicy little tidbits that it’s a little hard to chose among them. But here are just two more little details I missed the first time that speak volumes about the level of trust between DOJ and the White House in the Spring of 2004.
First, there’s the part about FBI Director Bob Mueller ordering the security detail at the hospital not to allow Comey to be removed from the hospital room. From Comey’s testimony:
I went out in the hallway, [and] spoke to Director Mueller by phone. He was on his way. I handed the phone to the head of the security detail and Director Mueller instructed the FBI agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances. And I went back in the room
Can you imagine that? The Director of the FBI ordered FBI agents to make sure that the President’s Counsel and Chief of Staff didn’t kick out the Acting Attorney General in an effort to isolate Ashcroft and get his approval. (Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for spotting this.)
Another show of trust and love between DOJ and the White House comes two pages later in the transcript, when White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card demands that Comey come to the White House. Comey explains:
And Mr. Card was very upset and demanded that I come to the White House immediately. I responded that, after the conduct I had just witnessed, I would not meet with him without a witness present.
Think about that — the Acting AG was so suspicious of the WH Chief of Staff that he wouldn’t come to the White House to talk to him without a witness present. Wow.