The big news that should come from former FBI Director James Comey's Senate testimony Thursday would concern Hillary Clinton and Loretta Lynch, not matters concerning potential Russian collusion with the President Donald Trump's campaign team, Rep. Francis Rooney insisted Wednesday.
"I hope they get into what he did about Hillary Clinton and the whole thing about Loretta Lynch meeting on the airplane," the Florida Republican told CNN "New Day" co-anchor Alisyn Camerota."That is the big story."
"It is?" Camerota asked.
"It is to me," said Rooney. "This guy has been playing games ever since the campaign."
"The campaign is over," Camerota told him. "Now President Trump is in the White House and now the question is whether or not President Trump pressed him [Comey] to back off the Michael Flynn investigation."
Rooney was referring to an incident last summer during which former President Bill Clinton, not his wife and Democratic nominee Hillary, met with then-Attorney General Lynch on her airplane while it was parked on a tarmac in Arizona.The meeting occurred hours before a special House Benghazi Committee released its report on the 2012 Libyan attacks, and in the midst of the investigation into the former secretary of state's use of a private email server.
On Wednesday, Rooney said all involved should "let everybody get all the words out" during Comey's upcoming testimony. "There's been a lot of innuendo and vague statements and second guessing of statements. Like you said, did he mean this or not mean that ... once the testimony is out, he we will realize this is a side show and we need to focus on making America stronger in the world."
Rooney said he's also not as concerned about reports that Comey kept memos from his meetings with Trump as he is about what the former FBI director will actually say.
"Every time this guy Comey speaks, it is a different story," said Rooney. "I would like to get it all on the table and get the context of it and what was said and not said. It is one thing to apply pressure, which [deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein says was not done. It is another thing to move on and save the world. The world's a dangerous place."
He also commented that he does not think anyone knows for sure about Russia meddling in the election, telling Camerota that "disinformation is common aspect of intelligence gathering and espionage. I imagine every country has it."
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