The video is embedded in the linked post. Now, the last thing anyone would suspect out of CNN would be them smashing the hammer down on Comey, right? Actually, Comey did get a pretty tough interview from CNN's Jake Tapper last week. Surprisingly tough. And surprisingly on point, too. It makes you wonder how often Tapper is playing dumb. But, overall, you wouldn't expect CNN to tear up Comey. Attacking Comey approximates a defense of Trump, something they avoid at all cost.
Tapper is one thing, but Anderson Cooper? He's like the Deep State personified: a blue-blooded homosexual whose major achievements include crying on TV at the right times. We might expect Anderson (how the hell is that a first name?) to give a pretend tough interview, to keep up appearances. But this is a for-real tough interview. Look at their body postures: Comey hunched over, Anderson leaned back as far as he can. Comey's voice displays real defensiveness; Cooper's is fast and agitated. It's like he's being aggressive yet doesn't feel very comfortable laying it on poor ol' Comey. And you got to give it to Jim for coming out for another beating. He's either brave or stupid. Was he expecting this kind of an interview? I suspect not, given his apparent frustration. Nothing rouses anger like denial of expectation. The way attack journalists work is to be very cordial and friendly before the shoot and then switch demeanor just as the cameras start rolling. Comey, like the rest of us, was probably expecting a friendly interview.
We expect CNN to give Comey every benefit of the doubt. Defending himself, Comey offered up a technicality, that unclassified documents aren't really leaks, not in the sense of the leaks he was concerned about as director of the FBI. I'd be willing to entertain the argument: that a former employer leaking the gist of his own unclassified memo may not, in itself, be a grievous offense. (Although the unclassified aspect is disputed.) At any rate, Cooper is having absolutely none of it. It is quite clear he has a mission: to associate Comey with the word leaker. How many times does he say it, just in that little segment? Anyone watching comes away with the impression that Comey is a leaky Leaker McLeakerson. Why?
It's interesting that one of Comey's own leaked memos pretty much confirms that Clapper leaked the pee-pee dossier to CNN, and then coerced Comey to brief Trump on it so that he could leak that to CNN as well. Will Anderson Cooper, so condemning of Comey's memo leak, drag his co-worker Clapper onto the stage and give him the same grilling for far more serious leaking? You can bet that will never happen. Comey was set up as the fall guy long ago. Clapper knew all along the investigation was bunk, of course. (The Strzok-Page texts indicates that at least some in the FBI were true believers.) The hope was always that if they could get a blood-thirsty independent counsel to go through the real estate tycoon's financials with a fine-toothed comb they'd find something to bag him for. It came up dry, so they've moved on to other activities, like raiding Trump's lawyer on the recommendation of a prostitute, and tying up the FBI operation by letting Comey take the fall. The Cooper/Comey interview is setting us up for the approaching situation where conservatives will be furious at the extreme politicization verified by the DOJ-OIG, and liberals will be furious that the Mueller expedition came up empty-handed. Comey is now positioned to bear the full brunt of the fury from both sides.
The big question I have is about Comey's own testimony that he leaked his memos with the intention of prompting a special counsel. Why did he think that? There's nothing in the memos incriminating. Did Comey say, "I know, I'll leak the memo that shows Trump is a rambler and demands loyalty, just like everyone already knows. That will compel Rosenstein to set up a special counsel." His memos probably didn't provide cause for the special counsel (although the EC is still not public) and has not helped Comey at all. But they're a godsend if you're James Clapper, the real leaker behind the scenes. I suspect someone put the idea in Comey's head that his leaking would prompt a special counsel. Someone also put the idea in Comey's head that he should record his interactions with Trump in memos, which wasn't done for any other official. You can guess who the prime suspect is. Comey should be smart enough to see the trap he's in, and that his window of opportunity will close quickly with the end of the Mueller probe and the release of the OIG report.
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