Comey Hearing McCain Testimony

McCain Questions.txt

[McCain] 
In the case of uh... Hillary Clinton, you made the statement that there wasn't uh... sufficient evidence to bring a suit against her although it'd been very uh, careless in their behavior but you did reach a conclusion in that case that it was not necessary to further pursue her. Yet at the same time in the case of Mr. Comey you said that there was not…not enough evidence to make a conclusion. Tell me the difference between your conclusion as far as former Secretary Clinton is concerned and...and Mr. Trump.


[Comey]
The Clinton investigation was a completed investigation that the FBI had been deeply involved in so I had the opportunity to understand all the facts and apply those facts against the laws as I understood them. This investigation was underway [shrugs] still going when I was fired so it's nowhere near in the same place, least it wasn't when I was-


[McCain]
[interrupting] But it's still ongoing.


[Comey]
Correct. So far as I know. It was when I left.


[McCain]
That investigation was going on, this investigation was going on, and you reached separate conclusions?


[Comey]
No, that one was done. In-


[McCain]
[interrupting] That investigation of the involvement of Secretary Clinton or any of her associates is completed?


[Comey]
Yes, as of July the 5th the FBI completed its investigative work and that's what I was announcing. What we had done and what we had found.


[McCain]
Well at least in the minds of this member there is a whole lot of questions remaining about what went on particularly considering the fact that as you mentioned that it’s a quote big deal as to what went on during the campaign. So I’m glad that you completed that part of the investigation but I think that the American people have a whole lot of questions out there particularly since you just emphasized the role that Russia played! And obviously she was a candidate for President at the time, so she was clearly involved in this whole… situation where… fake news… uh, as you just described it big deal! …uh, took place! Uh… you’re gonna have to help me out here! In other words we’re complete the investigation of anything that former Secretary Clinton had to with the campaign is over and we don’t have to worry about it anymore?


[Comey]
With respect to Secre-[interrupts self] I'm not, I'm a little confused Senator. With respect to Secretary Clinton-


[McCain]
[interrupting] Yeah.


[Comey]
[continuing] We investigated criminal investigation in connection with her use of a personal email server-


[McCain]
[interrupting] I understand.


[Comey]
[continuing] and that's the investigation I announced the conclusion of on July 5th.


[McCain]
So, but at the same time you made the announcement there would charges brought against then Secretary Clinton for any involved in the Russia involvement in our engagement in our, uh, election. I don't quite understand how you could be done with that but not completely done with the whole investigation of their attempt to effect the outcome of our election.


[Comey]
No, I'm sorry. We're not, at least when I left, when I was fired on May the 9th there was still an open active investigation to understand the Russian efforts and whether any Americans work with them.


[McCain]
But you reached the conclusion that there was no reason to bring charges against Secretary Clinton. So you reached a conclusion in Mr. Comey you uh… the President Comey uh…


[Comey]
No sir.


[McCain]
Excuse me, the case of President Trump you uh, have an ongoing investigation. So you got one candidate who you're done with and another candidate that you have a long way to go. Is that correct?


[Comey]
I don't know how far the FBI has to go but yes, that the Clinton email investigation was completed, the investigation of Russia's efforts in connection with the election and whether there was any coordination and if so with whom 


[McCain]
[Attempts to interrupt]


[Comey]
[Continues] between Russia in the campaign was ongoing when I left.


[McCain]
You just made it clear and what you said is a quote big deal unquote uh… [long pause]


[Comey]
[Nods]


[McCain]
I think it's hard to reconcile you, in one case you reach a complete conclusion and in the other side you have, you have not, and you in fact obviously there's a lot more there as we know, as you called it a quote big deal she's one of the candidates but in her case you say there will be no charges and in the case of President Trump there, the res… uh… the investigation continues. What has been brought out in this hearing is, is more and more emphasis on the Russian engagement and involvement in this campaign. How serious do you think this was?


[Comey]
Very serious, but I want to say someth-be clear. It was, we have not announced and there was no predication to announce an investigation of whether the Russians may have Secretary Clinton's campaign. Secretary Clinton's campaign-


[McCain]
[interrupting] No but they may not have been involved with their campaign, they were involved with the entire presidential campaign obviously.


[Comey]
Of course. Yes sir. And that, that is an investigation that began last summer and, as far as I'm aware, continues.


[McCain]
So… both President Trump and Former Candidate Clinton are both involved in the investigation yet one of them you said there's going to be no charges and the other one that the investigation continues. Well I think there's a double standard there to tell you the truth. Uh… Then when the president said to you he talked about the April 11th phone call and he said quote because I've been very loyal to you, very loyal, we had that thing you know. Did that arouse your curiosity is what quote that thing was?


[Comey]
Yes.


[McCain]
Why didn't you ask him?


[Comey]
It didn't seem to me to be important for the conversation we were having to understand it. I took it to some… An effort to, to uh… communicate to me this… that there is a relationship between us where I've been good to you, you should be good to me.


[McCain]
Yeah but I think it would intensely arouse my curiosity the President of the United States said we had that thing you know. I'd like to know what that thing is. Particularly if I'm the director of the FBI.


[Comey]
Yeah, I get that senator. Honestly I'll tell you what. This is speculation but I concluded at the time is in his memory he was searching back to your encounter at the dinner and was preparing himself to say I offered loyalty to you, you promised loyalty to me and all of a sudden his memory showed him that did not happen and I think he pulled up short. That's just a guess but I've had a lot of conversations with humans over the years-


[McCain]
[interrupting] I think I would have had some curiosity if it had been about me to be honest with you. So are you aware anything that would believe you to believe that the President or the members of the administration or members of the campaign could potentially be used to coerce or blackmail the administration?


[Comey]
That's a subject for investigations, not something I can comment on sitting here.


[McCain]
But you reach that conclusion as far as Secretary Clinton was concerned but you're not reaching a conclusion as far as this administration is concerned. Are you aware of anything that would lead you to believe that information exists that could uh… coerce members of the administration or blackmail the administration.


[Comey]
That's not a question I can answer Senator.


[Offscreen]
Senator's time has expired