Posted on 01/23/2018 2:55:22 PM PST by markomalley
A friend of former FBI director James Comey who leaked sensitive FBI memos to The New York Times in the wake of Comey’s firing in 2017 now claims to be Comey’s personal attorney. Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University, told The Federalist via phone on Tuesday afternoon that he was now personally representing Comey.
The revelation comes in the wake of news that Comey was interviewed by the special counsel’s office last year. According to The New York Times, the line of questioning from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller focused on memos that Comey wrote and later leaked after he was fired from his job by President Donald Trump. A review of FBI policies governing the handling of sensitive government documents suggests Comey violated FBI policy by leaking the memos, which were produced on government time, using government equipment, and directly related to his official government responsibilities, according to Comey’s own testimony before Congress.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote in a letter to the Department of Justice on January 3 that at least one of the memos Comey provided to his friend was classified.
“My staff has since reviewed these memoranda in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) at the FBI, and I reviewed them in a SCIF at the Office of Senate Security,” Grassley wrote. “The FBI insisted that these reviews take place in a SCIF because the majority of the memos are classified. Of the seven memos, four are marked classified at the ‘SECRET’ or ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ levels.”
“If it’s true that Professor Richman had four of the seven memos, then in light of the fact that four of the seven memos the Committee reviewed are classified, it would appear that at least one memo the former FBI director gave Professor Richman contained classified information,” Grassley noted in the letter.
Reached by phone on Tuesday, Richman refused to say when his legal representation of Comey began or whether he was personally representing Comey when the former FBI director testified before Congress in June 2017 about his deliberate leaking of the FBI records. The specific timing of the attorney-client relationship is important, because it may shield conversations between Comey and Richman regarding the coordinated leak of FBI records to the media from law enforcement scrutiny. Richman’s legal work on behalf of Comey was not known before today, as Comey testified before Congress in 2017 that Richman was merely a friend.
“I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter,” Comey testified last June in response to a question from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “Didn’t do it myself, for a variety of reasons.”
“But I asked him to, because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel,” Comey continued. “And so I asked a close friend of mine to do it.”
“Who was that?” Collins asked.
“A good friend of mine who’s a professor at Columbia Law School,” Comey responded.
Despite being given multiple opportunities to do so, Comey never characterized Richman as his attorney, nor did he suggest that his directions to Richman to leak the memos to the media were privileged attorney-client communications. The news that Richman is now representing Comey raises questions about whether the special counsel may be investigating Comey and Richman for their roles in leaking classified information to the news media in order to get revenge on Trump for firing Comey.
The tactic of using attorney-client privilege to shield potentially illegal communications from law enforcement scrutiny is not a new one. During the FBI investigation of then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s potential mishandling of classified information, Cheryl Mills, one of Clinton’s top government aides at the State Department, also claimed that she could not testify about her communications with Clinton on the matter because she was also serving as Clinton’s personal attorney.
“I have nothing to say about any of this,” Richman responded, when asked directly whether attorney-client privilege was being asserted in order to shield his communications with Comey regarding the deliberate leaking of classified documents to the media.
Richman was first licensed to practice law in the state of New York in 1986, according to public records, and his current law license in that state is valid through October 2018.
Wasn’t that one of the OJ tricks/scams?
I don’t see how this assertion helps Comey.
Nailed it
“Mueller will be retired in the coming weeks”
Who is going to ‘retire’ Mueller? If he’s not fired, he will continue his coup. Next.
Barnyard stuff
Comey is over the edge.
If this “Lawyer” is a material witness he can be called as a witness in any action against Comey. It’s up to the judge. They don’t like to do it but will do it if there is an obvious effort to hide info as seems to be the case here.
“or do what smart weasels do- turn state’s evidence against the rest”
NO ONE wants to be the first in this den of thieves and traitors to step forward.
Protection is NOT assured, and these people will have you killed and not even think twice about it.
“or do what smart weasels do- turn state’s evidence against the rest”
NO ONE wants to be the first in this den of thieves and traitors to step forward.
Protection is NOT assured, and these people will have you killed and not even think twice about it.
There’s nothing to disallow. There is no privilege.
There are two elements to consider her. First, the fact that Comey told his supposed “lawyer” something. Second, the substance of what Comey said to the lawyer (the actual classified information itself). Comey already stated publicly that Comey told “his friend” to leak the information. That’s a party admission. So the fact that the communication occured is not privileged, because Comey has blown any privilege there was.
As for the substance, information that an attorney passed from his client to a reporter is unprivileged precisely because it was passed on to the reporter.
oops
One person is denying us Justice, and it’s not Sessions, its Trump. He could Fire Sessions, replace him with Pruitt ( EPA Confirmed already ) And get to it, but he does not. Hell, when Wray told him ‘Fire McCabe and I will quit”, Trump Groveled and backed down. Its time people call it as it is...
he cant be his attorney because he participated in the criminal activity under investigation....no privilege between the two on anything.....first year law student knows this.
he cant be his attorney because he participated in the criminal activity under investigation....no privilege between the two on anything.....first year law student knows this.
Good doggie. Have a biscuit.
Unreal. Nightmare.
>> “ Apparently Comey is now starting to become nervous pulling this stunt. “ >>>
Comey is such the self-righteous narcissist that he will wind up doing himself in. He looks so ridiculous when in high stride into these investigative committee interviews, with his triumphant grin, and his pop up tweets on ethics, scripture, and curb side lectures on wisdom.
Comey is clinical, at this point.
Hi Rita.
U are so right.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.