Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined Democrats on Monday in complaining about ex-FBI Director James Comey’s Sept. 25 indictment by a grand jury, suggesting that the White House may have applied undue influence on the Justice Department.
Murkowski’s concern comes across as insincere in light of how she responded in 2023 to President Donald Trump’s indictment over his handling of classified documents — an indictment made possible with the help of the Biden White House.
When asked about the senator’s response, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Blaze News, “The Trump administration will continue to deliver the truth to the American people and restore integrity to our justice system. It is the ultimate hypocrisy to accuse President Trump of what Joe Biden actively did throughout his presidency: engaging in lawfare against his political opponents.”
“The indictment against Comey, by a grand jury, speaks for itself, and the Trump administration looks forward to fair proceedings in the courts,” added Jackson.
Quick background
Comey was indicted on Sept. 25 on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
‘The charges in this case are quite serious and cannot be casually dismissed.’
Comey made the alleged false testimony to Congress on two occasions. However, owing to the relevant five-year statute of limitations, the second instance, in 2020, is at issue.
During a Senate hearing in 2017, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Comey whether he had “ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation.” Comey responded, “No.”
RELATED: Released FBI docs reveal Comey allegedly used media mole to plant info at New York Times for Russian collusion investigation
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
During a Senate hearing in 2020, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) referenced Grassley’s question, cited contradictory testimony provided by ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, then prompted Comey to respond. Comey said, “I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”
“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement regarding Comey’s indictment. “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
Claiming innocence, Comey said in response to the indictment, “Let’s have a trial.”
“JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “He has been so bad for our Country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”
Murkowski’s response, this time
Democrats such as Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Adam Schiff (Calif.) weren’t not the only lawmakers who previously pretended the indictment of President Donald Trump was not political but that Comey’s is.
Murkowski, among the seven Republican senators who voted unsuccessfully in 2021 to convict the president on impeachment charges of “incitement of insurrection,” joined in, stating on Monday that “the Department of Justice has long been insulated from presidential administrations to protect public trust in the rule of law. But that independence is called into question when overt political pressure from the White House leads to unusual personnel changes and criminal charges filed just days after the president calls for them.”
“Former FBI Director James Comey, like any American, is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial. As the legal process moves forward, I expect the DOJ to act in accordance with the Constitution and federal law, and to demonstrate that this case is being handled free from political interference,” continued Murkowski. “If Americans come to believe that federal prosecutions are driven by politics rather than facts and evidence, the damage will be difficult to undo.”
Murkowski’s response, last time
Murkowski alternatively appeared receptive in 2023 to the 37-count indictment brought against President Donald Trump in the classified documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, whom a judge later determined had been unlawfully appointed by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Murkowski said of the indictment brought in June 2023 by Smith, “No one is above the law but every American is innocent until proven guilty. Still, the charges in this case are quite serious and cannot be casually dismissed.”
“Mishandling classified documents is a federal crime because it can expose national secrets, as well as the sources and methods they were obtained through,” continued the Alaska politician. “The unlawful retention and obstruction of justice related to classified documents are also criminal matters. Anyone found guilty — whether an analyst, a former president, or another elected or appointed official — should face the same set of consequences.”
RELATED: ‘Shut it down’: Newly released FBI doc reveals who apparently killed probes into Clinton Foundation
Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Breakthrough T1D
In addition to emphasizing the gravity of the charges against Trump and suggesting they could not “be casually dismissed” — which she did not do in the case of Comey’s indictment — Murkowski refrained from raising alarm about the role that the Biden White House played in the criminal probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents.
For instance, a year earlier, Just the News detailed government documents showing that after Trump voluntarily returned 15 boxes of classified information and other materials to the National Archives and Records Administration in January 2022, then-White House deputy counsel Jonathan Su engaged in discussions with the Biden DOJ, the FBI, and NARA.
Su reportedly set the stage for the DOJ to get a grand jury to issue Trump a subpoena by indicating Biden would not object to waiving Trump’s claims to executive privilege.
Then-acting National Archivist Debra Steidel Wall acknowledged the Biden White House’s involvement in a May 10, 2022, letter to Trump’s lawyers.
“The counsel to the president has informed me that, in light of the particular circumstances presented here, President Biden defers to my determination, in consultation with the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, regarding whether or not I should uphold the former president’s purported ‘protective assertion of executive privilege,'” wrote Wall. “I have therefore decided not to honor the former president’s ‘protective’ claim of privilege.”
While the probe leading to the indictment was clearly facilitated by the Biden White House, Murkowksi did not complain of “political interference.”
She also did not appear overly concerned about political interference when Jack Smith brought another indictment against Trump in August 2023 — lawfare of the kind sources told the New York Times Biden had said he wanted to see executed by his DOJ.
Blaze News has reached out to Murkowski for comment.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
