AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): In the interview and in the book [James Comey] did admit to leaking. And this guy, his name is Daniel Richman, and we are just learning he had SGE. That is a special status at the FBI, “special government employee” is what that stands for.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): That's right. So that kind of changes everything. Because he had special status, he had security clearance, so he -- you know, the secret documents that Comey gave him that he could leak, he could, it looks like, could actually view them. What's interesting is though, out of -- the FBI has 35,000 employees. Why did James Comey have to give another FBI employee these leaks that he -- and -- you know, these documents. We don't know how many times this guy actually leaked to any press.
PETE HEGSETH (GUEST CO-HOST): No. No we don't.
DOOCY: We know for sure, once. But was it others? And by the way, this guy now is one of his attorneys, along with former US Attorney Peter Fitzgerald. So now there's, you know --
EARHARDT: Client-attorney privilege. So, he chose a friend, someone in the media, a law professor, an attorney, and he gave him status at the FBI. He covered all of his bases.
HEGSETH: Of course he did. So on the surface it almost looks better, right? “Well this guy had a security clearance, so Comey is giving him the documents.” But it's no better. In fact, it's even more insidious. It's almost like leak laundering. OK, I'm going to give the leaked documents to someone else with clearance --
EARHARDT: To protect myself.
HEGSETH: -- to protect myself and have some stand off, and then he'll leak it so I can plausibly deny that I was never a leaker. Think about that.
DOOCY: Remember last week -- it's been about 10 days now, Mr. Comey said with George Stephanopoulos, “I'm not a liar. I'm not a leaker, and I don't do those weasel things.” This kind of looks like a weasel thing.
