BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Let's talk about this other blockbuster story in my mind. Byron York yesterday in the Washington Examiner talked about a story that's out today that says that his sources have told him that James Comey, when he was still in the job, told at least two other people that, from his perspective, Michael Flynn did not lie to the FBI.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): That's right, regarding the meetings that he may have had -- that he did have with the Russian ambassador. Byron's piece also goes on to say that even if he did talk about sanctions or anything else, that would not have been against the law. Nonetheless, these lawmakers who were briefed on it, after they heard from James Comey, it's like, “OK, this guy's not going to be charged.” Couple weeks later, he's charged. What happened? That's the big question.
[...]
AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): So, just like the title of Hillary's book, people want to know what happened.
DOOCY: Sure.
KILMEADE: So the question is, just to reframe the whole thing, after four -- eight years of really doing nothing against Russia while they take over the Ukraine, while they fly into the Middle East, the administration suddenly gets tough three weeks before they're done finished through, and they put sanctions on Russia for meddling in the election. So evidently, on some level Michael Flynn has a meeting with the ambassador -- [former Russian] Ambassador [to the United States Sergei] Kislyak, and says, “listen, don't overreact to these sanctions, we're going to take over, we're going to reexamine this whole thing,” and by the way, Russia didn't. [Former National Security Advisor] Steve Hadley used to have a job that Michael Flynn had for 24 days and said, ”I don't see what is wrong if Flynn simply said, 'look, don't retaliate, doesn’t make sense, it hurts my country, it makes it harder for us, as an incoming administration, to reconsider Russian policy." So the question is, he didn't tell President Trump about it, that's a mistake, and didn't tell the vice president about it, that was a mistake, but nothing to really get you kicked out of the job.
EARHARDT: Well he pleaded not -- he pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI.
DOOCY: Here's what it ultimately boils down to: You have James Comey, the head of the FBI, he said, “didn't look like he lied to us.” And yet, was he overruled by somebody at the Department of Justice? Keep in mind, at this time, Sally Yates, then the deputy attorney general, she thought he might have broken the Logan Act and was susceptible to blackmail. So did she push that? We don't know. All we know is that James Comey said, “yeah, we don't think he did anything wrong,” and yet he wound up pleading guilty.
