Fox & Friends Reacts To Reports Trump Asked Comey To End Flynn Investigation By Claiming Comey Actually Broke The Law

Steve Doocy: Comey “Would Have Been Obligated By Law To Immediately Report It, But He Didn't”

From the May 17 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

Video file

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Meanwhile, if anyone grew up anywhere on the planet, you had a chance to pick up and see the breaking news that happened yesterday. That's The New York Times story that evidently a source close to James Comey, the former FBI director, picked up the phone and called in to a New York Times reporter and says, “I have a memo to read you,” because James Comey kept copious notes of his meetings, one of which was the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at which time there was some explosive allegations there. But this is according to a reporter -- according to a source --

AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Some sort of a leaker.

KILMEADE: -- who read this excerpt from what is allegedly to be James Comey's notes about a meeting with Donald Trump. 

EARHARDT: In that memo --

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): An associate of Mr. Comey's. 

EARHARDT: That's right. He says in the memo that James Comey either talked to the president or was in a meeting in the Oval Office, and he said the president asked him to shut down the Mike Flynn investigation, who used to be the NSA director. He said, “I hope can you let this go. He's a good guy.” 

DOOCY: Right and when you say, Ainsley, “Shut down the investigation,” essentially that's the headline in the mainstream media. But there are a lot of people who are now saying when he said, “I hope you can let this go,” what did he mean exactly? This morning we're going to be talking about what legal experts say about is it obstruction of justice? Probably a dumb thing to bring up with the FBI director. But did it break the law? We don't know yet. 

KILMEADE: Here's what the White House said. And they have a lot to push back on. Man ,they were working all night. And this is arguably the busiest week in the history of presidential politics, modern politics, if you consider the amount of big stories that are coming out. “While the president has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including an investigation involving General Flynn,” who left after 23 days. 

DOOCY: Right. When you look at what he said, “I hope can you let this go,” he's not ordering him to end it. And so what you've got and you look at the mainstream media, you look at the legacy press and stuff like that, you see, “Oh, he ordered him to deep 60 investigation.” Not exactly right. 

EARHARDT: Well here's the thing. If this is true, let's see the memo. Release the memo. That's what Jason Chaffetz, Congressman Jason Chaffetz [(R-UT)], who's Overhouse Oversight, he wrote a letter to the new acting FBI director and he said if this exists, if these notes exist, if this memo exists, we want to see them. 

DOOCY: But here's the thing. If -- and James Comey I think has fancied himself the last honest man in Washington, D.C. If it is true that the president ordered him to end the investigation on Valentine's Day, as is suggested by The New York Times, that man right there would have been obligated by law to immediately report it, but he didn't. He didn't come out with this. We haven't seen the memo. An associate read it to a reporter over the phone. Sebastian Gorka, who's working at the White House right now, says this is all part of fake news.

Previously:

Fox's First Reaction On Bombshell Flynn/Trump New York Times Report Was To Call The Story “Fake News”

Fox's Eric Bolling: Comey Leaked Memo To Press Only Because It “Had To Do With His Own Ass Being Fired”

Charles Krauthammer: Comey Is A “Man Who May Not Be Always Acting Honorably”