The real reason the House GOP just subpoenaed James Comey and Loretta Lynch
Yesterday, former FBI Director James Comey revealed that he had just received an unwelcome Thanksgiving surprise: a subpoena to testify for the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, sometime between now and when the Democrats take control of the House in early January. Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch also received a similar subpoena. The question was an obvious one: just what does the GOP think it’s doing at this late date?
James Comey spelled out on Twitter why this subpoena effort isn’t likely to go very far: “I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a “closed door” thing because I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see.”
Considering that Comey wiped the floor with the GOP the last time he publicly testified about Trump-Russia, it’s unlikely they’ll allow him to do so again. And because Comey and Lynch can probably spend the next five weeks fighting the subpoena (in court if necessary) and running out the clock until the Democrats take control of the House, this seems to be a dead end for the GOP. But that may be the entire point.
The timing of these subpoenas seems to give away their true intent. If the House GOP was serious about hauling in Comey and Lynch so it could pummel them with one last round of conspiracy theory nonsense, it would have subpoenaed them sooner than this so as to increase the odds of them ultimately being forced to show up. Instead these subpoenas seem to be aimed at simply grabbing headlines for a day or two. The only reason to do that would be as a distraction from the major Trump-Russia arrests that Donald Trump and his allies fear may be coming this weekend.
