I can't see how any other conclusion based on fact can be reached, unless of course you are still subscribing to the fictional narratives of the left & their surrogate media. They have been positing this Russia collusion nonsense for six moths and had it deep sixed in a matter of minutes...:chuckle:
It's never been "deep-sixed", and the indications only get stronger.
Well he doesn't have the right to disclose anything, nor does any federal employee, whether it was classified or not.
...
18 U.S. Code § 641 read it!
You might want to reread that statute a bit, because it doesn't say what you think it does. Here it is, in relevant part:
Whoever embezzles, steals, purloins, or knowingly converts to his use or the use of another, or without authority, sells, conveys or disposes of any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, or any property made or being made under contract for the United States or any department or agency thereof;
...
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; but if the value of such property in the aggregate, combining amounts from all the counts for which the defendant is convicted in a single case, does not exceed the sum of $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. |
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/641, emphasis added.
I think even you would agree that the memos weren't stolen, as they were created by Comey.
So, assuming that it is a public record, which is a big assumption (see below, no need to raise your objection at this point), you have to show that the release was unauthorized. See, federal departments give out records all the time, but they do have the right to establish rules for how that can occur. Various agencies and departments generally establish their own guidelines for how this can be done, but in general, especially with an organization as independent as the FBI, this happens under the general direction of the head of the department, i.e., James Comey. And given that he seems to have created these memos for the express purpose of being released to the public, I see no reason following through on that intent would be illegal.
There is no such thing as personal property including memos that are private when created in an official capacity and to disclose any of it especially to people outside of the government is a crime... he did, and yes it very well may become a problem for him.
It's broadly true that documents created as part of the government's business are official records, {and I'm guessing that's where you'll stop reading...} although it's possible that a department could create a policy to carve out a niche for reasonable exceptions. What constitutes a public record actually involves a fair amount of judgement on the part of the public servant, and it's not out of the question that a government lawyer could be given the right to keep private personal notes to protect their own legal interests as they perform their jobs. And what's legal to disclose publicly, privately, or in some other form depends entirely on department policies unless some classification applies to it.
Except that it points out that it "could" be a government record, not that it is, and it says that it could be considered evidence, which is also true, but since he hasn't been subpoenaed for it as far as we know, so he isn't obligated to retain it, and since he seems to have coordinated with Robert Mueller prior to testifying and handed over the memos he still has, there's no legitimate complaint that he's mishandled it. Maybe you could complain that he should have handed the memo he leaked over, I would assume that he and Mueller have talked about that and Comey has satisfied any demands Mueller might have made.
None of these cases has been adjudicated, especially Clinton, their foundation, the ties to the Obama administration, domestic spying & unmasking of American citizens all of which are still investigations in play. I am sure they are being reviewed by the DOJ & reinvestigated by FBI as required...it aint a settled matter. Comey's admissions of the goings on with Lynch just made him look more dubious...like I said it aint over.
It's also irrelevant to this case.
Yet, Comey said the rabbit hole that you lefties are going down with this separate Russian collusion investigation is based in fallacy.
No, he didn't. As I pointed out, the fact that Trump wasn't personally being investigated while Comey was at the FBI means next to nothing given the fires burning around him, and his dismissal of Comey could well have triggered an investigation that Comey couldn't have testified to since he was out of office.
I say let the investigation continue so, their will be more egg on the face of the left & their media mouthpieces, along with more wasted time, proving that the left is bankrupt in the arena of ideas, and have no solutions to the problems facing the nation but, the same old, same old.
Great. We'll take that risk.