Cruz to Comey: 'You Were Deliberately Corrupt or Woefully Incompetent, and I Don't Believe You Were Incompetent'

Nick Kangadis | September 30, 2020
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Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s law career and debate background serves him well in Senate committee hearings when questioning a panel or an “expert” giving testimony in the sense that he knows how to sequence his inquiries.

Former FBI Director James Comey virtually sat down to testify on Wednesday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing to try and clear the air and get to the bottom of the FBI’s activities during the investigation of whether there was a connection between President Donald Trump and the Russian government.

Cruz used his skills to grill Comey on why there were discrepancies between testimony he gave in 2017 and statements made by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe concerning whether or not authorization was given to use FBI agents as an “anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton administration.” McCabe has publicly stated “he leaked information to the Wall Street Journal, as Cruz pointed out.

“Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying and what you testified to this committee cannot both be true. One or the other is false,” Cruz said before asking his question. “Who’s telling the truth?”

“I can only speak to my testimony,” Comey said, basically dodging the question. “I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.”

“So your testimony is you’ve never authorized anyone to leak?” Cruz responded. “And Mr. McCabe, if he says contrary, is not telling the truth. Is that correct?”

“Again, I’m not going to characterize Andy’s testimony, but mine is the same today,” Comey said.

So Comey’s saying that he doesn’t want to “characterize” McCabe’s testimony as being true or false?

Cruz wasn’t buying Comey’s perceived incompetence, at all. Cruz concluded his time with a statement on his belief of both Comey and the FBI.

This investigation of the president was corrupt. The FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) were politicized and weaponized, and in my opinion there are only two possibilities: That you were deliberately corrupt or woefully incompetent. And I don’t believe you were incompetent. This has done severe damage to the professionals and the honorable men and women at the FBI, because law enforcement should not be used as a political weapon. And that is the legacy you have left.

To view the exchange, watch the video at the top.

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