Steve Benen makes a great point about President Obama’s choice of James Comey to be the next Director of the FBI.
But there’s one other angle that’s worth thinking about as the process unfolds: if Obama had any reason to worry about ongoing investigations casting the White House in a negative light, the president would not have chosen a Republican with a history of independence to lead the FBI. On the contrary, if Obama were the least bit concerned about the so-called “scandals,” he’d be eager to do the opposite — choosing a Democratic ally for the FBI.
If James Comey is known for anything, it’s for his willingness to stand up to the Bush administration and defend the rule of law. No one knew who Comey was until the story broke about the Bush administration’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program. It was then that it emerged that Bush chief of staff Andy Card and chief counsel Alberto Gonzales visited Attorney General John Ashcroft in his post-operative hospital bed in an attempt to get him to sign off on more warrantless wiretapping. At the time, James Comey was serving as acting Attorney General, and he got wind of the plot an raced to the hospital in time to protect Ashcroft and put an end to the criminal behavior of the administration.
If Comey was unwilling to look the other way during a Republican administration, there is no reason to believe he would help cover up any crimes committed by a Democratic one.
