In July, Democrats couldn’t praise FBI Director James Comey enough after he said Hillary Clinton shouldn’t face criminal charges for using a private, unsecured e-mail server during her tenure as secretary of State.
On Friday, House Republicans announced Comey had changed his mind and the FBI would re-open its investigation into Hillary’s e-mails after discovering messages between Hillary and her longtime aide Huma Abedin on her husband Anthony Weiner’s computer. The news sent shockwaves through Democrats, who recently lauded the FBI director as an American hero.
Here are 12 times Democratic politicos couldn’t get enough of James Comey.
1. President Obama
During a press conference at his final NATO summit in July, Obama praised the FBI director for being “exhaustive” during his investigation into Clinton’s e-mails.
“I think Director Comey could not have been more exhaustive,” he said.
That wasn’t the first time POTUS had nice things to say about Comey. In June, the president called him a rarity, and said Comey didn’t care about politics, but was just interested in getting the job done.
Obama: "He's that rarity in Washington… he doesn’t care about politics, he only cares about getting the job done." https://t.co/XsmIXJiv9n pic.twitter.com/V1N2unkCJt
— Elliott Schwartz (@elliosch) October 31, 2016
The president has come under scrutiny after e-mails have come out revealing he communicated under an alias with Hillary via her private server, which indicates he knew about it for much longer than he’s admitted publicly. His involvement in the e-mail scandal is why some think the FBI and Department of Justice decided to shut down the initial investigation.
2.The Washington Post
The day after Comey announced he wanted to let Hillary off the hook, The Washington Post published an editorial crying about all the nasty Republicans who attacked the FBI director for just “doing his job.”
After the news broke over the weekend that his agency was re-opening the case, the same editorial board is now saying Comey “went too far” by giving Congress a head’s up about the investigation, and that he’s ruined democracy for everyone by casting a shadow over Hillary Clinton.
3. Donna Brazile
The DNC chairwoman tweeted out WaPo’s editorial praising Comey for doing such a good job of burying the Clinton investigation. She’s since tried to hide her feelings, deleting the aformentioned tweet after the FBI director changed his mind.
Oh, and by the way, @donnabrazile, deleting the tweet praising Comey doesn’t make it go away WHEN THERE ARE SCREENSHOTS. pic.twitter.com/iA5qjvq3bo
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) October 31, 2016
Brazile’s own e-mails came under scrutiny when she allegedly gave Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta a debate question in advance. According to e-mails published by WikiLeaks, she has apparently forwarded the Clinton team questions in advance more than once.
4. Rep. Nancy Pelosi
The House minority leader called Comey a “great man” and more or less said the FBI was lucky to have him. Over the weekend, however, she intimated that he was a weak and spineless coward who let Republicans bully him into changing his mind.
“The public interest would be served by the FBI providing the facts, rather than allowing Republicans to stoke innuendo and falsehoods 11 days away from a presidential election,” she said.
5. Sen. Harry Reid
On July 6, the Senate minority leader said no one can question Comey’s “integrity” and “competence.” He’s since been on the warpath against his former BFF for going after Hillary again, even going so far as to suggest Comey has put America in danger. In an open letter, Reid accused Comey of violating the Hatch Act for not taking Democrats seriously and investigating Donald Trump’s connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
6. Rep. Elijah Cummings
Back in July, the Democratic congressman reportedly told Comey he was the “epitome” of a public servant. Here’s the full barf-worthy quote.
I don’t know whether your family’s watching this, but I hope that they are as proud of you as I am, because you are the epitome of what a public servant is all about. . . Sacrificing over and over and over again, trying to do the right thing, sometimes coming under ridicule, but again still doing the right thing.
Now the bromance is totally over. On Monday, Cummings accused Comey of being a puppet for Republicans.
“It doesn’t surprise me, in a way, that he did this, because I don’t think the American people have a clue as to how hard the Republicans, particularly on my committee, have been on the FBI,” he said.
7. Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine
Last Sunday, Hillary’s running mate told Fox News’s Bret Baier he had called Comey “wonderful” and “tough.”
Last night, he called the re-opening of the probe “troubling.”
We interview Tim Kaine about the new FBI probe of Hillary Clinton emails. VICE News Tonight. 7:30. @HBO. pic.twitter.com/4F6mfadYoR
— VICE News (@VICENews) October 28, 2016
8. Joe Conason
When Trump and his supporters attacked the FBI director for closing the investigation into Hillary, The National Memo editor lauded Comey as a longtime public servant.
It is sick that anyone would believe tax-dodger Trump's slander of Jim Comey, who has spent 30 years serving USA https://t.co/Myw37zxUy6
— Joe Conason (@JoeConason) July 24, 2016
He’s since changed his tune.
Comey Ignored Attorney General, Violated Policy In Announcing Email Revew https://t.co/qxqlTJbq08
— Joe Conason (@JoeConason) October 30, 2016
9. Area Millennial Reporter
This Elite Daily writer thought it was “worth noting” that Comey, a nasty Republican, was good enough to clear queen Hillary of any wrongdoing a few months ago.
https://twitter.com/jchaltiwanger/status/767878969840570369
But now that Comey is looking into Hillary again, HE’S BEING OVERDRAMATIC, YOU GUYS.
https://twitter.com/jchaltiwanger/status/792760481081618433
10.David Axelrod
Obama’s former senior advisor once told CNN that Comey was “widely respected as a guy of integrity.” Axelrod even took to Twitter to say Comey wasn’t at all working in cahoots with Democrats.
Anyone who thinks Comey was in cahoots with the WH or @HillaryClinton camp should consider how thoroughly he stepped on @POTUS endorsement.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 6, 2016
On Friday, however, Axelrod accused Comey of being “irresponsible.”
.@FBI director Comey covering institutional butt /today's announcement, but it's really irresponsible not to clarify what it means.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) October 28, 2016
11. Rep. Ted Lieu
While Comey testified in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in July, the California Democrat asked Comey a series of effusive questions aimed at mocking House Republicans for questioning the FBI director’s decision to not go after Hillary.
“I would trust the FBI director,” Leiu said in July.
12. MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid
The MSNBC host wrote a scathing piece about Comey published in The Daily Beast on Saturday, alleging that Comey is letting House Republicans use the FBI as a political tool to punish Hillary.
Just a few months ago, she thought Comey’s investigation into Hillary’s e-mails, which led to zero consequences for the Democratic nominee, was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
A very good, and sober accounting of the emails story, and James Comey's nonpartisan seriousness of purpose. https://t.co/eREEajxq2w
— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) March 31, 2016
In July, she thought he was “no hack.”
Comey is no hack. There are things to easily disagree with him on (fed iPhone hacking, the so-called "Ferguson effect," but he's no hack.
— Nope. (@JoyAnnReid) July 5, 2016
Democrats’ slobbering love affair with the FBI director was just so embarrassing. I’m glad it’s over.
