Members of the House Judiciary Committee will have several vital questions to ask of former FBI Director James Comey, but one of the most important one will be how Comey presided over such an "inept" organization, former House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said Friday.
"You have an FBI, the upper echelon in chaos," the former Utah Republican congressman and current Fox News contributor told "Fox and Friends." "Most all of these people have had to resign. They have been fired. How is it that Mr. Comey presided over one of the most inept FBI organizations in the history of the FBI? And why is it there was so much bias and animus going on there?"
The committee subpoenaed Comey in late November, but he fought against testifying in private about the bureau's decisions on investigations before the 2016 presidential election. He finally agreed to sit behind closed doors, after Republicans on the committee promised to provide him with a full transcript within 24 hours, and to allow him to make any or all of it public.
Chaffetz, who has questioned Comey before, said there will likely be questions about FBI leaks, and "real deep questions about FISA abuse, as well as questions about the timing of when the FBI started to look into the Trump administration.
The former congressman also commented on reports that Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, could be under consideration to replace fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Thursday, The Washington Post reported that late President George H.W. Bush's attorney general, William Barr, is the leading contender for the spot, but if Barr is not picked, Ratcliffe could be chosen.
Chaffetz said Barr "seems to be highly qualified," but he thinks Trump would "miss a real opportunity" if he doesn't pick Ratcliffe, as he "brings a portfolio of experience and serve the president well and this nation well as the attorney general."
He said he also thinks the Senate would look upon Ratcliffe, a former U.S. Attorney and federal terrorism prosecutor, favorably.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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