Sen. Mike Lee said Sunday that he doesn't believe fired FBI Director James Comey would lie under oath, but he also doesn't see any indication that there was potential for corruption or obstruction of justice.
"There is no evidence whatsoever of any collusion between the Russian government and any presidential campaign," the Utah Republican told ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos. "If Robert Mueller [the special counsel] or anyone else uncovers evidence suggesting something else, then I am sure that will be pursued. We have to deal with facts that have been brought so far. I just don't see it. It's not there."
He did, however, criticize Comey for leaking memos through a friend to The New York Times, even while he acknowledged he also does not know if that was a crime, as some in Trump's circle have suggested.
"I am not wild about the fact he had these memos leaked, leaked specifically with the intent of prompting the appointment of a special counsel," said Lee. "That doesn't seem to be the kind of thing we want out of an FBI director … in a bureau where leaking seems to be a problem."
Meanwhile, when it comes to a comparison between Comey and Trump and who is telling the truth, Lee said it's time for whomever has evidence to come forward.
"If he's got evidence of collusion, of corruption, of obstruction, bring it forward," said Lee. "I have yet to see anything, even a scintilla, and so it's time to wrap this up and time to move on. I don't see any evidence of anything happening here and it is a result I think it's time to move forward."
Lee also discussed Attorney General Jeff Sessions and whether he should have recused himself from the decision to fire Comey, saying he still has confidence in Sessions.
"Jeff Sessions is a close personal friend of mine," said Lee. "He's someone in whom I have a lot of confidence. I don't know what exactly happened or what meetings he had. I'm confident that Jeff Sessions would never intentionally mislead anyone or intentionally misstate the truth."
The fact that the Russian government tried to impact the 2016 election is not contested, said Lee, but "there is no evidence whatsoever of any collusion between the Russian government and any presidential campaign."
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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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