The hoopla over James Comey's upcoming testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee is nothing more than hype from the media which hopes the ex-FBI chief will implicate President Donald Trump in the obstruction of justice, former House majority leader Tom DeLay tells Newsmax TV.
"I think this is just a bunch of hype by the news media to be honest about you. I can't imagine that this is going to be anything but a circus," DeLay, a Texas Republican, said Tuesday on "America Talks Live" with Bill Tucker.
"I think the media just wants Comey to say out of his own mouth that Donald Trump asked him to back off on [his former national security adviser] Mike Flynn.
"That's all they want which is okay. I mean there's nothing wrong with that. The president has every opportunity to do that and he's the president of the United States. As we've seen Comey works for him – or did."
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Last week, CNN reported that Comey will testify in the Senate that Trump pressured him to end his investigation into Flynn's ties to Russia. The Senate Intelligence Committee is probing possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in influencing the 2016 presidential election.
"If [Trump] did say this, what he was saying was Mike Flynn was just fired. He's been embarrassed worldwide. He's under investigation. Can't you just go easy on him? This was not a threat. This was not a collusion. This was not corruption," DeLay told Tucker.
"This is the president of the United States having sympathy for Mike Flynn. That's it. There's nothing illegal about that … I hope this hearing will be used by some members of the Senate to show the American people why Trump fired Comey.
"Comey should've been fired many years ago. Comey is a grandstander. He's a guy that wants to see himself on television. He's constantly trying to protect his future. He should've been fired last year by [President Barack] Obama."
DeLay added that he expects Senate Republicans to be very confrontational in grilling Comey.
"I think these members are going to show the American people who Comey is and they're not going to let him get away," he said.
DeLay also discussed the ongoing rifts among Republicans in trying to stay on message and pass legislation.
"It all started back when John Boehner was [Republican House] speaker. He allowed different factions within his conference to go off on their own. He tried to shut them out. He tried to use Democrats to undermine them and that's continuing to go on," DeLay said.
"What they ought to be doing and what they should've been doing at the first of this year is bringing all these members together, having at their retreat a discussion about the agenda, have everybody sign on to the agenda, then once everybody signs on to the agenda then you can go forward.
"Right now you've got like … fifty-two different authors of the healthcare bill. It just boggles my mind … Somewhere, somehow they got to get through to the House and the Senate that their futures are on the line and if they don't deliver for the American people this summer they're going to be in a world of hurt next year."
He hinted that the egos of individual senators is another key issue.
"The Senate is a problem because each senator looks in the mirror every morning and says 'good morning, Mr. President,"' DeLay said.
"It is tougher to lead. I think [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell is doing the best he can right now to be honest with you. I think the pressure that's building will start bringing people together and you're going to see people start moving in the next few weeks.
"I'm just very hopeful that people will understand that their political future is to come together and work together and get something done. I'm hoping that the political pressure will force them to do that."
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