A Department of Justice inspector general's report about former FBI Director James Comey will eventually justify President Donald Trump's decision to fire him, Rep. Darrell Issa said Thursday.
"This is a indictment of the behavior of Comey more than sufficient to show he should have been terminated," the California Republican, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"I think we have already seen the president's decision to terminate him was a good one."
The full report has not yet been released, but sources who have seen it told ABC News that Comey had defied authority more than once while he was FBI director. One source said the IG used the word "insubordinate" to how Comey had acted.
"What we make of it is that there was insubordination or belligerent arrogant attitude by the FBI director and that pattern continued," said Issa. "It was, 'Do what I want to do, the way I want to do.'"
For example, he said, Comey had suspected former Attorney General Loretta Lynch of misconduct, but never kept memos from their meeting. However, Comey kept memos from day one with President Donald Trump, he pointed out.
"Another example that's not in the report, but it bears listening and watch something when he claimed he had to literally force Apple to hack their own phone, if you will because it couldn't be done any other way," said Issa.
"Then of course, it turned out the opposite was true. He came before Congress and said it as an absolute when in fact it wasn't true at all."
Comey's actions in starting and stopping Hillary Clinton's email investigation also show "arrogance," said Issa, and that is "not befitting the director of the FBI."
Insubordination does not mean Comey acted illegally, said Issa, but as he did serve at the pleasure of the president, and if he has a "double standard" where he favors Clinton and not Trump and acted arrogant and insubordinate, that would be grounds for termination.
"A lot of what this IG report is going to show is that he was properly terminated as somebody who shouldn't be on the job," said Issa. "That's the most important thing that's going to come out of it."
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