Look Who it Was Random video

Sen Risch to FBI Comey The HOPE defense: Surely there’s nothing illegal about having a hope?

1,010 views · Published 8 June 2017 · 5:58 · Indexed 4 November 2026

Channel: Samuel Ezerzer · 2017 · News & Politics

Watch on YouTube

Sen Risch to FBI Comey The HOPE defense: Surely there’s nothing illegal about having a hope?
Sen. James Risch
Words matter. You wrote down the words so we can all have the words in front of us now. There's 28 words now in quotes. It says, quote, I hope — this is the president speaking — “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Now, those are his exact words, is that correct?

James Comey
Correct.

Sen. James Risch
You wrote them here and put them in quotes.

James Comey
Correct.

Sen. James Risch
Thank you for that. He did not direct you to let it go?

James Comey
Not in his words, no.

Sen. James Risch
He did not order you to let it go?

James Comey
Again, those words are not an order.

Sen. James Risch
He said, I hope. Now, like me, you probably did hundreds of cases, maybe thousands of cases, charging people with criminal offenses and, of course, you have knowledge of the thousands of cases out there where people have been charged. Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice or, for that matter, any other criminal offense, where they said or thought they hoped for an outcome?

James Comey
I don't know well enough to answer. The reason I keep saying his words is I took it as a direction.

Sen. James Risch
Right.

James Comey
I mean, this is a president of the United States with me alone saying I hope this. I took it as, this is what he wants me to do. I didn't obey that, but that's the way I took it.

More from this channel