‘Comey got lucky!’: Trump lauds ‘fair and reasonable’ Barr after DOJ opts not to prosecute ex-FBI chief

A long-awaited report from the Justice Department’s Inspector General (IG) released last Thursday revealed that former FBI Director James Comey had stolen and leaked sensitive government documents — and then lied about it. But while the report made clear that Comey had violated FBI regulations, the Attorney General William Barr’s Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to prosecute the ex-FBI head.

The move was criticized by some, but for his part, President Donald Trump is trusting the attorney general to make the right call. According to National Review, the president suggested in a tweet on Friday that the decision is yet another example of how “fair and reasonable” Barr truly is.

Still, the president said, “Comey got lucky!”

The fact that James Comey was not prosecuted for the absolutely horrible things he did just shows how fair and reasonable Attorney General Bill Barr is. So many people and experts that I have watched and read would have taken an entirely different course. Comey got Lucky!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2019

“I have total confidence in Bill Barr”

Trump again broached the subject of Comey’s misdeeds as he departed the White House on Friday for a weekend of meetings and hurricane monitoring at Camp David. Asked by a reporter if he was “disappointed” in Barr’s decision not to prosecute Comey, Trump responded that he has “a lot of faith” in the attorney general.

“I have a lot of faith in Bill Barr,” Trump said. “I thought the charges were unbelievably powerful. I thought the IG report was incredible. But I have total confidence in Bill Barr to do the right thing.”

Trump went on to reiterate that the move “showed how fair [Barr] is.”

“I really think he’s a — you know, he’s a tremendous man,” Trump said of the AG, “and I think that this really showed, you know, how fair he is. But, certainly, those were very serious charges, but let’s see what happens.”

“I don’t need a public apology”

For his part, Comey has remained as smug as ever in the wake of the IG’s report, even asking in a tweet on Thursday for apologies from those who “defamed” him.

“I don’t need a public apology from those who defamed me, but a quick message with a ‘sorry we lied about you’ would be nice,” Comey tweeted.

But Comey would do well to remember that there remains yet another IG report — this one focused on alleged abuse of the FISA courts — that could fare far worse for the former FBI chief.

And as “fair and reasonable” as he is, Attorney General Barr may not be quite as forgiving next time.