GOP Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana appeared to be tongue-tied during Wednesday's Senate Judiciary hearing with former FBI Director James Comey. And overly fascinated with his interests and career choices.
"I mean, you're a smart guy," Kennedy said. "You're investigating...now you're investigating the republican nominee for president of the United States. Okay, you've already finished with the democratic nominee. Now it's the republican nominee and [stuttering] you got a FISA warrant [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act], which was a lie. And you say, well, you're head of the FBI. Didn't you check? Didn't you go, 'Hey guys, this is the nominee for president of the United States. Let's sit down and talk about what's your evidence.' You never did that?"
"Senator, we were never investigating a candidate - republican candidate Mr. Trump," answered former FBI Director James Comey. "This is about a surveillance warrant on someone who is no longer associated with the campaign."
"You got his name out of the White Pages?" Kennedy retorted.
"Whose name?" Comey asked.
"And then with General [Michael] Flynn, you've wrapped up your investigation, but you've decided to take one more shot," Kennedy added. Sally Yates said you went rogue. Isn't that accurate?"
To which Comey responded, "It is not accurate."
"Well, why would she say that?" Kennedy asked. "She sure didn't compliment you. I was sitting right here bigger than Dallas listening to her. She said you went rogue."
"So you're asking me what she meant by that?" Comey asked.
"Yeah, what do you think about that?" Kennedy clapped back.
"I think she was disappointed that I didn't coordinate the Flynn interview with her in advance and I understood her concern about that," Comey answered. "I think she understood my explanation afterwards as to why I used my authority, which I had, to do it without coordinating."
To which Kennedy then asked, "But you don't like attention?"
Comey said, "I stand by my earlier answer. I love attention from my grandchildren and my children and my wife. And the rest of it, I could let politicians have it."
Kennedy asked if the two could "agree that the FBI is the premiere law enforcement agency in all of human history?"
"I think so, at the risk of offending DEA, I think so," answered Comey.
Kennedy then asked Comey what he would have chosen career-wise if he had made a different choice in life. Say, a driving instructor. "Don't you think the FBI would be better off?"
"I didn't pursue a career at the FBI," Comey said. "I was very happily teaching at Columbia when I was asked to become FBI director..."
That's when Lindsey Graham chimed in with "that's enough."
