Gowdy: Comey Should Read Entire Memo to Congress

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said Tuesday he hopes fired FBI Director James Comey will read to Congress the memo he reportedly wrote about President Donald Trump's request a probe of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn be dropped.

In an interview Tuesday night on Fox News' "The Story With Martha MacCallum," the South Carolina GOP lawmaker pointedly noted the memo was read to The New York Times, which first reported the bombshell Oval Office request.

"I don't know that [Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz] would need to subpoena this memo," Gowdy remarked of Chaffetz's tweeted intent.

"If it was read to The New York Times, it would certainly help [if] the FBI would read it to members of Congress."

Gowdy also defended Comey for his July 2016 decision not to recommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of classified information – hinting there were "a lot of reasons" driving the decision.

"I think he had access to information that because he is a stand-up guy, and he is not going to disseminate classified information . . . even if it cast him in a negative light," he said.

"I know what it was," he declared. "He made the only decision he could have made with respect to appropriating that decision away from the Department of Justice and making the decision himself . . ."

Gowdy referred to a controversial June 2016 meeting on the tarmac between former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch just hours before the release of the special House Benghazi Committee report on the 2012 Libyan attacks.

"All your viewers see is this meeting on the tarmac," he said. "Jim Comey had access to additional information that I am convinced left him with no other choice than to make a decision he made in July."

"I think he had access to information that he wanted to safeguard the integrity of the investigation and the integrity of the process," he added. "I probably ought to just leave it right there. . . . I think he wanted the public to have confidence in the investigation and the outcome, even though I disagreed with the outcome, he wanted you to have confidence in the process."

"I think history is going to be much kinder to Jim Comey and that July press conference" than "Democrats were when he had it," he said.

• AG Lynch Admits Clinton Tarmac Meeting Was a 'Mistake'
• Karl Rove: Comey Should Have Said Something If Trump Wanted Flynn Probe Ended