Hillary Clinton spokesman attacks James Comey for 'profiting' off 'public spectacle' investigations

Hillary Clinton allies continued to criticize former FBI Director James Comey for his media tour promoting a new book, and a longtime Clinton spokesman added to the chorus Monday with a long series of tweets.

Nick Merrill, a Clinton aide from her tenure as secretary of state and her two presidential campaigns, attacked Comey for profiting off his involvement with high-profile investigations into Clinton and President Donald Trump.

What did he say?

Merrill hit Comey with a variety of criticisms related to his handling of the Clinton email investigation and the way he has discussed it recently.

He accused Comey of being elusive in his interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. “Yet, when questioned about the past, Comey resorts to his folksy, matter-of-fact posture that allows any questions that might have provided some clarity to slide right off of him. Comey used the word ‘maybe’ 37 times in the interview. Eight of them were in one answer. For a lawyer and law enforcement professional at the highest levels, it’s a curious tactic, but useful when talking to the press, allowing him to avoid having to be definitive about anything.”

He questioned Comey’s decision to have a news conference about the conclusion of the Clinton email investigation. “He made a public spectacle of the conclusion of the email investigation, breaking with Department norms, calling into question the integrity of the process. It did nothing to quiet the Trump campaign from accusing the FBI of bias and did everything to make Americans feel uneasy.”

He pointed out that Comey’s rehashing of 2016 appears to be for personal profit. “Another quote for the man who loves quotes: ‘We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.’ - George Washington

“Profiting indeed. 850,000 copies of his book have been printed and will likely sell, with scores of paid speeches on leadership that will accompany that. But yes, Hillary Clinton is the one that should go away.”

This writer’s perspective

Merrill brings up some facts about the way Comey has handled (or mishandled) things related to Clinton or Trump. But, his criticisms about Comey’s profiting off the situation rings hypocritical considering Clinton has been on an extended media and speaking tour for months, promoting her own book and rehashing just “What Happened” to cause her to lose the 2016 presidential election.

Of course, before "What Happened" even hit the shelves, the Clintons made at least $23 million from Bill Clinton's memoir "My Life" and from Hillary's Memoir "Hard Choices," both based on their time in government service. The financial terms of Hillary's deal with Simon and Schuster for "What Happened" have not been disclosed, but most estimates suggest that Hillary Clinton will make at least $10 million off the book.

Perhaps a spokesman for the Clintons is not the right person to complain about a public servant profiteering from a memoir about their time in government service.

(H/T Politico)