Sean Spicer raises questions about special clearance of Comey’s memo leak contact
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer expressed concerns about reports that the Columbia law professor who James Comey used as a go-between to leak sensitive information to the media previously worked as a special FBI employee.
“You get security clearance so you can assist the organization with their job,” Spicer told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo during an interview on Wednesday. “That makes sense. But if the goal was to bring this guy in with the express purpose to achieve the outcome of leaking information, then that’s a big, big no-no.”
The professor, Daniel Richman, confirmed the special status in response to an inquiry from Fox News. He worked for Comey’s FBI on an unpaid basis, and yet reportedly had a security clearance as well as badge access to the building.
Richman is a former federal prosecutor who served as chief appellate attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, according to his Columbia staff page. The law professor also served as a consultant to the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury on federal criminal matters.
But Spicer warned it seemed like a “whole orchestrated aspect” to ensure that Comey didn’t come under fire for leaking sensitive information to Richman. To ensure that wasn’t the case, he said Richman needed to answer questions about why he was given the special clearance and what his additional responsibilities were.
“If it was truly to achieve this outcome, that’s a big, big problem,” Spicer said. “If it wasn’t, then what were the other responsibilities that he had? There are questions that need to get asked. And I would assume that Congress is going to be looking into this.”
President Trump fired Comey in early May. Shortly after, the former FBI director shared memos he’d written with Richman, setting into motion the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly decried the investigation as a “witch hunt.”