WATCH/READ: Senator McCain's Questioning of Fmr FBI Director James Comey; What Was "That Thing"?

Here is the video and the transcript of Arizona Senator John McCain's turn at questioning former FBI Director James Comey during today's public Senate Intelligence Committee.

02:26:11		John S. McCain III >> SENATOR McCAIN. IN THE CASE OF HILLARY CLINTON, YOU MADE THE STATEMENT THAT THERE WASN'T SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO BRING A SUIT AGAINST HER ALTHOUGH IT HAD BEEN VERY CARELESS IN THEIR BEHAVIOR. BUT YOU DID REACH A CONCLUSION IN THAT CASE THAT IT WAS NOT NECESSARY TO FURTHER PURSUE HER. YET, AT THE SAME TIME, IN THE CASE OF MR. COPY, YOU SAID THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE A CONCLUSION. TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR CONCLUSION AS FAR AS FORMER SECRETARY CLINTON IS CONCERNED AND MR. TRUMP.  Show Less Text
02:27:09		James B. Comey Jr. >> WELL, THE CLINTON INVESTIGATION WAS A COMPLETED INVESTIGATION THAT THE FBI HAD BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN. SO HAD I AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE FACTS AND APPLY THOSE FACTS AGAINST THE LAWS AS I UNDERSTOOD THEM. THIS INVESTIGATION WAS UNDER WAY STILL GOING WHEN I WAS FIRED. SO IT'S NOWHERE NEAR IN THE SAME PLACE, AT LEAST IT WASN'T WHEN I WAS --  Show Less Text
02:27:31		John S. McCain III >> BUT IT'S STILL ONGOING.
02:27:34		James B. Comey Jr. >> CORRECT. SO PFAFF AS I KNOW. IT WAS WHEN I LEFT.
02:27:38		John S. McCain III >> THAT INVESTIGATION WAS GOING ON. THIS INVESTIGATION IS GOING ON. YOU REACH SEPARATE CONCLUSIONS.
02:27:42		James B. Comey Jr. >> NO THAT ONE WAS DONE.
02:27:44		John S. McCain III >> THAT INVESTIGATION OF ANY INVOLVEMENT OF SECRETARY CLINTON OR ANY OF HER ASSOCIATES IS COMPLETED?
02:27:53		James B. Comey Jr. >> YES, AS OF JULY 5th, THE FBI COMPLETED ITS INVESTIGATIVE WORK AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS ANNOUNCING WHAT WE HAD DONE AND WHAT WE HAD FOUND.
02:28:04		John S. McCain III >> WELL, AT LEAST IN THE MINDS OF THIS MEMBER, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAINING ABOUT WHAT WENT ON PARTICULARLY CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT AS YOU MENTIONED, AS THE A "BIG DEAL" AS TO WHAT WENT ON DURING THE CAMPAIGN. SO I'M GLAD YOU CONCLUDED THAT PART OF THE INVESTIGATION, BUT I -- I THINK THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF QUESTIONS OUT THERE, PARTICULARLY SINCE YOU JUST EMPHASIZED THE ROLE THAT RUSSIA PLAYED. AND OBVIOUSLY, SHE WAS A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT AT THE TIME. SO SHE WAS CLEARLY INVOLVED IN THIS WHOLE SITUATION WHERE FAKE NEWS, AS YOU JUST DESCRIBED IT, BIG DEAL TOOK PLACE. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HELP ME OUT HERE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE COMPLETE THE INVESTIGATION OF ANYTHING THAT FORMER SECRETARY CLINTON HAD TO DO WITH A CAMPAIGN IS OVER AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT ANYMORE? SLUFGING. > WITH RESPECT TO -- I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED. WITH RESPECT TO SECRETARY CLINTON, WE INVESTIGATED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN CONNECTION WITH HER USE OF A PERSONAL E-MAIL SERVER. >> I UNDERSTAND.  Show Less Text
02:29:14		James B. Comey Jr. >> I UNDERSTAND. >> THAT'S THE INVESTIGATION I ANNOUNCED THE CONCLUSION OF ON JULY 5th.
02:29:18		John S. McCain III >> SO BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THERE WOULD BE NO CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST THEN SECRETARY CLINTON FOR ANY ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN THE RUSSIA INVOLVEMENT IN OUR ENGAGEMENT IN OUR ELECTION. I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND HOW YOU COULD BE DONE WITH THAT BUT NOT DONE WITH THE WHOLE INVESTIGATION OF THEIR ATTEMPT TO AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE OUR ELECTION.  Show Less Text
02:29:45		James B. Comey Jr. >> NO, I'M SORRY. WE'RE NOT AT LEAST WHEN I LEFT WHEN I WAS FIRED ON MAY 9th, THERE WAS STILL AN OPEN INVESTIGATION TO UNDERSTAND THE RUSSIAN EFFORTS AND WHETHER ANY AMERICANS WORKED WITH THEM.  Show Less Text
02:29:56		John S. McCain III >> BUT YOU REACHED THE CONCLUSION THERE WAS NO REASON TO BRING CHARGES AGAINST SECRETARY CLINTON SO YOU REACHED A CONCLUSION IN THE CASE OF MR. COMEY, THE PRESIDENT -- >> NO, SIR.  Show Less Text
02:30:10		John S. McCain III >> NO, SIR. >> IN THE CASE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU HAVE AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION. SO YOU GOT ONE CANDIDATE WHO YOU'RE DONE WITH AND ANOTHER CANDIDATE THAT YOU HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. IS THAT CORRECT?  Show Less Text
02:30:25		James B. Comey Jr. >> I DON'T KNOW HOW FAR THE FBI HAS TO GO, BUT YES. THAT THE CLINTON E-MAIL INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETED. THE INVESTIGATION OF RUSSIA'S EFFORTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ELECTION AND WHETHER THERE WAS ANY COORDINATION AND IF SO WITH WHOM BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE CAMPAIGN WAS ONGOING WHEN I LEFT.  Show Less Text
02:30:42		John S. McCain III >> YOU JUST MADE IT CLEAR THIS WAS A BIG DEAL, UNQUOTE. I THINK IT'S HARD TO RECONCILE ONE CASE YOU REACH A COMPLETE CONCLUSION AND THE OTHER SIDE YOU HAVE NOT. AND YOU'VE IN FACT, OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT MORE THERE AS WE KNOW AS YOU CALLED A "BIG DEAL." SHE'S ONE OF THE CANDIDATES BUT IN HER CASE, YOU SAY, THERE WOULD BE NO CHARGES AND IN THE CASE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. WHAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT OUT IN THIS HEARING IS MORE AND MORE EMPHASIS ON THE RUSSIAN ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT IN THIS CAMPAIGN. HOW SERIOUS DO YOU THINK THIS WAS?  Show Less Text
02:31:29		James B. Comey Jr. >> VERY SERIOUS. BUT I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING TO BE CLEAR. WE HAVE NOT ANNOUNCED AND THERE WAS NO PREDATION TO ANNOUNCE AN INVESTIGATION OF WHETHER THE RUSSIANS MAY HAVE COORDINATED WITH SECRETARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN. SECRETARY CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN.  Show Less Text
02:31:42		John S. McCain III >> BUT THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH HER CAMPAIGN. THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE ENTIRE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, OBVIOUSLY.
02:31:49		James B. Comey Jr. >> OF COURSE. YES, SIR. AND THAT IS AN INVESTIGATION THAT BEGAN LAST SUMMER AND SO FAR AS I'M AWARE CONTINUES.
02:31:58		John S. McCain III >> SO BOTH PRESIDENT TRUMP AND FORMER CANDIDATE CLINTON ARE BOTH INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION, YET ONE OF THEM YOU SAID THERE'S GOING TO BE NO CHARGES AND THE OTHER ONE THAT THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. WELL, I THINK THERE'S A DOUBLE STANDARD THERE TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. THEN WHEN THE PRESIDENT SAID TO YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE APRIL 11th PHONE CALL, AND HE SAID QUOTE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN VERY LOYAL TO YOU, VERY LOYAL, WE HAD THAT THING, YOU KNOW. DID THAT AROUSE YOUR CURIOSITY AS TO QUOTE THAT THING WAS? >> YES.  Show Less Text
02:32:32		John S. McCain III >> YES. >> WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK HIM.
02:32:34		James B. Comey Jr. >> IT DIDN'T SEEM TO BE TO BE IMPORTANT FOR THE CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING TO UNDERSTAND IT. I TOOK IT TO BE SOME -- AN EFFORT TO COMMUNICATE TO ME IN THAT THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US WHERE I'VE BEEN GOOD TO YOU, YOU SHOULD BE GOOD TO ME.  Show Less Text
02:32:50		John S. McCain III >> YEAH, BUT I THINK IT WOULD INTENSELY AN ROUSE MY CURIOSITY IF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SAID THAT THING, YOU KNOW. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL THAT THING IS PARTICULARLY IF I'M THE HEADOF THE FBI.  Show Less Text
02:33:07		James B. Comey Jr. >> WHAT I CONCLUDED AT THE TIME IS THAT IN HIS MEMORY HE WAS SEARCHING BACK TO OUR ENCOUNTER AT THE DINNER AND WAS PREPARING HIMSELF TO SAY I OFFERED LOYALTY TO YOU. YOU PROMISED LOYALTY TO ME AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HIS MEMORY SHOWED HIM THAT DID NOT HAPPEN AND I THINK HE PULLED UP SHORT. THAT'S JUST A GUESS. I HAVE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH HUMESS OVER THE YEARS.  Show Less Text
02:33:28		John S. McCain III >> I THINK I WOULD HAVE HAD SOME CURIOSITY IF IT HAD BEEN ME, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
02:33:33		John S. McCain III >> ARE YOU AWARE OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THE PRESIDENT OR THE MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OR MEMBERS OF THE CAMPAIGN COLPOTENTIALLY BE USED TO COERCE OR BLACKMAIL THE ADMINISTRATION?  Show Less Text
02:33:46		James B. Comey Jr. >> THAT'S A SUBJECT FOR INVESTIGATIONS, NOT SOMETHING I CAN COMMENT ON SITTING HERE.
02:33:53		John S. McCain III >> BUT YOU REACHED THAT CONCLUSION AS FAR AS SECRETARY CLINTON WAS CONCERNED BUT YOU'RE NOT REACHING A CONCLUSION AS FAR AS THIS ADMINISTRATION IS CONCERNED? ARE YOU AWARE OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE THAT INFORMATION EXISTS THAT COULD COERCE MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OR BLACKMAIL THE ADMINISTRATION?  Show Less Text
02:34:19		James B. Comey Jr. >> THAT'S NOT A QUESTION I CAN ANSWER, SENATOR.

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