It’s been a couple of weeks since the New York Times, Washington Post or CNN have published an anonymously sourced bombshell with more salacious details about the ongoing feud between former FBI Director James Comey and President Donald Trump. But the next salvo could arrive soon – possibly as soon as Monday, if a longtime Comey confidant is to be believed.
Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, posted an ominous message on Twitter on Friday: “TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK.” Wittes’s tweets may verge on ridiculous, but they should be taken seriously: As the Daily Caller pointed out, his tweets of “tick tick tick” have in the recent past preceded major NYT bombshells, including the May 16 report about the Comey memo and its contents. He tweeted a similar message two days later, before the NYT published a report about Comey wanting to keep his distance from Trump.
Wittes did it again shortly before the Times published a story alleging Comey asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to leave him in the room alone with Trump on June 6. Wittes says he has reviewed Comey-related stories before, and was an on-the-record source for the May 18 piece reported by the NYT’s Michael Schmidt, where he recounted to the NYT reporter that Comey had told him at a lunch meeting that he sought to distance himself from Trump. Comey felt that Trump was attempting to cozy up to Comey in hopes of quashing the ongoing Russia probe.
tick tick tick tick tick tick
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 16, 2017
By the twitching of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.tick tick tick tick tick tick tick
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 18, 2017
Now please don't read anything into this, but
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick http://pic.twitter.com/fc0By0CWqK
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) June 6, 2017
In his latest tweet, he claimed the “fuse length” on the next story is uncertain, and that it could drop as soon as Monday, or some time after.
To be clear, fuse length on this one is uncertain. Could be today. Could be Monday.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) June 23, 2017
While Wittes has said that he and Comey have discussed how the White House handled the Russia investigation, he claims they did not discuss the particulars of the investigation, which is looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the election.
Comey began instructing his friends to leak damaging stories about Trump to the Times shortly after he was fired by the president on May 9. During testimony earlier this month, Comey admitted he was angered by Trump’s remarks criticizing his management of the FBI, suggesting that his motives for leaking the stories weren’t exactly altruistic.
Wittes was not the source of the Comey memo, as the Daily Caller recollects. Columbia law school professor Daniel Richman, another friend of Comey’s, shared the document with The Times after being provided a copy by the former FBI chief.
The timing of Wittes message is notable: It follows President Donald Trump’s admission that he was bluffing when he said he might have recorded his conversation with Comey, and Comey's appearance at The New York Times' offices…
Comey, disguised behind dark sunglasses stared straight ahead as entered the Times Square office building, accompanied by his wife Patrice Failor.
So, what will this next bombshell allege? Has Comey somehow found the smoking gun that will finally prove unequivocally that Trump colluded with the Russians? Maybe he’s been keeping it in his back pocket, refusing to share it with the world because he doesn't want to unleash another wave of anti-Russia hysteria.
Stay tuned to find out.
via http://ift.tt/2t2FqFl Tyler Durden