Higher Loyalty, by James Comey: on Crime
Barack Obama:
Reduce punishments for some federal offenses
The Obama administration and an interesting alliance of liberal democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress were working together to reduce punishments for some federal criminal offences. It was one of the only policy areas on which some
self-described Tea Party Republicans and president Obama could agree. I had no heartburn with the specific proposals, which all seemed quite honest and reasonable to me. But a national conversation about murder spikes--and what might be causing it--was
the last thing that advocates of criminal justice reform wanted. I understood that. But I couldn't bear to be silent about the deaths of so many young black men and the possibility that broad changes in human behavior might be some part of that.
So I talked about that subject again, in Chicago, in late October 2015. I talked about the lines of community and police arcing away from each other. Each time somebody interprets the #BlackLivesMatter as anti-law enforcement, one line moves away.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p.143-4
Apr 17, 2018
Eric Holder:
2001: Supported Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich
In 1983 oil trader Marc Rich had been indicted for 65 criminal counts by then-US Attorney Rudy Giuliani. Among the counts were income tax evasion, wire fraud racketeering, and trading with Iran. Rich fled the US shortly before the indictment (then the
biggest tax evasion cases in US history). He was given safe haven in Switzerland , which refused to extradite him for what the Swiss considered tax crimes. Nearly two decades later, on his final day in office, President Clinton had issued
Rich a highly unusual pardon. It was unusual because the pardon was given to a fugitive, which was, to my knowledge, unprecedented. It was also unusual, and suspicious, because it had not gone through the normal review process at the
Department of Justice. The pardon had only been sent by then-Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, who, without seeking input from the prosecutors or agents who knew the case, cryptically told the White House he was neutral leaning positive.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p.159-60
Apr 17, 2018
Eric Holder:
Charged General David Petraeus with misdemeanor, not felony
The misdemeanor charge General David Petraeus received for mishandling classified material was reasonable and consistent with past cases, but I argued strongly to Attorney General Holder that Petraeus also should be charged with a felony for lying to
the Bureau. Replaying in my mind that Martha Stewart, Leonidas Young, and Scooter Libby cases, I argued that that if we weren't going to hold retired generals and CIA directors accountable for blatantly lying during investigations,
how could we justify jailing thousands of others for doing the same thing? I believed, and still believe, that Petraeus was treated under a double standard based on class.
A poor person, an unknown person--say a young black Baptist Minister from Richmond--would be charged with a felony and sent to jail.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, p.164, by James Comey
Apr 17, 2018
James Comey:
Empathy for young convicted pastor, but backed ruling
I felt deep sadness as the meeting ended, because I could see the future and what it held for young pastor from Richmond who had a promising career ahead of him.
Leonidas Young was indicted, pled guilty to racketeering, and was sentenced to federal prison. As part of an effort to reduce the length of that sentence, he named the associate pastor as one of his money launderers.
The young minister was indicted and convicted of lying during the investigation. At the trial, prosecuted by Bob Trono, Leonidas Young testified against him.
The young pastor was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison for lying. I have left his name out of my book because I hope he has made a good and happy life after prison.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, p. 61, by James Comey
Apr 17, 2018
James Comey:
Celebrities must be shown they're not above the law
The Martha Stewart experience reminded me that the justice system is an honor system. We really can't always tell when people are lying or hiding documents, so when we ARE able to prove it, we simply must do so as a message to everyone. People must fear
the consequences of lying in the justice system or the system can't work.There was a time when most people worried about going to hell if they violated an oath taken in the name of God. That divine deterrence has slipped away from our modern cultures.
In its place, people must fear going to jail. People must fear having their name forever associated with a criminal act if we are to have a nation with the rule of law. Martha Stewart lied. To protect the institution of justice, and reinforce a culture
Source: A Higher Loyalty, p. 62, by James Comey
Apr 17, 2018
Rudy Giuliani:
Top priority in 1990s NYC was organized crime
One of Giuliani's top priorities was organized crime, a focus that actually started well before he took office. His prosecutors brought cases against individual mob bosses like Salerno and also charged the leaders of the five Cosa Nostra families
who sat on "the Commission", which divided up criminal money among the families and refereed disputes. Most important, Rudy's office brought civil cases to allow the government to take control of large trade unions-the
Teamsters, electricians, carpenters, and dock workers among them- to starve the Mafia of its major source of cash and influence, which came from using unions to extort money from legitimate businesses. That successful effort
to destroy La Cosa Nostra continued long after Rudy stepped down as United states Attorney to run for political office.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p. 21-22
Apr 17, 2018
Rudy Giuliani:
1983: Indicted Mark Rich; 2001: Clinton pardoned Rich
In 1983 oil trader Marc Rich had been indicted for 65 criminal counts by then-US Attorney Rudy Giuliani. Among the counts were income tax evasion, wire fraud racketeering, and trading with Iran. Rich fled the US shortly before the indictment (then the
biggest tax evasion cases in US history). He was given safe haven in Switzerland , which refused to extradite him for what the Swiss considered tax crimes. Nearly two decades later, on his final day in office, President Clinton had issued
Rich a highly unusual pardon. It was unusual because the pardon was given to a fugitive, which was, to my knowledge, unprecedented.
Amid allegations the pardon had been issued in exchange for promises of contributions by Marc Rich's ex-wife to
Clinton's presidential library, [Rudy Giuliani's office] opened an investigation focused on whether the was evidence of corrupt bargain. When I became US Attorney in 2002, I inherited the investigation, which had been the subject of media stories.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p.159-60
Apr 17, 2018
Tea Party:
Reduce punishments for some federal offenses
The Obama administration and an interesting alliance of liberal democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress were working together to reduce punishments for some federal criminal offences. It was one of the only policy areas on which some
self-described Tea Party Republicans and president Obama could agree. I had no heartburn with the specific proposals, which all seemed quite honest and reasonable to me. But a national conversation about murder spikes--and what might be causing it--was
the last thing that advocates of criminal justice reform wanted. I understood that. But I couldn't bear to be silent about the deaths of so many young black men and the possibility that broad changes in human behavior might be some part of that.
So I talked about that subject again, in Chicago, in late October 2015. I talked about the lines of community and police arcing away from each other. Each time somebody interprets the #BlackLivesMatter as anti-law enforcement, one line moves away.
Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p.143-4
Apr 17, 2018
Page last updated: Oct 10, 2018