Former FBI director James Comey blasted President Donald Trump for "lying" about the FBI's raid on his former attorney Michael Cohen and shamed Republicans for remaining silent on the matter.
In a tweet on Sunday, Trump attacked Cohen for becoming a "rat" and claimed the FBI "broke into" his former attorney's office. "Remember, Michael Cohen only became a 'Rat' after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started," the president wrote. "They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE! Why didn't they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked's office?"
Shortly after, Comey shared a screenshot of Trump's tweet and criticized the president for "lying" about the FBI's "lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge."
"This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge," Comey tweeted on Sunday. "Shame on Republicans who don't speak up at this moment — for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth."
This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge. Shame on Republicans who don’t speak up at this moment — for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth. pic.twitter.com/c5dhQBnmyi
— James Comey (@Comey) December 16, 2018
In April, the FBI raided Cohen's office, hotel room and home, using a search warrant that was issued partly based on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller—who is leading a probe into Russian campaign meddling and possible collusion between Trump's campaign team and Moscow officials. During the raid, agents seized a large quantity of documents and computer files.
A few months later, Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes, including lying to authorities and tax fraud, and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison last week. Although Cohen accepted "full responsibility" for his actions, he asserted that he committed the crimes under instruction from Trump.
"Today is one of the most meaningful days of my life. The irony is that today I get my freedom back," Cohen said in court. "Blind loyalty to this man led me to choose a path of darkness over light."
Trump denied that he told Cohen to break the law and has since launched public attacks on his character and credibility while attempting to distance himself from his former attorney.
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