[Washington Examiner] Former FBI Director James Comey appears to be at the center of the criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation, according to former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova.Over the past few days, former CIA Director John Brennan was interviewed by U.S. Attorney John Durham's team at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, after which his longtime aide said he was told he is not a "subject or a target" of a criminal investigation, and Comey told CBS News on Sunday that he "can't imagine" being a target of the inquiry.
During an appearance Monday on WMAL's Mornings on the Mall show, diGenova, a lawyer whose work was caught up in the Ukraine-impeachment controversy, surmised that Brennan is now a witness against Comey.
"I don't know whether he's a target or not. I can't concede to the fact that he isn't given that Kevin Clinesmith guilty plea last week. But there's no doubt that Comey is at the center of the investigation," he said. "The fact that he has not been interviewed and the fact that the FBI, it is obvious, is now the central focus of the Durham investigation."
DiGenova, a vocal Trump defender who makes weekly appearances on the radio show to offer his take on Justice Department matters and other legal developments, said he doesn't doubt the statement released by Nick Shapiro, Brennan's former deputy chief of staff and senior adviser, which noted that Brennan praised Durham for the "professional manner" he and his team conducted the interview.
"The fact that Brennan's representative said that he was interviewed for eight hours at the CIA by Durham and was told that he was not a subject or a target — I have to believe that. I can't imagine his spokesman would make a false statement about the nature of his relationship Durham, which Durham could quickly correct," DiGenova said.
"I'm assuming that Brennan is free, and as a result of that, he has become a witness against James Comey," he added. "Not willingly, but I think he's been forced to become a witness. And I think it's pretty clear right now that what they are doing is, they're following up on Bill Barr's prescription, which is not every abuse of power is a crime. And that is what Brennan got the benefit of."