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DOJ declines to prosecute Comey for leaked memos, despite referral

Comey finishes testifying to the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees in December 2018. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Former FBI Director James Comey will not be charged by the DOJ for leaking memos he wrote about his White House contacts, including President Trump, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: Comey's memos — parts of which included redacted classified information —were of interest to former special counsel Robert Muller's investigation into potential obstruction of justice by the president. DOJ prosecutors declined to prosecute Comey after a referral from inspector general Michael Horowitz "in part because they didn't believe there was evidence to show Comey knew and intended to violate laws on handling classified information," CNN reports. Sources told both the Post and Fox News that the decision not to prosecute was "not a close call."

Go deeper: What the Comey memos tell us about Trump

Go deeper

Mike Allen, author of AM
54 mins ago - Economy & Business

America on borrowed time

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Economic recovery will not be linear as the world continues to grapple with the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Why it matters: Despite being propped up by an extraordinary amount of fiscal stimulus and support from central banks, the state of the global economy remains fragile.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan
12 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Scoop: Gina Haspel threatened to resign over plan to install Kash Patel as CIA deputy

CIA Director Gina Haspel. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

CIA Director Gina Haspel threatened to resign in early December after President Trump cooked up a hasty plan to install loyalist Kash Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), as her deputy, according to three senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the matter.

Why it matters: The revelation stunned national security officials and almost blew up the leadership of the world's most powerful spy agency. Only a series of coincidences — and last minute interventions from Vice President Mike Pence and White House counsel Pat Cipollone — stopped it.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow

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