Steele blasts Trump for targeting Comey: ‘He’s so juvenile’

Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele on Friday called President Trump “so juvenile” over the recent federal indictment against former FBI Director James Comey.

“James Comey is no different than any other citizen,” he said on MSNBC’s “The Weeknight.” “He’s a private citizen who’s being hauled in front of a judicial process for what? For what? That’s where you have to ask yourself, ‘Why is this happening?’

“It’s happening because one man is so insecure, he’s so juvenile in his thinking that this is the only way he can,” Steele said. “He can’t move on from it. And we get caught up in it.”

Steele prefaced this by saying he was not “a fan of James Comey because of what happened in” 2016.

“But the reality of it is you don’t want the system ever to be weaponized against anyone, regardless of what they may have done in the past or what you may have thought of their actions in the past,” he said.

The discussion took place hours after an FBI agent was relieved of duty after they refused to arrange a “perp walk” for Comey in front of news cameras following his indictment on Sept. 25, Reuters reported.

Comey has been charged with making false statements to Congress, and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. As a first-time offender, Comey would likely receive a lesser punishment.

The charges are in connection with an exchange between Comey and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Sept. 30, 2020. The meeting sought answers in connection with investigations into ties Trump’s 2016 campaign had with Russia.

The former FBI director’s testimony before the committee was filed days before a five-year statute of limitations in the case was due to expire.

Comey’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 9 in federal court in Alexandria, Va.