Last week, following this writing the bombshell news was that former FBI Director James Comey’s book would be coming out on Friday. That was to be followed up by an exclusive TV interview on Sunday. No matter what is covered in the Comey book or at his TV appearance, it seemed sure that it would run counter to a comment made on television by his former boss, AG Loretta Lynch.
Lynch’s sudden appearance seemed to come at a time when she wanted to get ahead of Comey’s upcoming revelations. In a softball interview by Lester Holt, she stated firmly that Comey seemed to have no problem calling the Hillary Clinton investigation a “matter”. This is in direct contradiction to Comey’s report when he said that the suggestion had made him “nauseous”.
In Lynch’s case, she is savvy enough legally to know that she committed a grave mistake when she met with Bill Clinton on the tarmac. Since he was an integral part of the Hillary “matter”, she had no business meeting with anyone who was involved in a criminal investigation.
The cover story that was put out was that it was merely a chance encounter that resulted in a friendly chat about golf and grandchildren. From the many reports that I have gotten from airport workers, there is no way that an aircraft can wander about the tarmac willy-nilly and just happen to pull up beside an already parked airplane. Usually all plane traffic is controlled by the Tower, so it strains credulity that it was ever a chance encounter. Also, according to reports that were released shortly after that meeting, it was said that when Hillary became President, Loretta Lynch would continue as Attorney General, a quid pro quo that never eventuated.
The conflicted Comey, who was once hated by Democrats and Republicans alike, issued a very demeaning comment last week when he compared Donald Trump to a “mob boss”. As far as Comey is concerned, despite what he might write in his book, he has two very black marks against him. One is the fact that he wrote Hillary’s exoneration long before the investigation was finished. The other is that he had a friend purposely leak to the Press some information that may have been classified. I heard one legal TV analyst put things in perspective when he called Comey a “dirty cop”.
Whatever Comey comes up with in his book tour, it is sure to be challenged by the likes of Loretta Lynch plus many in the legal profession.
***
ANNUAL SCRIPPS DINNER. One of the most notable features of the University of Nevada School of Journalism is the annual Scripps Dinner and Lecture. April 9 of this year the 54th annual dinner was held in the Milt Glick Ballroom of the Joe Crowley Student Union building.
The program, which was moderated by Al Stavitsky, Dean of the Journalism School featured as the main speaker Leila Fadel. Ms. Fadel is a well-known foreign correspondent who spent a decade in the Middle East. She is currently employed as a national correspondent for NPR, located in Las Vegas.
The dinner and lecture were started in 1964 by Edward W. “Ted” Scripps II, who was a 1952 graduate of the University.
I remember that the young Scripps was in several of my Journalism classes at the U and the favorite question many of us used to pose to him was, “Do you have any job prospects after graduation?” Since he was the scion of the Scripps—Howard Publishing Empire, the question required no answer on his part. As it turned out, Ted had a very distinguished journalistic career and died far too early at the age of 57 in 1987. The Scripps—Howard Foundation is the co-sponsor of the annual dinner and lecture which is dedicated to Ted’s memory.
I recall the early dinners when Ted himself was present. He would always raise his glass in a toast to “Higgy” to honor the most famous Journalism Prof in the history of the U, Al Higginbotham.
In addition to her lecture about her often dangerous experiences overseas, Ms. Fadel gave thoughtful and lengthy answers during the question-and-answer period following her talk.
At the start of the evening, following Stavisky’s welcome, a film presentation was shown that featured numerous photos of the young Scripps at the University plus comments by Prof Warren LeRude, Marilyn Melton, Frank McCulloch and the late Joe Crowley.
The dinner began at 6:30 following a 6:00 reception and the meal was served to a capacity audience by the University staff.
Several outstanding students were introduced by Stavitsky and the evening was capped by the traditional Stetson hat placed on Fadel’s head.
Leave a Reply