New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and company have apparently assumed a significant amount of real estate inside the mind of James Comey, chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The nation’s top investigating authority drew an analogy on Monday between the team and his probe into alleged connections between President Donald Trump’s successful campaign and Russia.
In answering a question posed by U.S. Representative Chris Stewart (R-Utah), who asked whether Russia’s alleged role last year in hacking the emails of the Democratic National Committee was driven more by Russian disdain for then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton or a preference to see Trump inside the Oval Office, the New Jersey-raised Comey, without provocation, attempted to draw a metaphorical parallel to recent Super Bowl champs:
“Again, I think it’s two close related sides of the same coin,” Comey theorized regarding a motive for potential Russian involvement in November’s presidential election. “I mean, to put it in a homely metaphor, I hate the New England Patriots and no matter who they play, I’d like them to lose, and so I’m at the same time rooting against the Patriots and hoping their opponent beats them.
“Because only two teams on the field but what the intelligence concluded was early on, the hatred for Mrs. Clinton was — was all the way along.”
To summarize, Russia’s apparent hatred for Clinton, according to Comey, is like his own personal hatred for the Patriots.
“When Trump became the nominee, there was some sense that it’d be great if he could win, be great if we could help him,” Comey continued, speaking as if he were delving into the minds of Russian intelligence officials working under President Vladimir Putin. “But we need to hurt her no matter what, and then it shifted to ‘he has no chance so let’s just focus on undermining her.’
“That was the judgment of the intelligence committee.”
Comey again mentioned the Patriots later in his hearing after some prompting from U.S. Representative Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas), who looked to inject some humor into the terse House Intelligence Committee inquiry by referencing recent news regarding the theft and subsequent discovery of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s Super Bowl game-worn jersey and the FBI’s assistance in the investigation.
“Thank you,” Comey replied. “By the way — If I’m honest with myself, the reason I don’t like the Patriots is they represent sustained excellence and, as a [New York] Giants fan, that drives me crazy.”
Earlier this month, the Patriots again appeared on Comey’s radar when he delivered remarks in Chelsea as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of a new FBI field office in the Greater Boston region.
“Right at the beginning, I should hit on an issue that I know is on the minds of many and that is controversial, so I should speak to it directly,” Comey said at the beginning of his brief speech, according to a Boston Herald report. “I am a New York Giants fan.”
As for Monday’s hearing, Comey all but guaranteed that the Russians would be looking to find ways to interfere with future American elections:
