Henry: Following up on John’s questioning about John Brennan, you also have as the FBI chief, James Comey, who served in the Bush Justice Department and helped endorse the legal memo, a legal memo blessing water boarding and other enhanced techniques. How could the President appoint John Brennan and James Comey to two of the most sensitive jobs in the administration, CIA and FBI, if he believes they endorsed un-American tactics?
Earnest: Well, Ed, I can tell you that Mr. Comey falls in the same category as Mr. Brennan, In terms of somebody who…whose advice the President is pleased that he can rely on to keep the country safe. Mr. Comey is somebody that does have a strong track record and there have been other instances, even in his service in the previous administration, where he stood up for and advocated for the importance of the liberties protections.
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Henry: But you don’t see any contradiction that you are attacking Bush administration policies but you have two of the architects of those policies serving at two of the most…
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Henry: Endorsing a legal memo…
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Earnest: I don’t think that is a fair description…
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Henry: John Brennan served in the Bush administration as well…
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Earnest: That’s right, but I don’t think it is fair at all to describe him as an architect….
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Henry: So you don’t see any contradiction between them endorsing the policies that the President is attacking and they now serve in two of the most sensitive jobs?