In a deeply divided nation, we can still count on our shared knowledge of Anthony Weiner’s dick pics to briefly unite us.
On Wednesday, FBI director James Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a routine oversight hearing. Comey faced tough questions — and some softballs — from Democrats and Republicans alike about his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, and the Trump campaign’s connection to Russia.
One question, courtesy of South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, provided Comey with the day’s lightest moment.
“Do you agree with me that Anthony Weiner of 2016 should not have access to classified information?” Graham asked, a reference to Comey’s earlier statement that he reopened the Clinton email investigation last October after learning that emails containing classified information were forwarded to Weiner, the disgraced former Congressman and husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. It turned out that Abedin had sent the emails to Weiner's laptop for the purpose of printing them for Clinton, who preferred to read paper copies. Weiner was forced to resign from Congress in 2011 amid a sexting scandal, then saw his 2013 mayoral bid thwarted by more of the same behavior. He later came under investigation for possible sexting with a minor.
Comey nodded. “Uh,” he said. “Yes, that’s a fair statement.”
“Would you agree with me that if that’s not illegal, we’ve got very bad laws?” Graham continued.
“Well, if he had it — ” Comey answered.
“He had it somehow,” said Graham.
After another few rounds of this back-and-forth, Comey said, “There’s no Anthony Weiner statute,” bringing laughter to the room.
It was a rare moment of levity on a tough day for the embattled Comey. Ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-California) went after the FBI director for what she saw as his outsized impact on the presidential campaign after re-opening the Clinton investigation, and committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in his opening remarks that “a cloud of doubt hangs over the FBI.” Grassley also asked Comey point-blank if he had ever been an anonymous source to the media regarding the Trump or Clinton investigations, a charge that Comey denied.
