Clapper Defends Comey: ‘One Man’s Leaker Is Another Man’s Whistleblower’

EXCERPT:

CLAPPER: "First, Jim — this is not the first controversial issue that he took what many consider extraordinary action, the first one being the handling of the Clinton e-mail investigation. And so in this case, Jim — in both cases I will say, having worked with him and I’m a friend of his and admirer of him, I think he did what he thought was the right thing. I don’t take issue with what the Department of Justice Inspector General said. Yeah, it violated the standard protocols and procedures of the FBI. I don’t think there’s a rule book, though, for this extraordinary situation involving potential, and I emphasize potential, criminality of a president. So Jim did what he thought was the right thing to do for the country. Now, one man’s leaker is another man’s whistleblower. And in this case I think he was whistle-blowing to the public. We would not have known what we’ve since learned, I think, were it not for the action that Jim took."