Jim Himes: ‘The Arrival of Armed Federal Agents of the Homes of Reporters — This Is Russia Stuff’

EXCERPT:

HIMES: “You know, I‘ve known Jay Clayton for decades, and when he was nominated and I was looking at Bill Pulte, the acting DNI, and Jay Clayton, for whom I have a lot of respect, I thought, 'This is a very good outcome.' It is obscene. It is obscene that Jay Clayton participated in the presentation of subpoenas and the arrival of federal agents, armed federal agents at the homes of reporters. This is Russia stuff, right. And again, I've known Jay a long time and it is just hugely disappointing. Look, I know a lot of people who work for Donald Trump — John Ratcliffe, the director of the CIA. I know a lot of these folks who work for him, and there is always the need to bend the knee and to do the things that Donald Trump wants you to do if you‘re going to keep those jobs. But messing around with the independence of the media and the press, something that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment, is something that I would have thought would be so far beneath Jay Clayton that I‘m just enormously disappointed that he participated."