James Comey sang Beyoncé’s ‘Sandcastles’ during classified FBI briefing

Former FBI Director James Comey has been called out in many ways by critics and fans alike. However, it seems that her efforts to become a pop singer did not yield results. Comey recently raised eyebrows when he told FBI officials at a classified briefing that he sang Beyoncé’s “Sandcastles” … but was met with stony silence.

It appears that some of his agents may have viewed this incident as grounds for intervention rather than surrender. To be fair, agents were likely unaware that Comey was using the beaches to uncover classified intelligence and messages.

Comey periodically appears in the press with strange or self-improving posts. However, this left many people scratching their heads. Still, this was vintage Comey, including a startling admission that he had handled classified information.

Comey recalled the moment he realized the name of a secret program discussed at a secret FBI briefing came from a favorite song. He wrote:

JAMES COMEY ADMITS TO SINGING A BEYONCÉ SONG AT THE SENSITIVE FBI BRIEFING

“One morning, I was sitting at a large table in a crowded room debriefing on a particular job. The briefing person started by saying the code name for the operation was ‘Sandcastles.’ It was 2016, and you may know that Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ album had come out with a track called ‘Sandcastles.’ And I said, ‘Oh, like that song by Beyoncé.’ There were blank stares all around the FBI conference room. So I did the natural thing. I guess.” I sang ‘We’re rebuilding sand castles that drifted into the water’ No, nothing; dead silence, ‘Never mind,’ I said, ‘carry on.’ However, when I came home and told the story to my family, I did not get the reaction I was looking for. I listen to classical or jazz when I write because music unlocks things in a way I can’t explain. This liberates me.”

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Apparently he also freed Comey from security protocols. His fascinating story included the fact that he was so disappointed by his audience at the FBI that he decided to repeat it to his family. In doing so, he may have disclosed the code name of a secret FBI program to unauthorized persons in an unsecured location. This is not an indication of whether the codename was considered sensitive information by the FBI before Comey’s repeat performance.

The Justice Department has fought in court to keep the code names secret due to sensitive national security matters, including during Comey’s time as director.

TRUMP’S FORMER LAWYER DEFENDED US PROSECUTOR STATUS AFTER THE DISMISSAL OF HALLIGAN, COMEY AND JAMES

For example, NY Times – DOJIn 2023, the FBI said that “certain code names [the] It was stated that the FBI used them for certain FBI programs and that disclosing them would ‘risk circumventing the law by revealing FBI processes and potential problems with relations with foreign countries’.

This isn’t the first time Comey has raised concerns that he violated FBI protocols and procedures regarding classified material. The Justice Department inspector general issued a scathing statement about how Comey improperly removed FBI files after he was fired by President Donald Trump and then arranged for the information to be leaked to the media to weaken Trump.

Even though he had conducted investigations into leakers in the past, the media quickly came to his defense. Legal experts on CNN and MSNBC dismissed claims that it was inappropriate or FBI material.

The memos make clear that Comey was aware that they likely contained classified information. “I’m not sure of the correct classification, so I chose secret,” Comey wrote in a memo dated January 7, 2017. Four notes, including two given to his friend to be leaked to the media, were later revealed to be secret.

CLICK FOR OTHER OPINIONS OF FOX NEWS

Comey periodically appears in the press with strange or self-improving posts. However, this left many people scratching their heads.

What was notable about the leaks was Comey’s obsession with his own public persona. He obtained FBI materials to bolster his image in the media. He later published the book “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” in which he portrayed himself in heroic terms without addressing allegations that he was a leaker. During his tenure as director, the Justice Department investigated and prosecuted FBI personnel for leaks. The “higher loyalty” Comey displayed often appeared to be a blind devotion to his own image.

Comey has previously spoken of his passion for Taylor Swift as well as Beyoncé, but insists, “I can’t explain it, music unlocks things. It frees me.”

Considering its history with leaks and other violations, it might be time to try a new genre of music. Apparently pop is a little too liberating for James Comey.

By the way, Comey may be misinterpreting tears of joy rather than regret when it comes to the line from “Sandcastles”: “I made you cry when I left.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY