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Now is the time to act

As this is written, most of Washington is scrambling to decide how to react to the news that fired FBI Director James Comey left detailed notes of a conversation in which President Donald Trump asked him to stop the investigation of Michael Flynn.

Just a day after Trump fired Flynn as his national security adviser for lying to Vice President Mike Pence, Comey’s note says the president asked him to “let it (the investigation into Flynn’s ties to Russia) go.”

Chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees have asked for copies of any notes Comey left behind detailing conversations with Trump. Calls came this week for the White House to produce any records — including audio recordings — of any Trump and Comey conversations.

The last request — for audio recordings — was bolstered by Trump’s threat to Comey last Friday that he better hope “there aren’t any tapes” of their conversations. We would seriously doubt there are any tapes — but, in the age of cellphones, it is entirely possible the president used one to digitally record their talks.

Therefore, we’d suggest requesting “audio recordings” is the correct phrasing. Whether on a tape or on a phone, a recording of the conversation would be a significant piece of evidence.

Comey has been invited to testify before the House Intelligence Committee next Tuesday. We hope he does.

It is important to clear up if Comey thought the request on the Flynn investigation was obstruction of justice or merely an appeal for a friend.

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.

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