# Comey firing: what should Congress do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 11, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327 "2017-05-11T01:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/41 "2017-05-11T14:57:56Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Of course, if they hold their breath they won’t be able to explain how they wanted Comey fired for how he handled the Hillary email scandal and then when he got fired for the way he handled the Hillary email scandal that sent them over the edge as an observer from afar this is a silly and childish partisan robotic demarche for a statement that mischaracterizes. it is very clearly understandable that the opposition party does not believe at all the excuse presented for the firing and they can very strongly suspect it is a mere camoflage to try to undermine the investigations on the Russian influence that are very clearly something very bothersome to Trump since he was so strangely citing them in the actual letter he wrote… Indeed it is very difficult to believe it, in fact I think one has to be a blind and an unthinking partisan robot to think it has any credibility at all, that excuse, to be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/42 "2017-05-11T15:22:01Z")
Getting back to the question of what Congress should do, I’m not in favor of impeachment at this point. Yes, I hate Trump, Ye,s I think every day he is in office hurts the country and Yes, I think he is probably guilty of influence peddling for personal gain, and having illicit dealings with Russia, but I don’t want presidents impeached purely on speculation. I want to see clear evidence illegal activities first, so I am willing to wait for an investigation to be complete. I think ideally Congress should reinstate the Independent Counsel law, to launch an investigation into Trump involvement with Russia and their interference into the election, into the reasons for firing Comey and whether that consitutes obstruction of Justice, into the extent to which Jeff Sessions was involved in this decision and whether it contradicted his confirmation hearing testimony in which he promised to recuse himself from any activities around the Russia investigation, and and while they are at it tack on an investigation all of Trumps financial dealing to see whether he at any time used his position as president for personal gain, or was in violation of the Emoluments Clause. As far as Comey’s replacement goes, I think that Congress should write up a list of potential candidates that are not in any way shape or form connected with or endorsed Donald Trump and say that they will only confirm a nominee who is from that list. Or failing that they should at the very least make it clear that they will reject any nominee which has or had a close relationship with Trump. Neither of these will actually happen, but that is what should happen in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/43 "2017-05-11T15:32:58Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > That is constructive criticism and I thank you for it, but I am confident that the firing will indeed be proven to be obstruction of justice. Your predictive powers here are legendary. 😛 (Sorry, couldn’t resist…) :o ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/44 "2017-05-11T15:44:51Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Your predictive powers here are legendary. 😛 > > (Sorry, couldn’t resist…) :o Quite all right, old chap. I model myself after Jean Dixon, who made predictions until she got one right and got famous. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/45 "2017-05-11T15:45:38Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > The Washington Post and New York Times are reporting that dozens (!) of White House aides have confirmed that the decision was based on Comey’s handling of the Russia investigation, his seeming lack of interest in pursuing anti-Trump leaks, and Comey’s perceived disloyalty over the wiretapping claim. > > Is there some reason not to believe the 30 White House aides cited by the Washington Post? But this misses the point (notice I’ve said exactly the same thing…): to the extent that they say that the President was upset with how he was handling the Russia investigation, from what I’ve read, none of them are saying that the President was upset because he was closing in on something, or because he was expanding the investigation, or anything like that. That, if true, would make reasonable the assumption he did this in an attempt to forestall the investigation, as lots are supposing. But what they are reporting is that he was simply frustrated that the probe was not ended, and that the Director had not yet come out and said, “Mr. Trump did nothing wrong, and won the election fair and square.” Still missing from the screed that the President was attempting to interfere in the investigation is an explanation of exactly how his firing of Comey does that. Crickets chirping on that one… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/46 "2017-05-11T15:50:15Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Still missing from the screed that the President was attempting to interfere in the investigation is an explanation of exactly how his firing of Comey does that. Crickets chirping on that one… What you have to account for is his childlike lack of understanding of how things work. He thinks that if you cut off the head, the body dies. He doesn’t realize how the career civil servants quietly chug along doing their thing no matter what happens above them. The investigation will go on, but I don’t think Dumb Donald knows that. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/47 "2017-05-11T16:05:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Even knowing objectively how stupid and petty Trump is, it’s hard to remember that in the moment. We’ve got several possible explanations for Comey’s firing: > > 1. He was too mean to Clinton. This is what Trump says, and it’s a transparent lie. Does anyone–ANYONE–actually believe the cover story? I think we can dismiss it. > 2. He’s worried about the FBI Russia investigation. Sure, firing Comey stirs up outrage, but he worries that if he doesn’t do it, the investigation will tear down his house of cards. Better to weather the outrage than to go to prison. Risky move, but understandable. > 3. He’s super mad that Comey won’t back his “OBAMA SPIED ON ME!” play, and he wants to get someone in the FBI who won’t make him look stupid when he tells lies. This would be an idiotic move–who would do something like this, when it makes him look way stupider? Or, of course, the Occam’s razor answer: Trump knows neither he nor his people colluded with Russians. Thus he views the investigation (correctly) as a witch hunt. He is mad about constant leaks about it from the FBI, and wants them investigated as much if not more than the unsubstantiated Russian stupidity. Comey refuses to do that. Comey is fired. Because Trump is not a politician, he’s not concerned with how it “looks”. He is doing the right thing, in his opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/48 "2017-05-11T16:06:56Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Still missing from the screed that the President was attempting to interfere in the investigation is an explanation of exactly how his firing of Comey does that. Crickets chirping on that one… Well, we now know for certain that their rationale that it was because he lost support of his colleagues in the FBI [was bullshit](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/live-briefing-james-comey-andrew-mccabe.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0). \*“Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the F.B.I. and still does to this day,” Mr. McCabe said at the hearing. “The vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey,” he added.\* We know that this was due to the Russia investigation, and we know that it was to try to interfere. The fact that it was done incompetently is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/49 "2017-05-11T16:10:51Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Or, of course, the Occam’s razor answer: Trump knows neither he nor his people colluded with Russians. Thus he views the investigation (correctly) as a witch hunt. He is mad about constant leaks about it from the FBI, and wants them investigated as much if not more than the unsubstantiated Russian stupidity. Comey refuses to do that. Comey is fired. Because Trump is not a politician, he’s not concerned with how it “looks”. He is doing the right thing, in his opinion. Trump may or may not have personally had any contacts with any Russians during the campaign, but even if he had none, it’s entirely possible that people working for him did and he wouldn’t know it. Therefore it’s not reasonable, and not ethical, for him to try and get the investigation to end, or shift priorities away from it, just on the basis of not believing that it will find anything. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/50 "2017-05-11T16:10:53Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Trump knows These two words do not belong next to each other. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/51 "2017-05-11T16:30:31Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > as an observer from afar this is a silly and childish partisan robotic demarche for a statement that mischaracterizes. > > it is very clearly understandable that the opposition party does not believe at all the excuse presented for the firing and they can very strongly suspect it is a mere camoflage to try to undermine the investigations on the Russian influence that are very clearly something very bothersome to Trump since he was so strangely citing them in the actual letter he wrote… > > Indeed it is very difficult to believe it, in fact I think one has to be a blind and an unthinking partisan robot to think it has any credibility at all, that excuse, to be taken seriously. If it helps, no, I don’t believe for a second that Trump fired Comey because of how Comey handled the Hillary email scandals. (I also don’t believe the investigation of Russian interference in the elections is going to show that Trump did anything wrong.) But that’s why firing Comey was a clever move. It makes the Democrats look stupid. Give them what they want, and watch them splutter because they didn’t really want it. “Trump should be impeached! He did what we said!” Oooookay. Next they try to slow walk whoever is nominated for FBI director. Because they either do want another FBI director, or they don’t. Because they need the investigation to go forward - that’s why they are stalling so it doesn’t. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/52 "2017-05-11T16:39:20Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > (I also don’t believe the investigation of Russian interference in the elections is going to show that Trump did anything wrong.) That would be truly interesting, because I’m dying to see what an innocent explanation for all of this could possibly be. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/53 "2017-05-11T17:01:53Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > But this misses the point (notice I’ve said exactly the same thing…): to the extent that they say that the President was upset with how he was handling the Russia investigation, from what I’ve read, none of them are saying that the President was upset because he was closing in on something, or because he was expanding the investigation, or anything like that. That, if true, would make reasonable the assumption he did this in an attempt to forestall the investigation, as lots are supposing. But what they are reporting is that he was simply frustrated that the probe was not ended, and that the Director had not yet come out and said, “Mr. Trump did nothing wrong, and won the election fair and square.” > > Still missing from the screed that the President was attempting to interfere in the investigation is an explanation of exactly how his firing of Comey does that. Crickets chirping on that one… You posit that the President needed to have some fear of what the investigation would find in order for him to be seen as interfering with it. I don’t think that’s right. Even if he believes himself to be completely innocent, firing the FBI director because you don’t like what he’s investigating is interfering with an investigation. > [@Shodan](#): > > Give them what they want, and watch them splutter because they didn’t really want it. Except for the tiny problem that the number of Democrats who called for Comey to be fired is quite small. And the other tiny problem that there’s no contradiction between thinking Comey committed a fireable offense but also thinking that firing him because you don’t like what he’s investigating is somewhere in the ballpark of obstruction of justice. * * * As for the thread, see my first post. The Shodans of the world control Congress. Ain’t no way in hell they’re ever going to approve an independent prosecutor, much less impeach. As ever, the goal is in 2018 elections. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/54 "2017-05-11T17:14:05Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > If it helps, no, I don’t believe for a second that Trump fired Comey because of how Comey handled the Hillary email scandals. (I also don’t believe the investigation of Russian interference in the elections is going to show that Trump did anything wrong.) But that’s why firing Comey was a clever move. It makes the Democrats look stupid. Give them what they want, and watch them splutter because they didn’t really want it. This would even begin to make sense if and only if some sizeable contingent of democrats favored Comey getting fired… …Or, you know, there was a slew of right-wing propaganda networks that could all but confirm that republicans would think that. [_Damn_. Foiled again](https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/5/11/15623620/3-trump-voters-defend-comey-firing). ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/55 "2017-05-11T17:14:18Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > That would be truly interesting, because I’m dying to see what an innocent explanation for all of this could possibly be. Trump was innocently attending a “Tupperware party”[SUP]\*[/SUP] at the Kislyak’s house and found himself drawn into a MLM scheme arranged by Roger Stone along with Jeff Sessions, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, and Carter Page. It just happens that Putin is the Double Black Diamond leader of the pyramid. It’s all totally innocent, and if you are interested in joining it is a $10,000 buy in. [SUP]\*[/SUP]By “Tupperware party” we actually mean “Golden Shower Sex Toy party”. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/56 "2017-05-11T17:29:23Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > That would be truly interesting, because I’m dying to see what an innocent explanation for all of this could possibly be. “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?” ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/57 "2017-05-11T17:32:43Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > .) But that’s why firing Comey was a clever move. It makes the Democrats look stupid. I am sure you believe this, but I am also sure that any single thing the opposition party does, you will mentally find the placement as ‘it looks stupid’ as this is what the hard extreme partisan does. to the observer that is not a hard core partisan, it does not look at all stupid or contradictory. it also is very hard to think it is a smart move that outside the close mind of the partisan will have the positive effect. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/58 "2017-05-11T17:33:26Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > “Whoare you going to believe, me or your own eyes?” I remember heading into the final episode of Lost or Battlestar Galactica, and knowing that I was in for a disappointment, because the writers had spent multiple seasons setting things up in such a way that there was literally no possible ending that could make any sense with the information they had given us; the disappointment wasn’t that the endings sucked, it was that the endings couldn’t possibly not suck. With this, using only what we know for 100% certainty, I can’t come up with a single story that possibly exonerates the president. There are only endings with different degrees of complicit. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/59 "2017-05-11T17:34:35Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > But that’s why firing Comey was a clever move. Do you really think it was a clever move in total? I’m having trouble seeing what, in the past day or two, that’s happened as a result of this firing that helps the President, and I see a lot of things that appear to greatly harm him or put him at risk. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327/60 "2017-05-11T17:43:03Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/politics/andrew-mccabe-hearing-senate-intelligence-committee/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/politics/andrew-mccabe-hearing-senate-intelligence-committee/index.html)New acting FBI director contradicts White House on Comey > [@](#): > > (McCabe) said Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, enjoyed “broad support within the FBI and still does to this day.” He added, “The majority, the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey.” > [@](#): > > On Wednesday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, said the President “and the rest of the FBI” had lost confidence in Comey. She said the White House had heard from “countless” members of the FBI to that effect. > [@](#): > > McCabe also contradicted another statement by Sanders in Wednesday’s White House briefing when she said that the Russia investigation was “probably one of the smallest things” on the FBI’s plate. > “We consider it to be a highly significant investigation,” McCabe said, but declined to give details of the manpower involved in the probe. And the Whitehouse shills continue to lie and lie and lie and lie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-firing-what-should-congress-do/786327.md?page=4)