# Comey Memo: Trump Told Him - Shut Down Flynn Probe **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 16, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792 "2017-05-16T21:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/361 "2017-06-08T15:08:43Z")
Was anyone else surprised by the Vice President being mentioned by Comey when no asked about him? When talking about duty to correct? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/362 "2017-06-08T15:10:55Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Is there a live stream of this somewhere I’m missing? Try your local ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX stations, or CNN, MSNBC and FOX News. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/363 "2017-06-08T15:12:17Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I meant here! I like SDMB commentary. You’re there. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/364 "2017-06-08T15:12:58Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He really, really, really hates Trump. I was surprised to hear him say, without equivocation, that Trump lied. Ditto. My jaw actually fell open. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/365 "2017-06-08T15:14:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Has Trump ever been known as subtle or obtuse in his entire life? > > Trying to imply “I hope” was code for an order is hilarious. > > Trump is the loudest mouth in the room. He doesn’t slink around anything. > > Comey was an Obama appointee. Naturally Trump wanted to confirm his loyalty. Were you among those outraged when Bill Clinton got on the plane to say Hi to the AG at the time? Saying how outrageous it was to talk to the AG when your spouse was under investigation? I don’t know if you in particular thought Bill was way out of line, but many on the right were but seem to have no trouble with Cheeto trying to stifle an ongoing investigation. The FBI director does not need to be loyal to the president, he needs to be loyal to the law. No other president has ever asked for loyalty from the FBI director. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/366 "2017-06-08T15:18:07Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > … > Trump is the loudest mouth in the room. He doesn’t tiptoe around anything. > … I’m sure he’s not above _attempting_ to do so if he thinks he might be breaking the law. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/367 "2017-06-08T15:22:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by aceplace57 > Has Trump ever been known as subtle or obtuse in his entire life? > > Trying to imply “I hope” was code for an order is hilarious. I don’t think it’s code at all. When I tell one of my employees “I hope you’re not late again tomorrow,” it’s actually more than a hope. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/368 "2017-06-08T15:22:54Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Has Trump ever been known as subtle or obtuse in his entire life? > > Trying to imply “I hope” was code for an order is hilarious. > > Trump is the loudest mouth in the room. He doesn’t tiptoe around anything. “…if she gets to pick her judges? Nothing you can do, folks – although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/369 "2017-06-08T15:24:10Z")
Clinton is an expert in political matters. Anything he says has to be carefully considered and measured. Trump is known for his big mouth. He constantly blurts out anything on his mind. “I hope” was a spontaneous expression that most regular people say all the time. He wasn’t trying to subtly give a direct order. Clinton wouldn’t make that mistake because he’s a political insider. He always speaks indirectly. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/370 "2017-06-08T15:24:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Comey was an Obama appointee. Naturally Trump wanted to confirm his loyalty. If you think that the officers of the United States Government owe loyalty to the President, you are making a very serious mistake. Government employees, and in particular senior officers such as agency heads, swear an oath to uphold the Constitution, not the President. It is the mark of a mind that is permeated with cronyism and pure incompetence to think that a loyalty pledge to a President (of either party) is compatible with the duty to be loyal to the Constitution. You are so far off on this point that it is alarming. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/371 "2017-06-08T15:25:39Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “…if she gets to pick her judges? Nothing you can do, folks – although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.” Not to mention his tweet about Comey better hope there aren’t “tapes.” ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/372 "2017-06-08T15:28:24Z")
Reminds me of Chapelle’s R/ Kelly sketch. "Okay, I’d have to see a video of him singing “Stop Investigating Flynn,” two forms of government ID, a police officer there to verify the whole thing, four or five of my buddies and Neal taking notes, and Trumps’s grandma to confirm his identity. " ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/373 "2017-06-08T15:29:22Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Has Trump ever been known as subtle or obtuse in his entire life? > > Trying to imply “I hope” was code for an order is hilarious. First, yes, Trump has been known to be obtuse for his entire life. You may not know what that word means. Second, “I hope” is not subtle. It’s not code. You may not know what “subtle” means, either. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/374 "2017-06-08T15:33:24Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Not to mention his tweet about Comey better hope there aren’t “tapes.” Or the part where he mused aloud that Russia would probably be rewarded mightily if they’d bring Hillary Clinton’s e-mails to light. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/375 "2017-06-08T15:40:01Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > No other president has ever asked for loyalty from the FBI director. J. Edgar Hoover probably asked for loyalty from the presidents. 538 is doing live blog commentary [here](http://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/comey-testimony/). ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/376 "2017-06-08T15:42:04Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > J. Edgar Hoover probably asked for loyalty from the presidents. > > 538 is doing live blog commentary [here](http://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/comey-testimony/). Hoover likely had intel on each of them that they didn’t want to come out. It’s more plausible to me that he blackmailed his way to a long run as director rather than asked for loyalty. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/377 "2017-06-08T15:42:25Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > If you think that the officers of the United States Government owe loyalty to the President, you are making a very serious mistake. Government employees, and in particular senior officers such as agency heads, swear an oath to uphold the Constitution, not the President. Don’t agency heads serve at the pleasure of the President? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/378 "2017-06-08T15:42:59Z")
On the first dinner with Trump: “I had to call my wife and break a date with her…now, I wish I had spent the time with her instead.” ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/379 "2017-06-08T15:43:24Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Don’t agency heads serve at the pleasure of the President? Sure. They don’t take loyalty oaths to the President, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/380 "2017-06-08T15:44:38Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > Don’t agency heads serve at the pleasure of the President? Is anyone arguing Trump is/was not able to fire Comey? And now, “It sounds like ‘Will no one help me with this meddlesome priest?’.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=20)