# 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:** 20
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/381 "2017-06-08T15:45:18Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > 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. Seriously, attempting to play this off because he did not literally say “i order you” is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/382 "2017-06-08T15:46:56Z")
> [@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. > > Comey was an Obama appointee. Naturally Trump wanted to confirm his loyalty. > [@Procrustus](#): > > 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. Not only that, but when you fire the guy for being late the next day, it kind of removes any doubt. You can spin the original request however you want. It was a mere suggestion, an idle fancy, a rhetorical flourish. “Who will relieve me of this turbulent investigation?” Nevertheless, when Comey didn’t go along with it, he was fired, and Trump was clear that that was the reason. That’s obstruction of justice. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/383 "2017-06-08T15:47:32Z")
I thought that Trump was going to live Tweet during testimony. Someone must have taken his phone, and his back up, and sedated him. No tweets yet. Also, Comey arranged for leaks to force special counsel. Do you think Trump regrets kicking over this particular ant hill yet? ---
**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, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/384 "2017-06-08T15:47:49Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Seriously, attempting to play this off because he did not literally say “i order you” is ridiculous. Excuse me, he needs to say “Simon says I order you to…” in order for it to count. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/385 "2017-06-08T15:48:11Z")
Comey comes across as very weak to me. Honest, but weak. Not that anyone in the hairy yam’s administration feels strong enough to say no to the HMFIC. ---
**Author:** ![Crybaby\_Boobie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crybaby_boobie/32/545_2.png) [@Crybaby\_Boobie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crybaby_Boobie)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/386 "2017-06-08T15:51:41Z")
We’ve gone from defining “is” to defining “hope”. The more things change… ---
**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, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/387 "2017-06-08T15:52:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Comey was an Obama appointee. Naturally Trump wanted to confirm his loyalty. And yet he was a registered Republican for many years. ---
**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, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/388 "2017-06-08T15:55:13Z")
“What about her emails??!!!?!?!?” Seriously? We’re on Clinton’s fucking emails, STILL? Your guy won, get over it. ---
**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, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/389 "2017-06-08T15:55:48Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Not only that, but when you fire the guy for being late the next day, it kind of removes any doubt. > > You can spin the original request however you want. It was a mere suggestion, an idle fancy, a rhetorical flourish. “Who will relieve me of this turbulent investigation?” > > Nevertheless, when Comey didn’t go along with it, he was fired, and Trump was clear that that was the reason. That’s obstruction of justice. There’s precedent for considering an “I hope” statement to be obstruction of justice, according to the [interwebs](https://twitter.com/adamliptak/status/872835418194157568/photo/1)(and the [Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals](http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/08/04/072601P.pdf)). ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/390 "2017-06-08T15:57:36Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > 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. If the president was saying “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I really want to squeeze 18 in in between Tweets,” you might have a point. The POTUS saying, to the fucking head of the FBI, “I hope this investigation goes away,” is neither subtle nor obtuse. Edited to remove something that’s not appropriate for this forum. Thought it was the Pit. ---
**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, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/391 "2017-06-08T15:59:56Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Comey comes across as very weak to me. Honest, but weak. Not that anyone in the hairy yam’s administration feels strong enough to say no to the HMFIC. My impression is quite different. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/392 "2017-06-08T16:01:39Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, if Comey publicly declared that Trump was not personally under investigation, then if new evidence incriminated Trump as the investigation proceeded, Comey would have been obliged to correct the record and publicly announce that fact, too. Which is exactly why the FBI doesn’t provide a public play-by-play on the progress of investigations, and why that’s a totally bogus reason for why he was fired. Comey was fired because he wasn’t willing to engage in obstruction of justice on Trump’s behalf. There are over 300,000,000 Americans who aren’t under FBI investigation and the FBI hasn’t publicly said so, the lazy bastards. ---
**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, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/393 "2017-06-08T16:07:36Z")
Why is Sen. Cotton wasting his time? ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/394 "2017-06-08T16:07:22Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He really, really, really hates Trump. I was surprised to hear him say, without equivocation, that Trump lied. Actually he didn’t just say that Trump lied, he said that given what he knew about Trump he was concerned that Trump would lie. Effectively calling Trump a habitual liar. \ > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > If the president was saying “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I really want to squeeze 18 in in between Tweets,” you might have a point. The POTUS saying, to the fucking head of the FBI, “I hope this investigation goes away,” is neither subtle nor obtuse. When big Louie sends a couple of Goons over to your place who say that you have a nice family and it would be a shame if any of them were to meet with a fatal accident, they aren’t just being safety minded. ---
**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, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/395 "2017-06-08T16:07:53Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > My impression is quite different. He’s not blustering but he’s not pulling many punches either. This from the AP: > [@](#): > > BREAKING: Speaker Paul Ryan says FBI director needs to be independent, says Trump unfamiliar with protocol, `just new to this’ Well \*\*there’s \*\*a rousing defense. “He’s not corrupt, he just doesn’t know what he’s doing!” Also this from Nate Silver: > [@](#): > > Political betting markets, which aren’t really all that smart but do provide some sort of quantifiable gauge of the conventional wisdom, show Trump’s odds of surviving in office through 2020 having fallen slightly since Comey began his testimony today. In addition to the repeated refrain of Trump being a bullying liar, Flynn and Sessions have likely taken some damage too, which could also rebound onto Trump. ---
**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, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/396 "2017-06-08T16:09:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Why is Sen. Cotton wasting his time? Because the more TV time he gets, the more name recognition for his eventual presidential run. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/397 "2017-06-08T16:10:30Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > There is nothing that Comey can say that won’t be interpreted in polar opposite ways by each side. The two realities that the country is living in cannot converge at this point. > > I saw some guy on Fox News the other night make a point that America elected Trump because he didn’t know how Washington works so Trump doesn’t know any better than to do stupid things which makes everything ok! > > I’m seriously losing hope that there is anything that will stop Trump. Quoting myself for this from the AP: “BREAKING: Speaker Paul Ryan says FBI director needs to be independent, says Trump unfamiliar with protocol, `just new to this’.” Just give him a chance! Once he gets the hang of presidenting, I’m sure he’ll be totally on the up and up about everything. Can we move along now? ---
**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, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/398 "2017-06-08T16:13:00Z")
Damn. I was just about to bring up Henry II when Comey beat me to it. ---
**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, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/399 "2017-06-08T16:13:59Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Because the more TV time he gets, the more name recognition for his eventual presidential run. Tom Cotton is never going to be POTUS. ---
**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, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/400 "2017-06-08T16:14:13Z")
The Donald hasn’t tweeted yet (probably because he’s had his phone taken away from him) but Donny Jr has been tweeting madly. Not good enough for free booze! ETA: Cotton won’t be POTUS, but he can dream… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=21)