# 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:** 22
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/421 "2017-06-08T16:54:27Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > McCain made no sense whatsoever. Yeah, the dementia was showing in his questions. Or maybe the days where he is fed up with Trump are the dementia showing, and trying to keep the Clinton investigation in the news is normal for him. ETA: I also think every questioner was playing back-seat driver, telling Comey what they each _ **wish** _ they would have done and said in a similar situation. ---
**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, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/422 "2017-06-08T16:56:00Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Damn. I was just about to bring up Henry II when Comey beat me to it. Not just Comey. > [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > “Who will relieve me of this turbulent investigation?” ---
**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, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/423 "2017-06-08T16:56:00Z")
[ > [@](#): > > Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed Comey’s testimony when asked about it during an off-camera briefing at the White House, saying “I can definitely say the president’s not a liar.” ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_COMEY\_THE\_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-08-12-43-26](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COMEY_THE_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-08-12-43-26))The AP posted that at 12:20pm. ---
**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, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/424 "2017-06-08T16:56:32Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Why aren’t they letting go of the emails? > I could understand during the campaign - I thought it was a weak argument, but I could at least understand the reasons why you would bring up the email. It casts a cloud of doubt around the other candidate. I understand why you would want to do that and keep on doing it. But the election is over. It’s been over for 6 months. What’s the payoff to the email question? “Hillary’s corrupt” is about as relevant as the NC Dinos winning 16-0 yesterday (and a good deal less interesting). The Republican answer to everything is Hillary’s emails. As the dust settles from the nuclear apocalypse and the ice caps have melted, Republicans will console themselves with thoughts of Hillary’s emails. ---
**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, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/425 "2017-06-08T16:57:31Z")
Anyone have a transcript of what McCain said? ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/426 "2017-06-08T16:57:47Z")
Here’s what stood out to me about the testimony: Comey said Trump lied about their meetings and defamed him and the FBI. Comey recorded notes of their meetings in significant part because of his assessment of Trump as a person – Comey said that he was worried that Trump might lie about those meetings later. Comey admits to some personal weakness/cowardice in not directly challenging Trump when he made inappropriate requests or statements. Comey doesn’t confirm or deny that the Steele dossier is valid. Comey mentions (directly or indirectly – don’t remember exactly how) that the investigation had found facts that would make inevitable Sessions’ recusal from the investigation. McCain needs to see a neurologist. What else? ---
**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, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/427 "2017-06-08T16:57:57Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Not just Comey. I apologize for overlooking your historical reference. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/428 "2017-06-08T16:58:32Z")
So - are we close to impeachment yet? Comey really screwed up by leaking everything beforehand. There was nothing new (unleaked) in his testimony today, no surprises, no sudden revelations 🙂 How does it feel to have that football yanked away yet again? ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/429 "2017-06-08T17:00:43Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > So - are we close to impeachment yet? > > Comey really screwed up by leaking everything beforehand. There was nothing new (unleaked) in his testimony today, no surprises, no sudden revelations 🙂 > > How does the yanked-away football feel? LOL. I was riveted – fascinating and refreshingly non-political and non-lawyerly. Comey was surprisingly direct and up front, especially that the (in his words) the President lied and defamed him and the FBI. Also learned a lot about his thought process for why he recorded memos, and interactions with the AG. ---
**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, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/430 "2017-06-08T17:03:04Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > John. Dean. > > I watched every minute of Dean’s testimony that was televised in 1973, and that’s exactly what Comey’s demeanor reminds me of. I keep flashing back to John Dean’s testimony too. Didn’t Mr. Dean write something in his book about how felt that there was no longer any weight on his shoulders when he testified, and so he was comfortable talking about things because by then there was no spin, it was just about the facts? Crap, it’s been over 15 years since I last read any of my Watergate books; I’ll have to get them off the shelves I guess. Dir. Comey had that same air about him, IMO. He was calm, wasn’t rattled by anything and rarely engaged in speculation. His testimony didn’t seem particularly self-serving or venomous, and he appeared to be straightforward. ---
**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, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/431 "2017-06-08T17:04:27Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > So - are we close to impeachment yet? > > Comey really screwed up by leaking everything beforehand. There was nothing new (unleaked) in his testimony today, no surprises, no sudden revelations 🙂 > > How does it feel to have that football yanked away yet again? Got you rattled, I see, hence the desperate spinning. We’re not close to impeachment, but we’re moving in that direction at a steady pace. The “surprises” were Comey’s willingness to repeatedly state unequivocally that Trump is a lying liar who lies and that he intended to instigate the appointment of a special counsel, which worked. And the kicking foot, still in motion, isn’t aiming for a football. ---
**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, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/432 "2017-06-08T17:04:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [url=[http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_COMEY\_THE\_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-08-12-43-26](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COMEY_THE_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-06-08-12-43-26)]The AP posted that at 12:20pm. Speaking as someone who often defended George W. Bush against charges that he lied about WMD, how can there be any doubt that Donald Trump is a unrepentant liar? I’m waiting for Sanders’ statement that the earth is actually flat, gold-plated, and from space looks like a Trump hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/433 "2017-06-08T17:04:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > LOL. I was riveted – fascinating and refreshingly non-political and non-lawyerly. Comey was surprisingly direct and up front, especially that the (in his words) the President lied and defamed him and the FBI. LOL. A fired disgruntled employee rants about his former employer. ---
**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, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/434 "2017-06-08T17:05:39Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > So - are we close to impeachment yet? > > Comey really screwed up by leaking everything beforehand. There was nothing new (unleaked) in his testimony today, no surprises, no sudden revelations 🙂 > > How does it feel to have that football yanked away yet again? Tell you what- try and watch Lawrence O’Donnell at 10 pm on MSNBC tonight and see if you don’t think old Cheeto took one on the chin. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/435 "2017-06-08T17:06:43Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > LOL. A fired disgruntled employee rants about his former employer. You seem to have missed this the first 4 times I posted it: > [@](#): > > We need to look at a few things in Comey’s prepared statement that are worrysome. Taken in totality, they really do lead to a single conclusion: That Trump was pressuring Comey to drop the investigation into his buddy Flynn: > > January 27 Dinner > > 1. “The President began by asking me whether I wanted to stay on as FBI Director, which I found strange because he had already told me twice in earlier conversations that he hoped I would stay, and I had assured him that I intended to. He said that lots of people wanted my job …” > > 2. “A few moments later, the President said, “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.” I didn’t move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed. We simply looked at each other in silence. The conversation then moved on, but he returned to the subject near the end of our dinner.” > > 3. (In a subsequent Feb 14 meeting) "The President then returned to the topic of Mike Flynn, saying, “He is a good guy and has been through a lot.” He repeated that Flynn hadn’t done anything wrong on his calls with the Russians, but had misled the Vice President. He then said, “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” > > These three comments by Trump establish that he was pressuring Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn. This was a violation of the law, in my opinion. And also in the opinion of law-talking people in decent positions. So I don’t think I’m completely off base here. ETA: And we know exactly WHY Trump fiired Comey, because he said so in his own words: > [@](#): > > “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to the document, which was read to The New York Times by an American official.\*\* “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off\*\*.” ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/436 "2017-06-08T17:06:45Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Tell you what- try and watch Lawrence O’Donnell at 10 pm on MSNBC tonight and see if you don’t think old Cheeto took one on the chin. He is doomed. DOOMED I tell ya. Trump will continue “taking it on the chin” all the way to 2024… ---
**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, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/437 "2017-06-08T17:07:59Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Man, Sen. McCain looks and sounds terrible. > > ETA: What the fuck is he even talking about? > > EATA: 😕:eek: Sen. McCain has lost his mind. I left for lunch about 20 after the hour, and when I came back, everyone was talking about McCain the live thread I was following while watching. Was he as bad as they made it sound, or was that liberal bias (very liberal board)? Because the comments made it seem like he was almost incoherent. And maybe accused bias because the Clinton investigation ended and the Russia (or did he call it Trump?) one did not? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/438 "2017-06-08T17:08:32Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Why aren’t they letting go of the emails? > I could understand during the campaign - I thought it was a weak argument, but I could at least understand the reasons why you would bring up the email. It casts a cloud of doubt around the other candidate. I understand why you would want to do that and keep on doing it. But the election is over. It’s been over for 6 months. What’s the payoff to the email question? “Hillary’s corrupt” is about as relevant as the NC Dinos winning 16-0 yesterday (and a good deal less interesting). McCain seemed to think the email investigation was part of the Russia investigation. So he wanted to know why Clinton was cleared if Trump couldn’t be cleared because “the investigation” wasn’t complete. ---
**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, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/439 "2017-06-08T17:10:04Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > He is doomed. DOOMED I tell ya. > > Trump will continue “taking it on the chin” all the way to 2024… When the news footage shows the hairy yam surrendering to the prison to begin his sentence, how will you spin that? ETA Lock him up, lock him up. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792/440 "2017-06-08T17:10:24Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Comey really screwed up by leaking everything beforehand. There was nothing new (unleaked) in his testimony today, no surprises, no sudden revelations 🙂 Good thing Mueller probably isn’t relying on shocking gotcha revelations for his investigation 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comey-memo-trump-told-him-shut-down-flynn-probe/786792.md?page=23)