Just keep on beating that Drum man, we all know how exciting it must be to find out there was actually one time your guy didn’t lie.
That’s not one of the various, sometimes conflicting rationales offered by Trump for firing Comey. In his official letter terminating Comey, Trump said, “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I was not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”
Later, of course, Trump revealed in an interview that he planned to fire Comey before he received the DOJ’s recommendation and said “[Comey’s] a showboat, he’s grandstander, the FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago. It hasn’t recovered from that.”
Finally, to the Russians, Trump reportedly said “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job. I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
Even now, Trump, to my knowledge, has not changed his story again to say that he fired Comey because Comey would not publicly say that Trump himself was not under investigation. If that is the rationale you’re going with, then you are effectively calling Trump (and all of his surrogates that have been parroting one or more of the above reasons) liars.
The “reasons” given are compatible with the cause being Comey’s refusal to go public with Trump not being under investigation. That refusal may have been the last straw.
Trump felt (quite justifiably) unjustly maligned in the press, with constant lying about him possibly being under FBI investigation. So he asked his FBI director to dispel those rumors, by publicly telling the truth. The FBI director, honorably, had two choices - comply or resign. He chose neither. So he was fired. The public reasons given are immaterial. They are just as fake as the “taking time with my family” reasons for resignations.
That’s your big hook you’ve been hanging your hopes on? Pathetic.
Shorter Okrahoma: “There’s bound to be a pony in here somewhere!”
Now you’re conflating being asked to do something with an order. If Trump asked Comey to publicly state that Trump was not under FBI investigation himself, then it was a request that could have been denied without giving rise to being fired for cause (though of course a president can fire a FBI director for any reason, though politically and traditionally the one time it was ever done before was for cause).
According to this logic, Trump asking Comey to shut down the FBI investigation regarding Flynn and Comey refusing could have been equally as likely the primary cause for Trump firing Comey.
Per Trump’s statement to the Russians saying he was “relieved” once Comey was fired and now that pressure has been taken off does not make sense if the primary reason he fired Comey was because Comey refused to publicly exonerate Trump regarding any Russia-related investigation. The acting FBI director has issued no statement publicly exonerating Trump that he is completely clear from any investigation. In fact, the acting director actively contradicted the first stated reasons for Comey’s firing regarding low morale and opinion of him from the rank-and-file within the FBI. Trump’s statement to the Russians only makes sense if he thought that firing Comey in and of itself would essentially make any Russia investigation go away.
Should be a good circus.
Dems line will be to put words in his mouth and ask him to agree or disagree.
Repubs line will be to bring up all his fumbles from last year and say “If you thought X, why didn’t you do Y?”
Proving that Trump lied at least twice (about loyalty and about asking Comey to stop the Flynn investigation) isn’t a disappointment.
Why do you think Trump lied about asking for loyalty from Comey and asking Comey to stop investigating Flynn? Or do the lies of President Trump not concern you?
“…though not with the implication that Trump was free and clear of any possible interest from the FIB. …”
Did that source really say “FIB”? That’s what the agency was called in Grand Theft Auto V.
Anyway, I’m curious to see if Trump’s idiot tweeting today is going to end up hurting him more than Comey’s actual testimony.
That’s in the article that way. I figured it’s a tpyo, I do it all the tmie.
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.
How could he say that. He was investigating the campaign, which presumably includes the principle player.
Am I the only one that wishes that Comey had responded to that request by slapping Cheeto with a gigantic stuffed sock and saying “Comey don’t play that!”?
Your link is behind a paywall.
"Hahaha! You dummies said this was a shit cake, but I just found a delicious raisin in the center!
But it’s Rupert Murdoch’s WSJ, so no loss there. As journalist Mike Royko once said, no self-respecting fish would want to be wrapped in a Murdoch paper.
Why do I get the feeling that this morning’s testimony will be anti-climactic or a let-down?
I hear there’s a bar in DC that is going to give out a free round every time Donald tweets during the testimony. I’m not sure if they’re trying to bankrupt the bar or kill people by alcohol poisoning.
Russian vodka, right?
I think the fun is going to be watching the Doofus in Chief incriminate/contradict himself with his tweet gun.