Comey Memo: Trump Told Him - Shut Down Flynn Probe

[Sunny_Daze]

@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.

@RickJay

There are over 300,000,000 Americans who aren’t under FBI investigation and the FBI hasn’t publicly said so, the lazy bastards.

To expand on wolfpup’s point, although this should also be obvious, the Trump organization is under investigation. This raises the likelihood that the person at the head of the organization will at some point be under investigation. In fact, given the way the FBI is known to operate, I would go so far as to suggest that having Trump under investigation at some point is a goal of the investigation. They either gather enough evidence to charge him or to publicly state at some point that there is no reason to bring charges (as they did with Hillary). It is naive to suggest that just because Trump was not under investigation at an earlier stage he will never or should never be under investigation, or that he is in anyway similar to the average American. He is in the crosshairs.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

@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.

Yes, absolutely.

Trump himself, in his own wordsmade it very clear that he fired Comey to take the pressure off of the investigation into Russian meddling in the election.

President Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office this month that firing the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, had relieved “great pressure” on him, according to a document summarizing the meeting.

“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.”

[Gyrate]

A fun quote from the 538 feed:

@Julia Azari

When someone asks, “Do you think the president colluded with Russia?” and the answer is anything other than “no,” that’s not the most normal moment in American politics.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

@Gyrate

He’s not blustering but he’s not pulling many punches either.

This from the AP: Well **there’s **a rousing defense. “He’s not corrupt, he just doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

Indeed. I think that’s going to be the go-to defence of Trump: “He’s not a criminal, he’s just completely fucking stupid.”

[aceplace57]

I’d love to be in the room when Comey answers questions during the classified session later today.

I suspect Russia has always attempted to influence modern US elections. The question today is whether they were more successful in 2016.

[iiandyiiii]

When the big boss says “I hope you can xxx…” and xxx is directly related to my job, that’s pretty clearly an instruction.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

@iiandyiiii

When the big boss says “I hope you can xxx…” and xxx is directly related to my job, that’s pretty clearly an instruction.

Particularly when he has already asked you “do you want to stay on” and “lots of people want your job”.

Particularly when he has already asked you for a personal “loyalty oath”.

These things add up.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

This just in:

Trump not under investigation currently for robbery at 7/11 in Sacremento. Republicans overjoyed - “Trump is completely vindicated!”

[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.

[BobLibDem]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Man, Sen. McCain looks and sounds terrible.

Maybe his embalming fluid is a bit low.

[Procrustus]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Man, Sen. McCain looks and sounds terrible.

McCain isn’t following the conversation at all

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

He sounds like he’s senile.

Besides referring to Trump as “Comey” a couple of times, he’s completely confused as to the difference between the email investigation of Clinton and the Russia-election investigation.

[awldune]

“President Comey”

[Ramira]

@aceplace57

I suspect Russia has always attempted to influence modern US elections. The question today is whether they were more successful in 2016.

Of course it is a mere coincidence that the French, the Swedish, the German, the British etc intelligence agencies have in the past year suddenly all reported on a new and a major effort of the Russian intelligence to interfere in the domestic elections.

But American case you suspect is somehow very uniquely different in its experience…

[Crybaby_Boobie]

It’s just that type of Maverick move to use the Comey hearings as your retirement announcement to the world.

[mikecurtis]

@aceplace57

I’d love to be in the room when Comey answers questions during the classified session later today.

I suspect Russia has always attempted to influence modern US elections. The question today is whether they were more successful in 2016.

there are two separate things here.
#! Did Russia try to influence an American election? More than once? Were they ever successful? How successful?

and
#2 Did anyone in American politics collude with them?

It’s #2 that should be of most immediate concern to the American public, in general, and the current administration in particular. You seem to be implying that whether or not the Russians were successful in the 2016 presidential election is the most important thing. The amount of their success is irrelevant if it’s true that they had inside help.

mc

[iiandyiiii]

McCain made no sense whatsoever.

[ThelmaLou]

@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.

@Snowboarder_Bo

My impression is quite different.

@Gyrate

He’s not blustering but he’s not pulling many punches either.
…

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.

ETA. Did Trump get the Shakespearean reference re “troublesome priest”? Ha. Don’t make me laugh.

[Jophiel]

The most important thing I learned after a couple hours of Comey testimony is that Senator McCain is off his meds.

[amarinth]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

Besides referring to Trump as “Comey” a couple of times, he’s completely confused as to the difference between the email investigation of Clinton and the Russia-election investigation.

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).