# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 205
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4081 "2017-05-09T22:26:59Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _There is no honor among_ … what was that word again? Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4082 "2017-05-09T22:27:12Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > When do people start getting erased from photos? Am I the only one who read this and immediately thought of Back to the Future? I admit Part II is on my mind a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4083 "2017-05-09T22:29:17Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Comey is [out](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-misstated-key-clinton-email-evidence-at-hearing-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/05/09/074c1c7e-34bd-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html?utm_term=.173c9ae3effe). [Comey was fired](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-misstated-key-clinton-email-evidence-at-hearing-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/05/09/074c1c7e-34bd-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html?utm_term=.9fcc07985bc1) as he is leading a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether associates of President Trump may have coordinated with Russia to meddle with the presidential election last year. I’m beginning to smell a Nixonian sense of paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4084 "2017-05-09T22:31:15Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > But doesn’t this mean that Trump gets to pick the guy who’s investigating him? > > :mad: I thought that, too, but have now learned a confirmation hearing must take place. That’s going to be a little problematic for Trump. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4085 "2017-05-09T22:37:38Z")
He lied to Congress. A perfectly good reason to fire him. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4086 "2017-05-09T22:38:45Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I thought that, too, but have now learned a confirmation hearing must take place. That’s going to be a little problematic for Trump. Yes, his successor must be approved by the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4087 "2017-05-09T22:39:26Z")
[Let’s re-write history.](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/fbi-james-comey-fired-letter/) > [@](#): > > Memos released by the White House show that Rod J. Rosenstein, the newly sworn-in deputy attorney general, recommended that **Mr. Comey be fired over how he disclosed the investigation into Mrs. Clinton.** > > Mr. Comey broke with longstanding tradition and policies by discussing the case and chastising the Democratic presidential nominee’s “careless” handling of classified information. Then, in the campaign’s final days, Mr. Comey announced that the F.B.I. was reopening the case, a move that earned him widespread criticism. Seriously? Trump reveled in constantly bring it up. He was positively gleeful about it. And now CNN is running clips of Trump praising Comey for the near election letter. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4088 "2017-05-09T22:41:26Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > He lied to Congress. A perfectly good reason to fire him. Guess he should fire Sessions too, right? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4089 "2017-05-09T22:57:29Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > I’m beginning to smell a Nixonian sense of paranoia. I could cope with a Nixon whitehouse about now. A flaming liberal would be a nice change. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4090 "2017-05-09T22:58:58Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > He lied to Congress. A perfectly good reason to fire him. That’s not why they said the fired him. They fired him for being too hard on Hillary Clinton. Seriously. That’s the reason that they’ve given. Take off your blinders and explain why they would fire him now, and not months ago, if that were the real reason. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4091 "2017-05-09T23:11:28Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > That’s not why they said the fired him. They fired him for being too hard on Hillary Clinton. Seriously. That’s the reason that they’ve given. > > Take off your blinders and explain why they would fire him now, and not months ago, if that were the real reason. Too hard by lying about Huma’s emails. Also, not hard enough by not recommending to prosecute. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4092 "2017-05-09T23:12:20Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Like I said, he’s no longer useful. Well, maybe he cn be replaced. Right about now, a Special Prosecutor would fill the intrim nicely. Senators Mendez & Booker? Let me please introduce you to some USDA PRIME Red Meat. ~Bon Appetite~ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4093 "2017-05-09T23:25:06Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > That’s not why they said the fired him. They fired him for being too hard on Hillary Clinton. Seriously. That’s the reason that they’ve given. > > Take off your blinders and explain why they would fire him now, and not months ago, if that were the real reason. I read the documents [here](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/james-comey-terminated-fbi-director). Trump says he’s acting on advice from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions says he agrees with the reasoning of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. And Rosenstein is more critical of Comey’s announcement last July (that Clinton wouldn’t be prosecuted) than what he said in October (that the investigation was being reopened). Comey wasn’t fired for being too hard on Clinton, but for clearing her and taking that decision away from the Attorney General (who at the time was Loretta Lynch). ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4094 "2017-05-09T23:42:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > But doesn’t this mean that Trump gets to pick the guy who’s investigating him? I predict that in order to show he’s not sexist, he’ll nominate Helen Keller, who (he notices) is getting recognized more and more for the amazing job she’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4095 "2017-05-09T23:48:37Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I read the documents [here](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/james-comey-terminated-fbi-director). Trump says he’s acting on advice from Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions says he agrees with the reasoning of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. And Rosenstein is more critical of Comey’s announcement last July (that Clinton wouldn’t be prosecuted) than what he said in October (that the investigation was being reopened). Comey wasn’t fired for being too hard on Clinton, but for clearing her and taking that decision away from the Attorney General (who at the time was Loretta Lynch). But Loretta Lynch clearly stated she would defer to Comey’s judgment and would not become involved in making a determination of whether or not to prosecute, whatever the outcome. I also read that Comey discussed his choice with Lynch to make his public statement about Clinton in July and while Lynch expressed doubts that he should do it, she did not expressly forbid it. She left it up to Comey because of Bill Clinton’s visit with her on the tarmac in Arizona. Comey didn’t “take that decision away” from Lynch. He was given it. That said, I think he would have been better served to have passed his conclusions to another prosecutor within the Justice Department and allowed that person to make a determination about what to do with them, avoiding the public statement. As for clearing Clinton, I think that the reason Comey felt he couldn’t bring charges to prosecute Clinton was because of the outcome for Gen. David Petraeus in response to his mishandling of classified information. Petraeus not only mishandled it, but he lied to the FBI and obfuscated the FBI’s investigation. For his actions, Petraeus received a misdemeanor conviction. With that in mind, Comey felt it was seriously problematic to lodge more serious charges against Clinton. He mentioned this a time or two. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4096 "2017-05-09T23:51:03Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > [Comey was fired](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-misstated-key-clinton-email-evidence-at-hearing-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/05/09/074c1c7e-34bd-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html?utm_term=.9fcc07985bc1) as he is leading a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether associates of President Trump may have coordinated with Russia to meddle with the presidential election last year. > > I’m beginning to smell a Nixonian sense of paranoia. I can just see the Trump asking his inner circle "He was useful getting me elected, but now he’s got the FBI investigating us. Can we use his mishandling of Clinton emails as a pretext to fire him, so we can get our own guy in there to quash this? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4097 "2017-05-09T23:53:45Z")
Wow. Is Trump mad because Comey failed to also deliver him the POPULAR vote? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4098 "2017-05-10T00:00:28Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > But Loretta Lynch clearly stated she would defer to Comey’s judgment and would not become involved in making a determination of whether or not to prosecute, whatever the outcome. I also read that Comey discussed his choice with Lynch to make his public statement about Clinton in July and while Lynch expressed doubts that he should do it, she did not expressly forbid it. She left it up to Comey because of Bill Clinton’s visit with her on the tarmac in Arizona. Comey didn’t “take that decision away” from Lynch. He was given it. Don’t tell me; tell Rod Rosenstein. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4099 "2017-05-10T00:07:02Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Am I the only one who read this and immediately thought of Back to the Future? I admit Part II is on my mind a lot. I thought of all the underlings that Darth Vader force strangled as each “disappointed” him… ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4100 "2017-05-10T00:15:18Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Don’t tell me; tell Rod Rosenstein. Never mind. I was cornfuzzled. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=204) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=206)