# Trump has fired Comey. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225 "2017-05-09T21:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/81 "2017-05-10T14:33:14Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’m hearing Republican Senators say they are quite disturbed by the Comey firing. It is becoming obvious that an impartial investigation cannot be under the control of the executive branch. The Republican majority in the House is quite small. They are already in danger of losing the majority due to the health care debacle. Will they want to fall on their swords to keep a crook in the White House? I doubt it. This was an act of desperation, of a man consumed by a monster of his own creation. I predict that there will indeed be a special prosecutor named before Memorial Day. For what? In your mind, what will a special prosecutor uncover and what will be the significance of it? Let’s say that in the Summer of 2016, Trump and Putin met in a hotel in Berlin. After a few vodkas (for Putin, Trump doesn’t drink) Putin tells Trump that the Russians want Trump to win and will do everything in their power to ensure that happens. They shake hands and leave. What law has been broken? Many leaders of other countries talked about how dangerous Trump was and all but stated that they wanted Hillary to win. Why is that different? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/82 "2017-05-10T14:44:31Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > For what? In your mind, what will a special prosecutor uncover and what will be the significance of it? > > Let’s say that in the Summer of 2016, Trump and Putin met in a hotel in Berlin. After a few vodkas (for Putin, Trump doesn’t drink) Putin tells Trump that the Russians want Trump to win and will do everything in their power to ensure that happens. They shake hands and leave. > > What law has been broken? Many leaders of other countries talked about how dangerous Trump was and all but stated that they wanted Hillary to win. Why is that different? Follow the money. It’s not just Russia “wanted him to win.” They’re free to want him to win and to commit crimes to help him, without Trump necessarily doing anything wrong. On the other hand, I can imagine many ways Trump or his top associates crossing all kinds of lines during the election. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t. Firing the guy in charge of finding out sure makes me think there’s something there. As do “why is this different.” We have to stop asking that. Putting a man like Trump in the Oval Office will always be _different._ It is a disgrace, and embarrassment, and and outrage. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/83 "2017-05-10T14:46:58Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > For what? In your mind, what will a special prosecutor uncover and what will be the significance of it? > > Let’s say that in the Summer of 2016, Trump and Putin met in a hotel in Berlin. After a few vodkas (for Putin, Trump doesn’t drink) Putin tells Trump that the Russians want Trump to win and will do everything in their power to ensure that happens. They shake hands and leave. > > What law has been broken? Many leaders of other countries talked about how dangerous Trump was and all but stated that they wanted Hillary to win. Why is that different? I can see there being a quid pro quo- “help get me elected and those sanctions get removed”, that sort of thing. Or “we’ll look the other way while you annex Crimea”. We also need to know if the campaign and the Kremlin were working in concert. Did the Kremlin tell the campaign “here are some emails from the DNC that we’re going to make public next Tuesday, be prepared to make your talking points now”. Or is the Kremlin in position to blackmail members of the administration? If so, who is under their thumb and why, and what are they doing for Moscow? This doesn’t even begin to take into account the cover up. I think there is a wealth of things to investigate here and depending how it goes, a wealth of possible outcomes. We can’t, as Chucklebee’s daughter would have it, just say “we’ve talked about this form months, let’s just forget about it.” There most definitely is a there there. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/84 "2017-05-10T15:40:09Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I can see there being a quid pro quo- “help get me elected and those sanctions get removed”, that sort of thing. Or “we’ll look the other way while you annex Crimea”. > > We also need to know if the campaign and the Kremlin were working in concert. Did the Kremlin tell the campaign “here are some emails from the DNC that we’re going to make public next Tuesday, be prepared to make your talking points now”. > > Or is the Kremlin in position to blackmail members of the administration? If so, who is under their thumb and why, and what are they doing for Moscow? > > This doesn’t even begin to take into account the cover up. I think there is a wealth of things to investigate here and depending how it goes, a wealth of possible outcomes. We can’t, as Chucklebee’s daughter would have it, just say “we’ve talked about this form months, let’s just forget about it.” There most definitely is a there there. Is any of that illegal? I’m not being snarky, but honestly asking. Can a candidate meet with a foreign leader and say, “If I’m elected, these sanctions go away because I think they are unfair.” or “If I’m elected, I will change the policy of the current administration to allow you to go to war with East Asia.” ? I don’t see why a candidate should not be able to have such frank discussions with other countries. Should a candidate have to keep his desires secret until after the election? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/85 "2017-05-10T15:40:52Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > So pretty much everyone who called for Comey’s firing should have praise for this action, yes? > > I don’t. I never thought Comey should have been fired then, and I don’t now. I viewed him as a neutral investigator on the Trump case and the Clinton case. This is a very bad development, in my view. So, not only are you looking for more ways to accuse libruls of hypocrisy, but you deserve praise for your steadfast consistency. Okay. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/86 "2017-05-10T15:42:56Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > Shit, I’m agreeing with Bricker and Snowden at the same time? > > Hell hath truly frozen over. Just a few days ago, I found myself agreeing with a George Will column and (gasp!) much of an Ann Coulter column. So now I find myself looking around for a bunny with a timepiece who’s afraid he’s late… ---
**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:** [May 10, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/87 "2017-05-10T15:44:26Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Is any of that illegal? I’m not being snarky, but honestly asking. Can a candidate meet with a foreign leader and say, “If I’m elected, these sanctions go away because I think they are unfair.” or “If I’m elected, I will change the policy of the current administration to allow you to go to war with East Asia.” ? > > I don’t see why a candidate should not be able to have such frank discussions with other countries. Should a candidate have to keep his desires secret until after the election? Perhaps if it was limited to statements like “I don’t think the sanctions are right and if elected I’ll end them”, that’s ok in my book. But if it’s “if you help me win the election with hacking and fake news I’ll help you out on sanctions”, then that’s wrong. If it’s a crime, I don’t know but it certainly seems improper. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/88 "2017-05-10T15:58:24Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If you have both sides ticked off at you, you’re either doing a great job of being impartial or a bad job in general. Not necessarily so. For instance, if one’s job is to oversee child slaves in an African diamond mine, and one occasionally pockets a diamond rather than hand it over to the mine owner (which he strongly suspects but can’t pin down), both the slaves and the owner will have reason for resentment. However, it is clearly not impartial to enforce a system that benefits the master at the expense of the slaves, nor it it doing a bad job to pilfer a bit while otherwise being efficient to the point of harvesting more diamonds than an honest but less ruthless overseer might obtain for the boss. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/89 "2017-05-10T16:01:54Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Comey said three times that Trump was not a target of the investigation, so he’s totally cleared We know it as surely as we know that Simon Peter was not in any way associated with a certain long-haired troublemaker hippie preacher man. > [@Merneith](#): > > Also, on Twitter, Kellyanne Conway says that she can name lots people around Donald who aren’t being investigated by the FBI for Russian Colusion. If so, I’ll give her a bit of credit for actually knowing the names of the janitors, gardeners, cooks, food servers, etc. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/90 "2017-05-10T16:12:24Z")
Tillerson met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavro this morning [https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/05/270772.htm](https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/05/270772.htm) > [@](#): > > SECRETARY TILLERSON: I want to welcome Foreign Minister Lavrov to the State Department and express my appreciation for him making the trip to Washington so that we can continue our dialogue and our exchange of views that began in Moscow with the dialogue he hosted on a very broad range of topics. Thank you. > > QUESTION: Does the Comey firing cast a shadow of your talks, gentlemen? > > FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: Was he fired? > > QUESTION: Yes. > > FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: You are kidding. You are kidding. You need to watch the video to see his attitude. Video: [https://players.brightcove.net/1705665025/HJ8lQG1Eg\_default/index.html?videoId=5428615037001](https://players.brightcove.net/1705665025/HJ8lQG1Eg_default/index.html?videoId=5428615037001) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/91 "2017-05-10T16:16:44Z")
Trumpelthinskin displays his Presidential temperament: > [@](#): > > [Behind Comey’s firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/10/comey-firing-trump-russia-238192) > > He had grown enraged by the Russia investigation, two advisers said, frustrated by his inability to control the mushrooming narrative around Russia. He repeatedly asked aides why the Russia investigation wouldn’t disappear and demanded they speak out for him. He would sometimes scream at television clips about the probe, one adviser said… ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/92 "2017-05-10T16:20:23Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Perhaps if it was limited to statements like “I don’t think the sanctions are right and if elected I’ll end them”, that’s ok in my book. But if it’s “if you help me win the election with hacking and fake news I’ll help you out on sanctions”, then that’s wrong. If it’s a crime, I don’t know but it certainly seems improper. Of course that last part is different. Do you think, or otherwise have evidence that the Trump campaign coordinated the email hacking? It seems like a remotely possible thing, yet still a fishing expedition. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/93 "2017-05-10T16:26:55Z")
McConnell is rejecting calls for a special prosecutor. > **[McConnell: ‘Too much is at stake’ for new probe | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/10/politics/congress-james-comey/index.html)** > > Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected Wednesday any calls for a new investigation by a special prosecutor into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign in the wake of the President’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. > [@](#): > > McConnell rejected Wednesday any calls for a new investigation by a special prosecutor into alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign in the wake of the President’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. > > McConnell said “too much is at stake” to halt an investigation already in progress, though some in his own party appear to leave the door open to such a process. > > The Kentucky Republican said from the Senate floor such an investigation into Russian meddling into the US election last year would “only serve to impede the current work being done to not only discover what the Russians may have done but also to let this body and the national security community develop counter measures.” To me this sounds more like an excuse than a reason. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/94 "2017-05-10T16:28:26Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Of course that last part is different. Do you think, or otherwise have evidence that the Trump campaign coordinated the email hacking? It seems like a remotely possible thing, yet still a fishing expedition. Of course I don’t know any more than any other common person. But there certainly seen to be close Russian financial ties with many members of the administration and plenty of opportunity for mutual back scratching. Truly this seems to be a raw nerve with the White House. Much of the damage is self-inflicted due to Cheeto’s refusal to release his taxes. Without knowing what side of the bread his butter is on, we can’t pronounce guilt or innocence without a proper investigation. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/95 "2017-05-10T16:28:38Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > You need to watch the video to see his attitude. > > Video: [https://players.brightcove.net/1705665025/HJ8lQG1Eg\_default/index.html?videoId=5428615037001](https://players.brightcove.net/1705665025/HJ8lQG1Eg_default/index.html?videoId=5428615037001) Jeez. I don’t even know how to read that reaction. He looked surprised at first… but then… I don’t know, amused? Certainly dismissive. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/96 "2017-05-10T16:40:39Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Trumpelthinskin displays his Presidential temperament: Instead of letting him watch the news, they should just prop him up in the White House screening room and let him watch _Patton_ over and over. You know, I was going to make a joke about inviting Kissinger over to shed some crocodile tears with him. And I wanted to make sure Kissinger was still alive, and so I Googled him, of course. And I learned that just today Trump met with Kissinger in the Oval Office. Sure. Why the fuck not? > **[Trump Also Just Met With Henry Kissinger, aka Richard Nixon’s National...](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/05/henry-kissinger-in-oval-office-reporters-say.html)** > > This is what’s called “steering into the skid.” ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/97 "2017-05-10T16:54:11Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > … > You know, I was going to make a joke about inviting Kissinger over to shed some crocodile tears with him. And I wanted to make sure Kissinger was still alive, and so I Googled him, of course. And I learned that just today Trump met with Kissinger in the Oval Office. Sure. Why the fuck not? > > [Henry Kissinger in Oval Office, reporters say.](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/05/10/henry_kissinger_in_oval_office_reporters_say.html) From your link: > [@](#): > > Per a report from the White House press pool, Trump said Kissinger was present to discuss “Russia and various other matters.” > > Trump also met Wednesday with Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S. You can’t make this stuff up. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/98 "2017-05-10T16:58:38Z")
I am currently amusing myself by imagining old Henry’s thoughts and impressions as he talks with our moron-in-chief. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/99 "2017-05-10T17:02:36Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Jeez. I don’t even know how to read that reaction. He looked surprised at first… but then… I don’t know, amused? Certainly dismissive. Maybe he truly didn’t know but I find that hard to believe. Surely he has people who inform him of stuff like this before he meets with U.S. officials? If he did know, it’s hard not to see that reaction as sarcastic and dismissive, which would seem to indicate that he feels secure about Russia’s relations with the U.S. to the point that he can be dismissive of public opinion. I find that disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225/100 "2017-05-10T17:04:36Z")
I just noticed this. [QUOTE=Talking Points Memo] The Washington Post, New York Times, and NBC confirmed that Comey had just days ago asked the Justice Department’s second in command, Rod Rosenstein, for more resources to support the inquiry into whether members of President Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russian government last year. Rosenstein wrote the memo, made public on Tuesday, recommending Comey be terminated. [/QUOTE] The plot thickens. > **[Reports: Comey Fired After Seeking More Resources For Russia Investigation](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/nyt-comey-fired-after-requesting-more-funding-russia-probe)** > > Amid widespread suspicion that the official reason for FBI Director James Comey's firing—his handling last year of an investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server—was not the true reason… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-has-fired-comey/786225.md?page=6)