Trump has fired Comey.

[Fair_Rarity]

@John_Stamos_Left_Ear

Yeah and despite all of that, the issue here is not stringing Trump up on the White House lawn, it’s investigating the allegations to determine what actually the case may be.

Why are the same people who were quite happy to demand eight Benghazi investigations suddenly not curious about this? Gee, I wonder…

I agree. I mean, I’m certain something nefarious went down, but I can admit that it’s entirely possible Trump is a useful idiot, innocent as the driven snow, just fueled by paranoia and a weak mind. Let’s go find Ken Starr and find out.

[Aspenglow]

@opossum

This makes no sense.

And yet, Comey mentioned it publicly. I personally heard it at least once, and my recollection is actually twice. I remember because it piqued my interest enough to research Petraeus’ path to his misdemeanor conviction.

[Aspenglow]

John_Stamos’_Left-Ear, I like your handy list. Thank you for posting it.

[John_Stamos_Left_Ear]

…I’m sure it’s just an old tire or rubber boot, right Trump apologists?

Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation

President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo Mr. Comey wrote shortly after the meeting.

“I hope you can let this go,” the president told Mr. Comey, according to the memo.

The existence of Mr. Trump’s request is the clearest evidence that the president has tried to directly influence the Justice Department and F.B.I. investigation into links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia.

NY Times

[Sunny_Daze]

@John_Stamos_Left_Ear

Some of these may be redundant. A few might even be questionable or won’t withstand scrutiny. But all of this does show that there’s a damn good reason to look in this body of water for fish.

<snipped due to length>

Thank for sharing that helpful list. I’m sure we can add a few more things. For example, aren’t there also people who leaked to Wikileaks last year mysteriously getting killed in DC? (Seth Rich is the first name I found. I believe there are others.)

Also, Comey’s firing. It’s a long list and I may have missed it, but it should be on there if it isn’t.

My point is that it’s a long list already and it’s incomplete. People who think there is no reason to investigate ties to Russia are being willfully blind.
(Also, I’m borrowing that list. :))

[aceplace57]

More over blown hype by the press and the Democrats. Comey obviously didn’t feel Trump’s comment was out of line. Otherwise he was legally REQUIRED to report it to the Justice Dept.

Trump may have commented that Michael Flynn is a good guy. That’s not the same as telling Comey not to investigate.

Trump will have to learn to keep his big mouth shut.

So, if Comey believed Trump attempted to obstruct justice, did he comply with the law by reporting it to the DOJ?  If not, it calls into question whether the events occurred as the Times reported it.

Obstruction requires what’s called “specific intent” to interfere with a criminal case.  If Comey concluded, however, that Trump’s language was vague, ambiguous or elliptical, then he has no duty under the law to report it because it does not rise to the level of specific intent.  Thus, no crime.

There is no evidence Comey ever alerted officials at the Justice Department, as he is duty-bound to do.  Surely if he had, that incriminating information would have made its way to the public either by an indictment or, more likely, an investigation that could hardly be kept confidential in the intervening months.

[Buttercup_Smith]

@davidm

I didn’t see it that way, but looking at it again I think you may be right.

Number 2 I think.

[John_Stamos_Left_Ear]

@aceplace57

More over blown hype by the press and the Democrats. Comey obviously didn’t feel Trump’s comment was out of line. Otherwise he was legally REQUIRED to report it to the Justice Dept.

Trump may have commented that Michael Flynn is a good guy. That’s not the same as telling Comey not to investigate.

Trump will have to learn to keep his big mouth shut.

Care to attribute the quoted material?

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

[aceplace57]

I thought I pasted a link.
It’s 18 USC 4 and 28 USC 1361. Any prosecutor, judge or other official is required to report, to the DOJ any clear attempts to influence or obstruct a case.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/05/16/gregg-jarrett-comeys-revenge-is-gun-without-powder.amp.html

My integrity, Comey may have been concerned by the conversation with Trump. He made a note of it. Classic CYA. He didn’t report it to the DOJ. He obviously felt it didn’t quite rise to outright obstruction.

If the Director of the FBI didn’t feel it required reporting to the DOJ, that’s good enough for me.

[aceplace57]

I don’t question that Comey felt uncomfortable by that conversation.

But it’s a bit premature to start talking impeachment just yet.

Trump’s walking a fine line. As far as we know, He hasn’t crossed it yet.

[puzzlegal]

It might not have been a clear attempt to influence or obstruct the case at the time, but in retrospect, given the firing, it certainly looks much more like at attempt at obstruction.