Even a broken clock is right twice in a day. By accident.
The transparency of the Trump administration’s lying on this is reminiscent of the Stalinist show trials. Everyone knew that the testimony was all lies, and that was the point: to show that those in power could make the truth irrelevant, and use that to terrorize everyone.
To me the whole thing comes down to this reporters tweet.
https://twitter.com/HashtagGriswold/status/862065941407989761
It is unprecedented that either much less both candidate could reasonably be charged with felonies not only for past behavior but pretty recent. Which is why I find all of the complaints about how Comey didn’t follow FBI/DOJ procedure to completely miss the point. these procedures are in place to ensure that prosecutors have the best chance of obtaining a conviction, and also to ensure that people who are the targets of investigations are treated fairly. In the context of a presidential campaign, these laudable goals pale in comparison to the public right to be kept informed of the investigations.
This is a Syria or North Korea situation, there were no good options, Comey had to pick between a series of awful options because both parties failed to nominate candidates who didn’t routinely engage in questionable behavior. In general, I found that particularly partisan people were most critical of Comey.
Although it is impossible at this moment to think of Comey’s tenure as involving anything other than the Hillary Clinton investigation, there is a lot more to the job of FBI director than a single case, even a defining case. By even his detractors’ accounts, Comey has been an exemplary director in these remaining, extensive aspects of the job, particularly in protecting American national security and speaking out about the challenges faced by the nation’s police in a toxic anti-police environment. Even in disagreeing with him, Jim Comey’s admirers can hope that history will be kinder to him than this moment is.
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/447468/james-comey-firing-rod-rosenstein-memo-gives-bipartisan-rationale
Finally, I’ll remind those who think Comey had it coming, I’d be willing to bet big money that much in the same way that you find yourself longing for Bush 43, you’ll soon be wishing that Comey was the FBI director.
Depending on how things shake out, it is not hard to see this being a decision which could lead to impeachment.
Well, I think what needs to happen is for serious indictments to start stacking up. Convince republicans that the ship is going down and most of them will flee like rats to save their own skins. Everything rests with the grand juries.
Does the president not have the power to fire the FBI director at will, for any reason? If so, not sure how they can make this an impeachable offense.
(I’m NOT defending anything here… he needs to go ASAP, but I want it to be a rock-solid deal when the time comes)
lol
The President does have the power to fire the FBI Director, though it’s only happened once.
Firing the FBI Director is not, in and of itself, an impeachable offense.* See Bill Clinton, who fired an FBI Director for breaking the law.
Obstruction of justice, on the other hand, is most certainly an impeachable offense. See Nixon. Firing someone who is investigating you sure smells like obstruction of justice.
*Though ultimately an impeachable offense is whatever the House says it is.
Except that same exact person said he had to do it.
Session has said previously that what Comey did was good and even required. Now he’s firing him for it months later, when he just happens to be investigating Sessions and his friends? Yeah, no.
I don’t buy this at all. Due process should not be compromised by politics. Period. That is how and why due process gets its credibility. It doesn’t matter whether this person is a presidential candidate or Jane Blogg, when she is under criminal investigation she is treated no different than any other person. (Short term) public interest does not trump the (long term) integrity of due process.
I do not buy that Comey was between a rock and a hard place. If there were clear guidelines on what to do, follow them to the letter and to the spirit. If there weren’t guidelines, then he could use his judgement. And in the Clinton email case, the claim is that there were clear guidelines, Comey just ignored them and used his judgement.
In a sane world, sure. But Trump loved the dude until he started looking into him.
There is footage of him literally greeting him with open arms. Trump and Sessions didn’t give even a tenth of a fuck that he screwed up on Clinton. Hell ,they loved him because of it.
Then, magically, what he did was terrible and he has to be fired. As he is investigating Trump.
You could make the case Comey should have been fired… months ago. Not once he is investigating you, do you get to do a 180 and pretend it’s because of something you publicly praised him for and said he was required to do.
Oh but now that was a terrible and I had to fire him for it.
TIL Pro Publica keeps a searchable running list of congressional statements by topic. Here’s the one about Comey:
We have a zillion different rules for people running for political office, everything from their financial disclosure rules to who’s has given them gifts that are substantially different than the average citizen. Plus even more rules apply to a Presidential candidate. The public right to know trumps the candidate right to privacy and due process.
Imagine that a Russian citizen had been arrested in Turkey and also was wanted in the US, and it turns out he had knowledge about Flynn ties with Russia. His extradition was scheduled to the US for Nov 9. Can you seriously tell me that Comey should have kept quiet about the info?
Sure.
I’m not saying Trump doesn’t have a political motive to fire him right now. I’m saying that Trump has a good case for firing Comey sitting in his drawer. Trump can use it whenever he pleases. And now he uses it.
That’s an absurdly simplistic view of events that defies logic, but I can’t disprove it. Believe it if you like, I suppose.
YES! That is exactly what I’m saying. Because this magic Russian may turn out to be a plant. Or he may be the real deal. There is nothing to report until some impartial authority has reasonably established that this knowledge is genuine. That will be established in a trial.
What trial? the President has the opportunity to fire the FBI director, appoint new attorney generals, and issue pardons.
Ok I guess we will just agree to strongly disagree.