Trump Fires FBI Director Comey

(32) If so—and as an attorney I do see a prima facie Obstruction case against Trump—he’d rather take his chances with Congress than Mueller.
(33) I’m doing this thread so Americans of good conscience—including Republicans in Congress—can speak up NOW against this possible action.
(34) From the perspective of many years of criminal trial experience, I know firing Mueller 2 weeks in is practically an admission of guilt.
(35) Obstruction of Justice is a PER SE violation of a POTUS’ Oath of Office. No POTUS is above the law and we must uphold this maxim. {end}

Thanks. :)

“not Obama” and “not Hillary” did pretty well with moderates/independents.

I’m not sure if it is trolling. Sure it would piss off liberal so that’s good, but I think it would be piss off every Republican Congressman and Senator.

Right now Mueller is good for the Republicans cause they can point to him and say, I have confidence that Mueller will conduct a thorough investigation.

If fires him, then the Republicans will actually have to do something or risk being screamed at during town halls.

Hard to argue with that.

@strollen, good point, but you have people like Newt already starting to undermine Mueller (after praising the pick a month ago).

If he doesn’t fire Mueller he gets a best of both worlds* in that he doesn’t appear more guilty but all of this talk of firing Mueller has preemptively given talking points to anyone who wants to dismiss the investigation Mueller’s findings because, you see, the whole thing was a compromised witch hunt from the get go.

Which, of course, suggests Trump will randomly try firing Mueller anyway.

(*In his mind and the mind of Trump supporters in the grip of epistemic closure. In reality Mueller’s going to bring the fucking heat. (At the end of an achingly slow and methodical investigation that will not release any findings for years.))

The idea that Trump won’t fire Muller because it’s stupid is a non argument.

He does stupid shit every god damned day.

Except the ones that even deign to attend anymore already are being screamed at and don’t seem to mind so much?

He does indeed do stupid things every day. And he did fire Comey. So yes, this is perfectly possible.

On the other hand, he’s also threatened to fire Spicer, Bannon, Conway, Preibus, Rosenstein, etc. pretty much non-stop and hasn’t pulled the trigger on on any of them (yet.) So it’s possible it’s just blather.

This gives a good window into Trump’s mind, though. Trump really truly believes that being fired by him is a thing so terrible that the mere threat of it makes people quake in their boots. In fact, of course, most of those people would be just fine if Trump canned them (and indeed the DOJ guys would wear it as a badge of honor.)

Trump just can’t understand that the threat of cutting off access to him is not, in fact, a fate worse than death.

Preet Bahara, Sally Yates, Comey…all seemingly good at their jobs. The president doesn’t like having people around that appear more competent than him, because that makes them “showboats”. Not sure about Rosenstein, but I don’t think the others on that list need worry.

If Trump is indeed dirty as hell, then firing Mueller means he trades dealing with Mueller for dealing with the fallout in Congress. Congress hasn’t done shit so far, so there’s a strong case for that being the easier option. If Congress didn’t grow a backbone then he’s home free rather than it being a slow drip drip drip of an investigation bringing him down in 18 months.

Firing Mueller would be like nominating a horse as consul, I mean US Attorney. If Congress lets it go they might as well vote Trump’s divinity as Caesar et Augustus. But I think even with our corrupt lapdog Congress such a firing would be a step too far and will therefore never happen. Trump would think it far better to sacrifice Flynn and Manafort and even Kushner and then to whine about the Democrat fix being in with that notorious leftist Mueller than to risk actual impeachment.

These experiences have taught Trump that the caterwauling Republicans have no real power to hold him back. He can accuse Ted Cruz’s father of killing Jack Kennedy, and call his wife ugly, and however angry he gets, Cruz will come crawling back. Republican warnings have always proved empty.

Why should the firing of Mueller play out much differently than the firing of Comey? The pro-Trump right will back him enthusiastically on Fox News and talk radio. The anti-anti-Trump right, a smaller and weaker faction, might initially object, but will quickly turn its attention to quibbling with or mocking his critics. (Get a load of this Berkeley professor who says firing Mueller is like the Reichstag fire! Or what about the time Bill Clinton or Barack Obama did something bad?)

Spicer: “[Chris] Ruddy never spoke to the President regarding this issue. With respect to this subject, only the President or his attorneys are authorized to comment.” (via @GlennThrush)

Given that half of the Intelligence committees have been running interference for Trump on the investigations and haven’t seemed the least bit interested in anything Russia related,I think you overestimate the capability of people like Nunes or Sessions to see past party politics to do what’s right for the country.

I think he’ll fire Mueller. He’s in legal danger if Mueller stays. If he fires Mueller, he’s only in danger on CNN and MSNBC. As for Congress, some members will complain and express concern, but does anyone really think Paul Ryan will grow a spine, or Mitch McConnell a heart?

He’ll get away with it. And next year, when we learn something even more horrible, we’ll be wondering if that is finally the moment. It won’t be, either.

Haha. Come on. That seems pretty far-fetched. Next year? I mean, really. More likely to be next month, right?

Just to be clear, I saw Newt trashing talking Mueller the other day. Despite the insanity of Trump doing it, I fully expect him to do so. I’m just hoping that it will be the final straw for many Republicans.

I honestly don’t think the Republicans at Large have any line left to be crossed.

They have abandoned anything approaching principles at this point. To acknowledge that Trump is a monster is to admit that they have enabled a monster, to the greater detriment of the nation.

I think that’s the reason why many if not all of the Republicans will do nothing. They are pot committed at this point, and will lose everything.

I don’t think they do- what they need to do is scare the hell out of millenials, and make them think Republicans want to kill them or at least subject them to a lifetime of servitude and slavery.

Also that Donald Trump is stealing tax dollars for himself and his friends. You can’t convince his cult, but you can get the rest of the country to want to lock up (or worse) him and his cultist followers.

My big concern is them deliberately and blatantly stealing the 2020 election- if that happens a military response will have to be forced one way or the other. Democracy will have died.

Also, my fully brainwashed mom is in favor of firing Mueller already.