quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee
Also, if he did give these notes to someone else... he's scum. An 'honest' person does not leak notes of private meetings to the press only after they've been fired. Revenge? That's asshole work. Revenge through anonymous proxy? Cowardly asshole scum.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

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.

Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.

More: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html?_r=0

Oh, I almost hope - REALLY hope - that Comey was indeed taking detailed memos during all of his meetings.

Then we can subpoena his notes from 2016... you know, when he met a lot with his bosses before deciding to make up some new laws to let Hillary get away with her criminal behavior.

Also, if he did give these notes to someone else... he's scum. An 'honest' person does not leak notes of private meetings to the press only after they've been fired. Revenge? That's asshole work. Revenge through anonymous proxy? Cowardly asshole scum.

Also shouldn’t they be “work product” and belong now to the archivist for the FBI, and not personal property, and he should NOT have taken them with him?

quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

drip, drip, drip. Lifeblood will be wasting away from memos and stuff, they make wikileakes and guccifer look like they are just fucking around. Dont fuck with intel folks, unless you are squeaky clean.

quote:

ORIGINAL: KenDckey

From all the reports from the various media outlets, no one has provided a copy of the memo. If it exists, then it should be provided along with news report. If it doesn't, then it all falls apart. NBC has reported that neither them nor the NYT has actually seen the memo which in my mind always leave questions. Tme will tell.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

Times have changed, apparently . . .

Donald Trump has committed the exact offense that forced Richard Nixon to resign

"...But what we do know, the “smoking gun” that eventually forced Nixon out of office, was that Nixon ordered his chief of staff to get the CIA to force the FBI to abandon its investigation into the break-in.

"...And we now know that before Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, he asked Comey to stop investigating former National Security Adviser Flynn. This is exactly the same kind of FBI investigation interference that forced Nixon out of the White House and shocked his Republican allies out of defending him.

"...But this is not a “where there’s smoke there’s fire” situation. We don’t need to know much more to know that the president has committed conduct that was once thought sufficient to warrant removal from office.

"The Comey firing isn’t smoke. It’s fire."

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/15/15627284/trump-comey-firing-obstruction-justice-nixon-watergate

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

The problem is that the president cannot direct or ask that an investigation be stopped by anyone, as demonstrated with Nixon firing the special investigator during the Watergate debacle.

Which is why FBI directors are appointed for 10 year terms.

With the facts clearly showing that:

1) President Trump tried to stop an investigation

And

2) Comey was fired for some pretty lame reasons, and actually fired while he was on the west coast and not directly, there is more than enough evidence to suggest that President Trump is either trying to cover something up, or he is so blasted stupid as to make himself look guilty of misconduct.

Granted, Comey making the statement about reopening the inquiry into the Hilary email server a couple of weeks before the election probably had some impact on the results, since it was not normal for that kind of bombshell to be dropped before the election, but Trump asking that an investigation be stopped is clearly showing intent to cover something up.

quote:

Under the law, Comey is required to immediately inform the Department of Justice of any attempt to obstruct justice by any person, even the President of the United States. Failure to do so would result in criminal charges against Comey. (18 USC 4 and 28 USC 1361) He would also, upon sufficient proof, lose his license to practice law.

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.

quote:

ORIGINAL: heavyblinker

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee
Also, if he did give these notes to someone else... he's scum. An 'honest' person does not leak notes of private meetings to the press only after they've been fired. Revenge? That's asshole work. Revenge through anonymous proxy? Cowardly asshole scum.

As opposed to Trump letting his bodyguard deliver a note to Comey so he didn't have to see him face to face, which is why he found out when his firing was broadcast on TV. That was really brave of Trump.

BTW, Comey is going to testify publicly against Trump in the near future.

quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterJaguar01

quote:

ORIGINAL: BoscoX

quote:

ORIGINAL: jlf1961

The problem is that the president cannot direct or ask that an investigation be stopped by anyone, as demonstrated with Nixon firing the special investigator during the Watergate debacle.

Which is why FBI directors are appointed for 10 year terms.

With the facts clearly showing that:

1) President Trump tried to stop an investigation

And

2) Comey was fired for some pretty lame reasons, and actually fired while he was on the west coast and not directly, there is more than enough evidence to suggest that President Trump is either trying to cover something up, or he is so blasted stupid as to make himself look guilty of misconduct.

Granted, Comey making the statement about reopening the inquiry into the Hilary email server a couple of weeks before the election probably had some impact on the results, since it was not normal for that kind of bombshell to be dropped before the election, but Trump asking that an investigation be stopped is clearly showing intent to cover something up.

Never mind the fact that the Democrats were for it, before they were against it

Most are on record demanding Comey's head

They got it, and it's a scandal?

I never know what the Democrats want. It's a scandal because he fired the person leading an investigation into him and his campaign.

3 words. "Obstruction of justice."

Nothing the Democrats said or didn't say can change that.

Republicans in the House and Senate are now realizing it.

Once Jason Chaffetz subpoenas Comey and his memo, it's game over.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

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.

Mr. Comey wrote the memo detailing his conversation with the president immediately after the meeting, which took place the day after Mr. Flynn resigned, according to two people who read the memo. The memo was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation. An F.B.I. agent’s contemporaneous notes are widely held up in court as credible evidence of conversations.

More: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html?_r=0

Oh, I almost hope - REALLY hope - that Comey was indeed taking detailed memos during all of his meetings.

Then we can subpoena his notes from 2016... you know, when he met a lot with his bosses before deciding to make up some new laws to let Hillary get away with her criminal behavior.

Also, if he did give these notes to someone else... he's scum. An 'honest' person does not leak notes of private meetings to the press only after they've been fired. Revenge? That's asshole work. Revenge through anonymous proxy? Cowardly asshole scum.

Also shouldn’t they be “work product” and belong now to the archivist for the FBI, and not personal property, and he should NOT have taken them with him?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nnanji

From what I've seen Comey wrote a memo to file, which is entirely reasonable, and then after Comey was fired someone else at the FBI dug out the file and read parts of the memo to the NYT. If Comwy didn't ask the "annonomous" FBI person to do so its not on him. It's on the annonomous person.

It would be entirely reasonable for Trump to ask and then go away and not pressure from that point. It would be entirely reasonable for Comey to send the memo to file and also send a copy to legal staff. All of that is entirely standard and reasonable.

Since the acting Director has already testified to congress that the White House is not pressuring the FBI, that's where it would normally stop. The act of an annonomous source digging out that memo now and leaking it to the press at this time is the serious matter that should be a concern.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nnanji


I've sat through many new elected officials. Most all of them eventually come to a staff person and ask for a favor. Generally, then what happens is that it's explained to them staff can't do favors for elected officials and they go away. They have to learn the system. The system always has checks and balances. While a new official is learning what those are, generally, staff has to point it out to them. It's always an ongoing process with newly elected officials and nobody takes it seriously. That can be evidenced in this case as reasonable because Comey didn't claim pressure from Trump and the Acting Director just testified before congress that there was no pressure from anyone to circumvent investigations.

No matter what loonies want to make this, it just isn't.

quote:

ORIGINAL: heavyblinker

quote:

ORIGINAL: Aylee
Also, if he did give these notes to someone else... he's scum. An 'honest' person does not leak notes of private meetings to the press only after they've been fired. Revenge? That's asshole work. Revenge through anonymous proxy? Cowardly asshole scum.

As opposed to Trump letting his bodyguard deliver a note to Comey so he didn't have to see him face to face, which is why he found out when his firing was broadcast on TV. That was really brave of Trump.

BTW, Comey is going to testify publicly against Trump in the near future.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BoscoX

quote:

ORIGINAL: mnottertail

drip, drip, drip. Lifeblood will be wasting away from memos and stuff, they make wikileakes and guccifer look like they are just fucking around. Dont fuck with intel folks, unless you are squeaky clean.

Every day, it's always the end of Donald Trump

SO many drama queens, so many threads...

quote:

ORIGINAL: tweakabelle

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nnanji


I've sat through many new elected officials. Most all of them eventually come to a staff person and ask for a favor. Generally, then what happens is that it's explained to them staff can't do favors for elected officials and they go away. They have to learn the system. The system always has checks and balances. While a new official is learning what those are, generally, staff has to point it out to them. It's always an ongoing process with newly elected officials and nobody takes it seriously. That can be evidenced in this case as reasonable because Comey didn't claim pressure from Trump and the Acting Director just testified before congress that there was no pressure from anyone to circumvent investigations.

No matter what loonies want to make this, it just isn't.

There is evidence that Trump put pressure on Comey to impede or stop the investigation into Flynn, and through Flynn into the entire 'Russian connection'.

Can this be explained away as an innocent beginner's mistake, as seems to be suggested above? It seems quite a stretch to claim that Trump was not cognisant of the consequences of his request. If there was no Russian connection, as Trump has insisted all along, why was it necessary to ask for the investigation to be stopped? If there was no Russian connection then that is what the investigation would have found. It would have been to Trump's advantage for the investigation to proceed to its conclusion, because if there was no Russian connection, then the only conclusion possible would be a complete exoneration of Trump and his campaign team.

By pressuring Comey to end the FBI investigation, has Trump tacitly conceded that there is fire beneath all the smoke, that there is a Russian connection and that Russia interfered with the US election to Trump's advantage? It certainly looks that way.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nnanji

quote:

ORIGINAL: tweakabelle

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nnanji


I've sat through many new elected officials. Most all of them eventually come to a staff person and ask for a favor. Generally, then what happens is that it's explained to them staff can't do favors for elected officials and they go away. They have to learn the system. The system always has checks and balances. While a new official is learning what those are, generally, staff has to point it out to them. It's always an ongoing process with newly elected officials and nobody takes it seriously. That can be evidenced in this case as reasonable because Comey didn't claim pressure from Trump and the Acting Director just testified before congress that there was no pressure from anyone to circumvent investigations.

No matter what loonies want to make this, it just isn't.

There is evidence that Trump put pressure on Comey to impede or stop the investigation into Flynn, and through Flynn into the entire 'Russian connection'.

Can this be explained away as an innocent beginner's mistake, as seems to be suggested above? It seems quite a stretch to claim that Trump was not cognisant of the consequences of his request. If there was no Russian connection, as Trump has insisted all along, why was it necessary to ask for the investigation to be stopped? If there was no Russian connection then that is what the investigation would have found. It would have been to Trump's advantage for the investigation to proceed to its conclusion, because if there was no Russian connection, then the only conclusion possible would be a complete exoneration of Trump and his campaign team.

By pressuring Comey to end the FBI investigation, has Trump tacitly conceded that there is fire beneath all the smoke, that there is a Russian connection and that Russia interfered with the US election to Trump's advantage? It certainly looks that way.

Actually there isn't evidence except in your demented mind...well...along with MM and HB. The FBI already testified before congress there was no pressure. So you're, once again, just making shit up.