The Trump Presidency

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Kraut783 said:
Weird how the DOJ AG and Deputy AG had recommended it.

Letters here. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive...s/document-White-House-Fires-James-Comey.html
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Definitely nuts. Reading Deputy AG Rosenstein's letter - which is the only justification the AG and POTUS give for the relief - he makes the case Comey acted inappropriately against HRC. Paragraph by paragraph he lays out essentially the same argument the HRC campaign made - Comey should not have held the press conferences that chastised HRC's actions, should not have announced his 'findings' but instead sent them to the then-AG, and most egregiously should not have sent the letter to Congress on what the FBI was doing in regards to Weiner's computer.

Each of those actions were fully supported by the then Trump-campaign - in fact they wanted Comey to go further. Republicans screamed bloody murder about AG Lynch deciding stuff, thought Comey should have gone further in his press conference (but still played up his harsh words for HRC's behavior), and seized on the letter Comey sent to Congress before the election as 'proof' of the investigation being 'reopened.'

As I posted earlier there's a strong case to be made the Comey letter swung a very tight election to President Trump. President Trump and Republicans have maintained that to be total bullshit - and the Trump administration has maintained in fact the election was not close - the President won by several million votes in the popular vote as well, because of 3-5 million illegal voters (who apparently all voted for HRC). The idea President Trump has come around to HRC's position, and now feels Comey acted incorrectly against HRC during the election seems very hard to credit. Though I guess if you think 3-5 million people voted illegally for HRC in the election President Trump can probably convince you of anything.

I've said before I thought this Russia stuff was embarrassing but unlikely to lead to any smoking gun on the administration. But, the actions they've been taking are starting to change my mind. This level of freak-out and cover-up (I can't think of any other credible reason for firing Comey - from POTUS' perspective - than the Russia probe) on Russia makes it seem like there is something to find and the administration is terrified of it.
 
This whole Russia thing is playing out like a really shit series of Homeland.
 
Sort of Random, but the only other President to fire an FBI Director was Clinton. I know resignations were asked for of course.

It's also weird, Comey being an Ashcroft protege that he would have so easily been gotten rid of.
 
One of the more strongly worded letters of termination I have read....

upload_2017-5-9_20-25-24.png
 
So CNN was on at the gym and their panel was stating that he should have resigned as both Republicans, Democrats, and the American people did not have faith in his ability to lead the bureau. Of course everyone for their different reasons. I'm surprised at their take for the ten minutes I watched.

So Schumer wanted Comey's head, now he wants a special prosecutor...our government's inability to govern is phenomenal.
 
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Regardless of how directly related the request and the termination are, the Trump administration had to know the story would break this way. I'm sure plenty of people will be more than willing to believe Comey's request was the only cause of his firing, and there will be others who will take the complete opposite view. The truth always lies somewhere in the middle, but we never get the full truth about anything in Washington.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/...0&nl=breaking-news&nlid=79207956&ref=cta&_r=0
 
There are a few quotes coming out from my favorite commentator, "Anonymous Source", which say that the administration essentially had no idea that this would blow up the way that it did. They assumed that previous criticism of Comey by both Democrats and Republicans would be enough to mollify any concerns about timing, which is silly on its face.
Behind Comey’s firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia

To add another wrinkle to the whole thing: grand jury subpoenas are being handed out as we speak CNN exclusive: Grand jury subpoenas issued in FBI's Russia investigation - CNNPolitics.com
At the very least, Flynn is 100% going to jail. I imagine that Carter Page is probably being subpoenaed as well, and will probably get some kind of light sentence. Beyond that is anyone's guess.
 
The White House has become INSANELY leaky after yesterday. WaPo was able to obtain thirty sources to dispute the president's narrative for firing Director Comey
Inside Trump’s anger and impatience — and his sudden decision to fire Comey

Trump was angry that Comey would not support his baseless claim that President Barack Obama had his campaign offices wiretapped. Trump was frustrated when Comey revealed in Senate testimony the breadth of the counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s effort to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election. And he fumed that Comey was giving too much attention to the Russia probe and not enough to investigating leaks to journalists.

------

Trump had long questioned Comey’s loyalty and judgment, and was infuriated by what he viewed as the director’s lack of action in recent weeks on leaks from within the federal government. By last weekend, he had made up his mind: Comey had to go.

At his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., Trump groused over Comey’s latest congressional testimony, which he thought was “strange,” and grew impatient with what he viewed as his sanctimony, according to White House officials. Comey, Trump figured, was using the Russia probe to become a martyr.

Back at work Monday morning in Washington, Trump told Vice President Pence and several senior aides — Reince Priebus, Stephen K. Bannon and Donald McGahn, among others — that he was ready to move on Comey. First, though, he wanted to talk with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his trusted confidant, and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, to whom Comey reported directly. Trump summoned the two of them to the White House for a meeting, according to a person close to the White House.

The president already had decided to fire Comey, according to this person. But in the meeting, several White House officials said Trump gave Sessions and Rosenstein a directive: to explain in writing the case against Comey.

Rosenstein threatened to resign after the narrative emerging from the White House on Tuesday evening cast him as a prime mover of the decision to fire Comey and that the president acted only on his recommendation, said the person close to the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Click to expand...

The president is getting more unhinged by the day, and it's starting to show.
 
ThunderHorse said:
On condition of anonymity...aka gossip. I hate that garbage.
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Agree to a point.

I think it depends on the source material...for example, I am more inclined to believe in the validity of an anonymous quote from Wall Street Journal than I am Daily Mail.
 
I'm dying laughing at this whole Comey thing. Last fall one side wanted him fired and another thought he did the right thing.

Now the roles are reversed.

Are we really THAT STUPID as a country?
 
AWP said:
I'm dying laughing at this whole Comey thing. Last fall one side wanted him fired and another thought he did the right thing.

Now the roles are reversed.

Are we really THAT STUPID as a country?
Click to expand...

I don't know if that's exactly fair - the justification and reasoning the Trump administration and Republicans are giving for firing Comey is that they now (or maybe all along) agreed with Democrats that Comey acted inappropriately during the HRC email affair and should be fired because of it. At least, that was the totality of the Rosenstein letter both the AG and President cited as their reasoning.

Of course, I think - and there's plenty of evidence - that's a transparent lie. But, that's the case they're making.

I think the administration may have thought - or thought they could spin (and that's certainly what's happening in conservative media) - Democrats wouldn't balk at the firing because they agreed with everything in the Rosenstein letter, just as you indicated. I can't decide if it was idiocy on the part of the administration to think that - or if it's solid calculation as they know as long as there is an even infinitesimal logical thread for one of their decisions their supporters will jump on it.
 
In a message to FBI staff late Wednesday, Comey wrote: “I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all. I’m not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. I hope you won’t either. It is done, and I will be fine, although I will miss you and the mission deeply.”

Maybe, Comey's own comments add something to the conversation?
 
AWP said:
I'm dying laughing at this whole Comey thing. Last fall one side wanted him fired and another thought he did the right thing.

Now the roles are reversed.

Are we really THAT STUPID as a country?
Click to expand...

Yes. Yes, we are. Nobody would want to conquer us because they have no means to subjugate that many fucking morons.
 
Maybe HE knew it was the right decision. Just sayin' how would j Edgar have reacted? I think we know it wouldn't be pretty but I haven't decided yet because I dont have the facts.
 
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