Which is odd because I remember him complaining about how Trump took shots at the FBI for their leaks and he thought that was unfair.....then later admitted that he did it too. I also thought it was funny that he managed to say with a straight face that he thought he was going a great job of running the FBI and that the concerns people raised with them were unfounded. Either way, the whole BS was the "nothing burger" that I thought it was going to be. Now sure, there will be plenty of political ammo out of this for use in ads or whatever, but nothing on the legal front as expected.
I thought Comey did a pretty solid job showing the obstruction. That alone deserves at least a censure. That he admitted 'leaking' information didn't seem that big a deal. (1) It's not a 'leak' if it's not a classified document, so no guilt is readily apparent. (2) It was a pretty easy assumption back when the leak happened that it came from Comey or someone in his close circle. (3) There are only partisan reasons for thinking the communication was unethical. What if he instead had just done an interview and verbally communicated to a reporter that Trump asked him for loyalty and to go easy on Flynn.
Not only did he not actually show obstruction in a legal sense, he also sort of killed his credibility by trying to spin conversations into appearing nefarious while at the same time admitting that he did nothing about it....despite the fact that he has a history of taking a stand when he believes something wrong is happening like when he threatened to resign during the Bush years. He's only a coward when it is convenient to his testimony in order to get back at a boss who fired him.
nothing substantial came out of this we all know Trump is a liar that does not know how to act within his role, this just furthers that point. However I don't see obstruction sticking here
It'd be interesting to get Trump under oath about leaking classified intelligence to the Russian ambassador and foreign minister in the Oval Office if people are so concerned about leaks.
There is an ongoing investigation by Mueller that's going to determine whether Trump committed any crimes. What I am questioning is if you think Trump is a liar, because if you believe everything Comey says, yes he is.
Hey, there he is. Thought you left town. Was looking forward to how you would spin this for Predisent Trump? Is he not a liar (as his press spokesperson said)? Is he simply inexperienced at such interactions (as Paul Ryan said)? Or is Trump just inappropriate but not illegal in his interactions (the long-running defense)? Come on bigtexxx, we need to know what spin you are hanging your hat on. And... should we just ask Mueller to stop his investigation (wait, I thought Trump wasn't under investigation)? Seems Comey thinks Mueller has some interesting information already. Maybe even (gasp) involving the so-called dossier? Of course, if there is some hawt stuff that Mueller is able to uncover... doesn't that suggest Trump lied to a federal investigator re: dealings with Russians? And wouldn't that be an impeachable offense? I sure hope you think Mueller's investigation can go forward...
This one tweet sums up Trump supporters' day... Trump Junior tweeting an ICYMI about his own "lot of thoughts" about the Comey testimony. "Good times"... lol
KOS Today saw the long-awaited public testimony of James Comey, former FBI director, before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Comey testified as to the circumstances surrounding his firing by Donald Trump shortly after Trump requested that he drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. What we learned from that testimony: • Comey stated that he perceived Trump's request, "letting Flynn go", as an order from his president. Comey also blasted Sen. James Lankford's attempt to equate Trump's request with—of all things—Trump's twitter tirades against the investigation. "There’s a big difference in kicking superior officers out of the Oval Office, looking the FBI director in the eye, and saying ‘hope you’ll let this go.’" • Asked why he felt the need to write detailed memos of his conversations with Trump, Comey said it was because of the subject matter, the circumstances, and "the nature of the person. I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting and so I thought it really important to document." • Comey bluntly affirmed that Vice President Mike Pence was aware of questions surrounding Michael Flynn's Russia connections during the presidential transition. Pence previously claimed he had no knowledge of those ties; Mike Pence was in charge of vetting prospective administration members. • Asked why he did not further brief Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Trump's requests to him, Comey strongly implied it was because Sessions himself was sufficiently enmeshed in the FBI's probe as to make such conversations themselves problematic. "... he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that I can't disclose in an opening setting that would make his continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic." • Comey stated that he gave his memo about his conversation with Trump to the press, through an intermediary "friend", in the hopes it "might prompt the appointment of a special counsel." • Asked about the now-infamous "Steele dossier", the output of an investigation into Trump's Russia ties by an British intelligence agent now in private practice that, among other claims, suggests Russian intelligence may have a tape of Trump in a hotel room with Russian prostitutes, Comey said he could not discuss the document because it "goes into the details of the investigation." The refusal to dismiss or discuss the document is a tacit acknowledgement that at least some elements of the document indeed intertwine with the FBI's own probe. • Throughout his testimony Republican senators continued the party’s obsession with defending and dismissing Trump’s acts. Those looking for a Republican lawmaker to assert independence from Trump, even when faced with an FBI director directly accusing a sitting president of attempting to stifle a criminal investigation into his staff, will have to wait another day. • Comey was animated in warning that Russia’s actions are an attack on the United States, stating that “they’re coming for America” and “they will be back.” Asked whether Trump himself showed “concern or interest or curiosity” about those actions in his conversations with Comey, Comey affirmed he did not. • Asked directly whether he believes Trump himself colluded with Russia, Comey responded: "That's a question I don't think I should answer in an open setting.
