Trump just fired James Comey

[Artemus]

I don't know nearly enough to attribute motive. And I don't think that the last-minute announcement had the impact that people claim.

Actually, I doubt that. This news was followed almost immediately by an actual Fake News story vetted by allies of Rudolph Giuliani about FBI charges being imminent against the Clinton Foundation. Add that followup to the case of where Comey announces the Clinton email investigation is reopening, that implies something significant was uncovered.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that Comey publicly announced that the investigation was reopened. I believe that he informed Congress that there was new information available, as he had promised to do if the investigation reopened, and it was republican members of congress who actually broadcast it publicly. My take-away at the time was that it was the members of congress who behaved horribly unethically, not Comey.

I'll be glad to be corrected if I'm wrong. I don't have time to research it right now.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Actually, I doubt that. This news was followed almost immediately by an actual Fake News story vetted by allies of Rudolph Giuliani about FBI charges being imminent against the Clinton Foundation. Add that followup to the case of where Comey announces the Clinton email investigation is reopening, that implies something significant was uncovered.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe that Comey publicly announced that the investigation was reopened. I believe that he informed Congress that there was new information available, as he had promised to do if the investigation reopened, and it was republican members of congress who actually broadcast it publicly.

So much crap over the election, who can remember all of it.

link

In his letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee announcing the discovery of the emails, Comey made no mention of Weiner, who resigned in disgrace in a sexting scandal.

"In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," Comey wrote. "I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation."

A senior law enforcement official told NBC News Friday that the Comey letter was sent to the Hill "out of an abundance of caution" and to be extra-thorough.

The trouble with this was that they were reviewing emails of which they didn't even know if Clinton was involved. So they put the cart before the horse, and let everyone draw between the lines. It was sloppy at best. It appears you are right that he sent a letter to Congress, and the scope of what the letter said was restrained. Regardless, it lit a large fire, and it could be argued the letter wasn't necessary at that point.

My take-away at the time was that it was the members of congress who behaved horribly unethically, not Comey.

I'll be glad to be corrected if I'm wrong. I don't have time to research it right now.

For insurance purposes, I'd put it 60% Republicans, 40% Comey. Comey had to of known exactly the implication his letter would have.

 

[Keith&Co.]

People suggested some kind of false flag operation, unless Mini-Trumps are doing it all themselves I don't see anyone in the military going along with such thing. The first guy will ask Trump "Why do you want us to do that?" and Trump will have nothing except "Hillary pisses me off"

They'll hesitate for troops (paratroopers dropping in, Marines storming the beach) and nukes.
Not for missiles or bombs. Those guys never hesitate.

When Desert Storm started to form up, a bunch of people complained that they'd joined for education benefits, not military action. they were surprised to be called up and lose their BAS to go live in a tent.
The pilots did not complain. They cheered, ' A shooting war before I get out and go fly for United! '

And the missile guys get to put a combat pin on their uniform. coolness.

We don't spend a lot of time training or conditioning the military to question orders.

 

[blastula]

I think recruiting may be difficult for a while

I think it'll be amusing. I mean, Comey's 'resignation' is effective RIGHT NOW, and the search for his replacement begins soon....

How many appointees does FFvC still owe?

Kushner can do it.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I think it'll be amusing. I mean, Comey's 'resignation' is effective RIGHT NOW, and the search for his replacement begins soon....

How many appointees does FFvC still owe?

Kushner can do it.

Could be trouble for Kuschner. It'll take more than just sitting in a seat.

 

[Artemus]

For insurance purposes, I'd put it 60% Republicans, 40% Comey. Comey had to of known exactly the implication his letter would have.

We'll never know exactly what happened, but I'm willing to give Comey a greater benefit of the doubt. He's a career law-enforcement official, not a politician. He said that he would notify Congress if the investigation was reopened and I accept his statement at face value that he struggled with decision and made what he thought was the appropriate decision at the time. I find the vilification that he has received for "tipping the election" to be grossly unfair. The real villains are the republicans who betrayed the trust of a man trying to do his job as best he could for political gain.

In my opinion, anyway.

 

[Horatio Parker]

For insurance purposes, I'd put it 60% Republicans, 40% Comey. Comey had to of known exactly the implication his letter would have.

We'll never know exactly what happened, but I'm willing to give Comey a greater benefit of the doubt. He's a career law-enforcement official, not a politician. He said that he would notify Congress if the investigation was reopened and I accept his statement at face value that he struggled with decision and made what he thought was the appropriate decision at the time. I find the vilification that he has received for "tipping the election" to be grossly unfair. The real villains are the republicans who betrayed the trust of a man trying to do his job as best he could for political gain.

In my opinion, anyway.

Really? I think he figured Republican vengeance was more certain, so he stepped up for them.

An ironic pathos that Trump used that as his excuse. More pathos that few believe him.

 

[funinspace]

Military and Pence would have to be on board to pull that off.

Pence? Why would Pence be involved? Unless he hid the big red phone someplace and didn't tell Bannon where it is...

LOL...next SNL skit? Ironically, Bannon could actually be on the right side of something for once...more so regarding expanding how many are allowed into the Afghan playpen.

Trump would need congress to put boots on the ground... Or anything where a significant number of American soldiers could get shot at.

But pilots swinging in, bombing shit and swinging out again? they live for that shit. And over-the-horizon missiles from a cruiser or an SSGN? That's hardly even like an actual war.

Yep, just ask the Libyans... And we didn't even use our big air toys.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

For insurance purposes, I'd put it 60% Republicans, 40% Comey. Comey had to of known exactly the implication his letter would have.

We'll never know exactly what happened, but I'm willing to give Comey a greater benefit of the doubt. He's a career law-enforcement official, not a politician. He said that he would notify Congress if the investigation was reopened and I accept his statement at face value that he struggled with decision and made what he thought was the appropriate decision at the time. I find the vilification that he has received for "tipping the election" to be grossly unfair. The real villains are the republicans who betrayed the trust of a man trying to do his job as best he could for political gain.

In my opinion, anyway.

My issue is that he indicated that they were looking into the emails related to Hillary Clinton, yet they didn't even know if the emails were related to Hillary Clinton. Had they reviewed them, then found a connection, I can see him saying, we are looking deeper into this. But instead, he says we are looking into Clinton's connection to these emails. That was very loose and unprecedented as well.

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, just ask the Libyans... And we didn't even use our big air toys.

That was more of a French operation. I don't think the French will help with Iran.

 

[Artemus]

Really? I think he figured Republican vengeance was more certain, so he stepped up for them.

Comey stood up against Republican vengeance in the past. Bush berated him as "not a team player" when he wouldn't sign on to warrantless wiretapping only threats of mass resignations prevented the vengeance then. (See ThinkProgress from 2007.) I find it highly unlikely that he would suddenly step up for the republicans last October for fear of vengeance while in a historically much more secure job. (Only one FBI director ever fired.)

People want a scapegoat for Clinton losing. I'm going to keep blaming it on the general stupidity of just enough Americans.

 

[funinspace]

People suggested some kind of false flag operation, unless Mini-Trumps are doing it all themselves I don't see anyone in the military going along with such thing. The first guy will ask Trump "Why do you want us to do that?" and Trump will have nothing except "Hillary pisses me off"

They'll hesitate for troops (paratroopers dropping in, Marines storming the beach) and nukes.
Not for missiles or bombs. Those guys never hesitate.

When Desert Storm started to form up, a bunch of people complained that they'd joined for education benefits, not military action. they were surprised to be called up and lose their BAS to go live in a tent.
The pilots did not complain. They cheered, ' A shooting war before I get out and go fly for United! '

And the missile guys get to put a combat pin on their uniform. coolness.

We don't spend a lot of time training or conditioning the military to question orders.

Yep. And when I mentioned the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, I should have been clearer. I really wasn't thinking in terms of a complete fabrication. I was thinking of pushing the envelope against Iran until some units on their side over react. Its not like there aren't areas in the Persian Gulf that aren't claimed international water vs Iranian territory. Add in our military's open animosity towards Iran, and boom boom out go the lights. Our big military contractors are always happy to refill expensive missile orders; and logging lots more air hours means more expensive aircraft parts.

The top US commander in Afghanistan is already making claims about Iranian involvement. It could even be true...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...74ccaf1d02f_story.html?utm_term=.fe324556c466

Nicholson said Iran and Russia “are communicating about the efforts” to support Taliban insurgents, and that Russia has “become more assertive over the past year.”

“We know there is a dialogue. We know there is a relationship between Iran and Russia” in Afghanistan, he said. And Iran, which shares a long, porous border with Afghanistan, “is directly supporting the Taliban” in western Afghanistan, he said.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Really? I think he figured Republican vengeance was more certain, so he stepped up for them.

Comey stood up against Republican vengeance in the past. Bush berated him as "not a team player" when he wouldn't sign on to warrantless wiretapping only threats of mass resignations prevented the vengeance then. (See ThinkProgress from 2007.) I find it highly unlikely that he would suddenly step up for the republicans last October for fear of vengeance while in a historically much more secure job. (Only one FBI director ever fired.)

People want a scapegoat for Clinton losing. I'm going to keep blaming it on the general stupidity of just enough Americans.

It didn't help. He should have used a higher bar for notification seeing how unbelievably close to the election we were. And of course, Clinton could have helped herself out by not using the private server in the first fucking place!

 

[funinspace]

Yep, just ask the Libyans... And we didn't even use our big air toys.

That was more of a French operation. I don't think the French will help with Iran.

It was at least more evenly distributed dominatrix session for once since the dawn of the Shrub, but the US still bombed the most. From:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/may/22/nato-libya-data-journalism-operations-country
Country personnel aircraft sorties cruise missiles
France 800 29 1,200 0
UK 1300 28 1,300 18
US 8507 153 2,000 228

 

[Artemus]

Comey stood up against Republican vengeance in the past. Bush berated him as "not a team player" when he wouldn't sign on to warrantless wiretapping only threats of mass resignations prevented the vengeance then. (See ThinkProgress from 2007.) I find it highly unlikely that he would suddenly step up for the republicans last October for fear of vengeance while in a historically much more secure job. (Only one FBI director ever fired.)

People want a scapegoat for Clinton losing. I'm going to keep blaming it on the general stupidity of just enough Americans.

It didn't help. He should have used a higher bar for notification seeing how unbelievably close to the election we were. And of course, Clinton could have helped herself out by not using the private server in the first fucking place!

I'm not saying that he couldn't have potentially handled it better. I'm just saying that I disagree with the claims that he was personally responsible for the outcome of the election and very strongly disagree that he acted with the motive of helping the republicans.


ETA: A quote from a CBS News article that sums up what I think the reality about Comey is:

A current special agent at the FBI told CBS News the firing is "bulls--."

"I am not happy. I think this is bulls--," the current special agent told CBS News. "We are living in partisan times. Both sides criticized the director; that's why he should still be in the job. The vast majority of the bureau is in favor of director Comey."

"He is one of the first leaders to really care about our people and the institution," the special agent continued. "He talks about ideals and he believes in those ideals; he is the real deal. This is a total shock. This is not supposed to happen."

Behind the public partisan horn-blowing, he actually had strong bipartisan support of the Senate Intelligence Committee as well. The country has lost a major asset.

 

[daws77]

Nixon fired Archibald Cox ( place dick jokes here) we all know what happened next.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Nixon fired Archibald Cox ( place dick jokes here) we all know what happened next.

Somebody actually thought no one would second guess putting Bork on the Supreme Court?

...


Oh wait..., you meant before that.

 

[Rayschism]

I want RuPaul for president.

 

[Artemus]

And of course, Clinton could have helped herself out by not using the private server in the first fucking place!

And she could have kept her official and private accounts separate. And she could have turned over all emails on the server (including the personal ones) immediately when requested. There was lots of poor judgment that was absent of nefarious intent going around.

 

[laughing dog]

And he deliberately choose the worst possible option. It took the FBI less than 48 hours to determine there was nothing new in those emails. Comey could have waited. He didn't.

I don't know nearly enough to attribute motive. And I don't think that the last-minute announcement had the impact that people claim. People who were stupid enough to think that the announcement was anything significant were the ones who were already stupid enough to vote for Trump.

What motive? He made the worse choice possible. And he opened himself and the FBI to the worst charge of influencing the outcome of an election. The fact he was fired over this by Trump is a karmic irony.

As far as I am concerned, the only sympathy he merits is the public embarrassment from this administration's ham-handed firing.

 

[Artemus]

I don't know nearly enough to attribute motive. And I don't think that the last-minute announcement had the impact that people claim. People who were stupid enough to think that the announcement was anything significant were the ones who were already stupid enough to vote for Trump.

What motive? He made the worse choice possible. And he opened himself and the FBI to the worst charge of influencing the outcome of an election. The fact he was fired over this by Trump is a karmic irony.

As far as I am concerned, the only sympathy he merits is the public embarrassment from this administration's ham-handed firing.

Saying "And he deliberately chose the worst possible option" is attributing motive. And we have the luxury of hindsight in saying it was the worst possible option. Had the congressional republicans behaved like adults we wouldn't even be having a conversation. Should he have realized that he was dealing with a bunch of two year olds? Maybe, but again we have the luxury of hindsight in making that judgment. Too much hate is directed at him personally when there are multitudes of reasons why this debacle actually happened.

In my opinion (TM).