monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Comey's testimony became a pop culture phenomenon. Trump has no one but himself to blame.
The President Trump reality show finally got its reunion special with Comey’s testimony

I really hope there is a prostitute/golden shower video because it would present the possibility that in a future investigation interview, Trump will advance the following sentence:

"Well, it depends on what your definition of whizz is."

Trump, and many others, hated it at the time, but I think appointing a special prosecutor was the best thing he could have done under the circumstances.

Quote:

Mueller’s appointment complicates Congress’ Russia investigations

Robert Mueller's appointment as a special counsel has quickly complicated Congress' investigations into Russia’s election meddling.

The leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are anxious to speak with Mueller, who’s now overseeing the FBI’s parallel Russia probe, to ensure their congressional investigations don’t interfere. But Mueller has yet to agree to meet with congressional investigators, according to the panels' leaders.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs a Judiciary subcommittee with oversight over the FBI, is simply putting the brakes on his investigation. “One of the realities of having somebody looking into potential criminal charges is that you've got to be careful what you do in Congress,” said Graham, a former Air Force lawyer.

if Congress’ investigation crumbles, the public may never find out the depths of Russian intrusion in the 2016 election, as a special counsel is largely focused on whether anyone broke the law.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/28/mueller-congress-russia-probes-trump-238820

Democrats screamed for it at the top of their lungs. They got it. Now they can get back to real congressional business.

The only people I hear crying are the Trump supporters.

Their desperate attempts to put some sort of positive spin on Comey's damning testimony offers insight into how propaganda is manufactured and disseminated.

I remarked yesterday that the same right wing talking points were being deployed, over and over.

Someone later accused the left of doing the same thing but I don't think that charge is accurate here. The reason is that the stories have continually been breaking against Trump. The anti-Trump people don't have to resort to talking points — all they need to do is discuss each new revelation.

It's Trump's supporters who are on the defensive, grasping at straws and distinguishing nuance where none exists.

But I have to say, I cannot understand what kind of human being continues to blindly defend the thing that is occupying the white house.

He openly hobnobs with Russians and Saudis.

He gets caught in a lie practically every day. He shows himself to be woefully lacking in maturity or knowledge every time he opens his mouth or his twitter feed.

Not only that, but his obvious deficiencies get brushed aside and instead the real or imagined foibles of Hillary or Obama get targeted - as if that is in any way relevant right now.

So let’s not get mired in legal technicalities. Whether or not it was illegal for Trump to urge Comey to back off his investigation into Russia ties to Mike Flynn, who was fired as national security adviser, it was utterly inappropriate. What comes through is a persistent effort by Trump to interfere with the legal system. There’s a consistent pattern: Trump’s contempt for the system of laws that, incredibly, he now presides over.

So as we watch Comey testify, remember that the fundamental question is not just whether the president broke a particular law regarding obstruction of justice, but also whether he is systematically assaulting the rule of law that makes us free.

Perhaps we should have read this before Thursday. It reminds us what is important. Even if technically (I think the case could easily be made by congress but they won't do it) it would be an uphill battle to prove obstruction of justice since Trump couched his words as "hope" instead of a direct order, it is still important to remember the narrative of what happened with Comey and Trump. It is actually a disgrace whether it can proved or not.

I don't see how having a special prosecutor looking into the Russian (from what I understand he has a broad scope)would hamper congress looking into the Russian interference in the 2016 election. At the end of the day, Muller may say no laws on the president's campaign team were broken, but congress can still wrap up exactly what happened and how and then try to find ways of preventing it from happening again. I don't see why the two are conflicting.

The only people I hear crying are the Trump supporters. Their desperate attempts to put some sort of positive spin on Comey's damning testimony offers insight into how propaganda is manufactured and disseminated. I remarked yesterday that the same right wing talking points were being deployed, over and over. Someone later accused the left of doing the same thing but I don't think that charge is accurate here. The reason is that the stories have continually been breaking against Trump. The anti-Trump people don't have to resort to talking points — all they need to do is discuss each new revelation. It's Trump's supporters who are on the defensive, grasping at straws and distinguishing nuance where none exists. I like the "Great Day for Our Glorious Leader" meme and of course, the never-ending refrains of "Hillary's a Crook!", "Obammy Lied!", and "Russia Never Tried to Hack Our Election!"

Trump is not within his rights to demand from the FBI loyalty.

The FBI is supposed to investigate the truth no matter whose butt is on the line. In order for the FBI to be credible to the people they serve (which is the American people), they have to be independent from the subject they are investigating. Even though Trump was not under investigation at that time, some of his campaign team was, Trump was the head of his campaign team. It would have been a conflict of interest for the FBI to pledge loyalty to Trump in those circumstances. Maybe not legally, (I wouldn't know) but ethically.

It would of course be wrong for a president to order the FBI to disobey a lawful court order, but that is far from what happened here.

"Well, it depends on what your definition of whizz is."

The FBI is supposed to follow whatever orders the President gives them

Quote:

@oralloy,
Quote:
The FBI is supposed to follow whatever orders the President gives them

If the order obstructs justice , thats an impeachable offense. Firing the director merely compounds obstruction of justice.

Trump is not within his rights to demand from the FBI loyalty.

LaRouche: Stop the FBI Fraud, Stop the Coup Against the President —What the Lying Media Is Not Telling You

Comey testifying before the Senate. June 8, 2017. (CSPAN screengrab)
Comey testifying before the Senate. June 8, 2017. (CSPAN screengrab)

June 9, 2017 - Lyndon LaRouche called upon the American people to shut down the coup underway against President Trump which was fed Thursday by the lying testimony of fired FBI Director James Comey before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. LaRouche said that the coup is an FBI-type operation attempting to destroy the United States, and if it is not stopped, the world will face general warfare.
On June 7, former Director of National Intelligence Clapper revealed the actual motivation for the coup against Trump in remarks in Australia. He said that Trump's openness to peace with Russia—the platform upon which Trump was elected by the American people—was itself wholly against U.S. national security interests, in effect, equivalent to treason. It was already known in official Washington well before the election, that President Obama, in collusion with the British, candidate Clinton, DNI head Clapper, CIA head Brennan, and FBI head Comey, had steered the U.S. on a war course with Russia and China, which was meant to be fully activated with Clinton's election. Trump was elected instead, triggering the coup which has followed. President Trump has kept his promise and established better relations with both Russia and China, who are seeking cooperation with the United States in developing the world based on great infrastructure projects. That is the only issue here. Comey backed that up Thursday in a long rant against Russia as a mortal enemy, in response to a question from Senator Joe Manchin.
Here's how the actual conspiracy worked in general outline. According to Comey's own words and their actual implication, on January 6th, FBI Director Comey is selected by Obama's intelligence chiefs to do a "J. Edgar Hoover" on Trump, briefing him on salacious blackmail material fabricated by British intelligence and Clinton campaign operative Christopher Steele. It is a pure Hoover blackmail operation. Comey signals to Trump, "give up your fantasy about cooperation with Russia and we won't release this." Trump doesn't budge. The very next day the whole Steele dossier is leaked all over the international news media, accusing the President-elect of perverse sexual acts with Russian hookers. Comey admitted as much in his testimony Thursday, saying he was aware that this briefing could be construed as a "J. Edgar Hoover moment," in response to a question from Senator Susan Collins of Maine. During this meeting, Comey assured Trump that the President wasn't under FBI investigation. Comey goes out and writes a classified memo about the briefing and the President's responses. Was this memo shared with the British? Who else was it shared with?
Comey claims that he wrote this up because he thought the President would lie. This is hogwash. Comey had already been targeted to bring down the President, to entrap him, if Trump did not back down on seeking better relations with Russia and China. That James Comey set out to entrap the President, is the only logical conclusion which can be drawn from Comey's testimony in response to questions by various Republican Senators.
First, Senator James Risch: I remember, you talked with us shortly after February 14th, when the New York Times wrote an article that suggested that the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians... that report by the New York Times was not true. Is that a fair statement?
Comey: In the main it was not true.
With respect to the alleged Michael Flynn conversation:
Risch: You quoted exactly what the President said, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go."... He didn't direct you to let it go?
Comey: Not in his words, no.
Risch: He didn't order you to let it go?
Comey: Again, those words are not an order.
Risch: You don't know of anyone being charged for hoping something?
Comey: I don't as I sit here.
In any truthful scenario that should have ended the matter there.
Various Republican Senators asked Comey repeatedly, why, if the President had asked for his loyalty, had told him to drop the Flynn investigation (which was a false statements investigation that the President in all probability did not even know about), why did he not report it to the Attorney General? Alternatively, why did he not threaten to resign, as he had done previously in a confrontation with President George W. Bush? Why keep meeting with the President, telling the President he was not under investigation, while refusing to tell the public the same thing, and returning to strategize with FBI agents about what was said and the next steps. Comey admitted during his testimony that he did not do logical things, including telling the President to stop any improper conduct, because the FBI had decided that these conversations were of "investigative interest," i.e, Comey, acting as an undercover informant, had not yet succeeded in completely setting up President Trump.
Comey includes Assistant FBI Director McCabe in the circle of people he was briefing on all of his interchanges with the President. Unfortunately for Comey and this entire "obstruction of justice" scenario, McCabe testified under oath to Congress following all of these events, that there had been no effort by Trump or anyone else to interfere with or obstruct the FBI investigation. In fact, Comey himself testified to the Senate Thursday that prior to his firing, there was no investigation of President Trump for either obstruction of justice or collusion with the Russians.
In a statement following Comey's staged performance, President Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitz denied that the President ever asked Comey to let the Michael Flynn matter go, ever pressured Comey, or ever asked for Comey's "loyalty." Kasowitz appropriately emphasized these parts of Comey's testimony:
The alleged Russian hacking did not change any votes.
The President told Comey that if any of his satellite associates did something wrong it would be good to find that out.
James Comey admitted that he leaked all of his memos about his conversations with President Trump to the New York Times, in order to provoke the appointment of a Special Prosecutor. At least one of these memos was classified.
This is not a battle which will go to court. Whether it continues or not is a question for the American people and their representatives. As LaRouche said, it is time for the people to speak and end this disruptive and highly dangerous attempted coup. It's also time for the coup plotters to be investigated, including the treasonous news media.