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James Comey Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 01, 2017 39 Comments
I was a guest today on Newsmax TV - America Talks Live with Bill Tucker. The main topic was James Comey's upcoming testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. I was able to clear up a common misconception about Comey's May 3, 2017, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Many people -- on Twitter and in the punditry -- believe that Comey stated on May 3 there had been no attempts to stop his investigation. If Comey gave such testimony before the Senate, it would be consistent with the testimony of Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, on May 19 that there had been no "political interference" in the investigation (emphasis added):

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 22, 2017 20 Comments
Congress will have to wait for Former FBI Director Comey's first public statements since being canned by Trump. After he met with Comey Monday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced via Twitter that the hearing originally schedule for Wednesday would be postponed.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 20, 2017 40 Comments
I'm so old, I remember when the breaking news was that James Comey was fired because he sought additional resources from the Department of Justice for the Russia investigation. The New York Times broke the story on May 10, 2017, Days Before Firing, Comey Asked for More Resources for Russia Inquiry:
Days before he was fired as F.B.I. director, James B. Comey asked the Justice Department for more prosecutors and other personnel to accelerate the bureau’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the presidential election. It was the first clear-cut evidence that Mr. Comey believed the bureau needed more resources to handle a sprawling and highly politicized counterintelligence investigation.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 19, 2017 38 Comments
Another day, another series of NY Times and WaPo stories based on leaks. The NY Times reports that Trump told the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador that Comey was a "nut job" who had politicized the investigation, and that his firing relieved "great pressure". The report was based on someone reading a memo about the meeting to the Times reporter. Here is the White House's response, issued in Sean Spicer's name:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 19, 2017 8 Comments
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stands by the memo he wrote which listed former FBI Director Comey's alleged offenses. The White House cited the memo as a reason for canning Comey. Rosenstein briefed both the Senate and House in the last two days.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 19, 2017 14 Comments
*UPDATE* Weiner has pleaded guilty and the judge said "he would have to register as a sex offender. Former Rep. Anthony Weiner has decided to enter a guilty plea in federal court for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. He might have to register as a sex offender. From NBC 4 New York:
Weiner surrendered to the FBI Friday morning, officials familiar with the matter said, and will plead guilty to one count related to transferring obscene material to a minor. Prosecutors are expected to recommend two years in prison, though Weiner's attorneys are likely to ask for probation.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on May 19, 2017 35 Comments
Joe Scarborough has painted a no-win portrait of VP Pence. On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough said that Vice-President Pence "is either a sucker and a dupe for Donald Trump . . . or he's a liar. There is no middle ground." Giving Pence the dubious benefit of the doubt, Scarborough advised, "if it is the first, I think it's about time for Mike Pence to go to Donald Trump and say, as I think most of us would, if you set me up to be your liar again, I'm walking."

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 18, 2017 30 Comments
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley is often a voice of reason in a sea of media hysteria. Last night he spoke with Martha MacCallum of FOX News about the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel in the FBI Russia investigation. Turley suggested this could work out well for Trump. From the FOX News Insider:
Prof. Turley: Special Counsel Mueller 'Healthy Dose of Tylenol' For US Turley said that until Muller was named, President Trump could not fully clear his name in the face of ongoing leaks and allegations.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 17, 2017 33 Comments
I can't recall a media feeding frenzy quite like has been directed at Donald Trump. What's remarkable about this frenzy is that it takes place in the absence -- as of now -- of any actual evidence of Trump wrongdoing, much less illegality. More on that later in the post. Sometimes I think it resembles how the media swarmed all over Mitt Romney after Benghazi in September 2012, accusing him of politicizing the deaths of four Americans. The media purpose plainly was to help Obama escape political damage by making the story about Romney. I wrote about it at the time, Dead Ambassador dragged through streets, MSM furious at Romney criticism of Obama:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on May 17, 2017 15 Comments
Earlier this month, President Trump fired FBI director James Comey.  Since then, a number of people of have withdrawn their names from consideration for the post, with the latest being Former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher. The Hill reports:
A former Justice Department official has withdrawn her name from consideration to replace former FBI Director James Comey, according to multiple reports.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 17, 2017 12 Comments
The most egregious part of the Trump administration is the media's coverage of the Trump administration. Dating back to campaign season Trump, political media disproportionately focused on Trump's every coming, going, meal, and insignificant oddity. Not much has changed post-election.

Posted by Mark Finkelstein on May 17, 2017 25 Comments
Joe Scarborough likes to make himself out to be a simple country lawyer. But on today's Morning Joe, he ran afoul of a cardinal lawyering rule: never ask a witness a question to which you don't know the answer. Scarborough laid out a lengthy timeline for the purpose of teeing up law professor Jonathan Turley to agree with Joe's conclusion that there was a prosecutable, federal case of obstruction of justice against President Trump. But Turley hit Joe between the eyes with his response:

"This isn't going to be real popular, but I don't think so . . . The fact is, I don't think this makes out an obstruction case."

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 16, 2017 63 Comments
According to The New York Times, former FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo on February 14 that President Donald Trump asked him to let go of an investigation into Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor. However, the NYT admitted that the reporters did not see the memo and "a Comey associate read parts of it to a reporter over the phone." The source (remember the source isn't even Comey) claimed the memo said this:
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
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