April 16, 2018

Reading the Comey interview transcript, I get a "Cat Person" vibe.

From the transcript, here's Comey describing his conflicted, confusing feelings about that encounter on the evening of January 27, 2017:
JAMES COMEY: ... and so I said, "Sir, whatever you-- whatever you like." And he said, "Well, why don't we make it 6:30?" And I said, "Sure." And then I called Patrice, broke our date, and-- as luck had it, I had-- an encounter with Clapper, who had left the government but we were giving him a recognition as honorary F.B.I. agent. And I told him about this invitation and he told-- comforted me by saying, "Yeah, I've heard lots of other people are getting calls to come for dinner." 
He comforted me...
And so then in my head I was-- "Okay, so it's a group thing. He must be having a group thing tonight, a group thing tomorrow night. That's fine." And so I went over there expecting-- a crowd of people.
And so then in my head I was... I feel as though I'm reading a #MeToo story told by a young woman. Why didn't he say "I thought..." like a plain-spoken adult? It's like the inside of his head is an environment with moods and wisps of cognition. He's invited into a private space, he has his trepidations, but other people will be there, and he's hoping he won't be alone with the man.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And what did you find?

JAMES COMEY: I stood in the entrance to the green room, which is next to the blue room, and chatted with two Navy stewards who were there.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: This is the residence?

JAMES COMEY: Yeah, in the residence. And looked around the room and quickly saw that all the furniture had been moved in the-- in the center of the room. There was a small oval table and there were only two chairs and I could see two place cards. And I could see from where I was standing, one said, "Director Comey." I assume the other was the president. And so that's when I knew that it wasn't a group dinner to get to know the leaders of our different agencies, that it was just the two of us.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What did you think was going on?

JAMES COMEY: Something that made me uncomfortable and my best intuition at that point was it's part of an effort to make me part of the team, to make me “amica nostra.” And that it made me deeply uncomfortable. And so I just waited. There was no-- there was no saying no at this point.
See what I mean? It's totally "Cat Person." He's entered a private space where he intuits what the man is expecting and he's "uncomfortable" but somehow drawn along by the other person's expectations and — without access to his own values and preferences and powers — imagines that he cannot say no and must simply proceed forward into the situation that is making him uncomfortable. I feel like I'm reading about a 20-year-old female fictional character. Is this what the inside of Comey's head looks like or is this some psychological narrative concocted, with ghostwriting help, for the American reading public?

The "amica nostra" business is his idea that Trump behaves like a Mafia boss. "Amica" means "friend" in Italian. So does "amico." "Amica" is the female form.
And the president showed up and had me sit down...
He "had" you sit down. He doesn't even sit down on his own power! So pliable, going along with the orders of the big man.
... and it turned out just to be the two of us and that the purpose of the meeting, the dinner was for him to extract from him a promise of loyalty. That instinct was right, it was to make me a friend of ours.
"Make me a friend of ours" sounds weird, but it's the Mafia idea again. Comey simply sitting down to a dinner for 2, but he's trying to depict a scary aura of compulsion. Comey is reading the other man's mind and hyper-aware of what that man wants on this occasion.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: As you were witting [sic] with him, he-- he was just getting used to the trappings of--

JAMES COMEY: Yeah.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: --of the White House?
Stephanopoulos is humanizing Trump: Trump had his uncertainties too. That's counterpoint to Comey's effort to present Trump as the Mafia boss, who knew exactly how to exercise power.
JAMES COMEY: I think he was. I think he was. He-- he was-- he took on-- on the plates was a card-- a calligraphy card, so-- very nice script. You always see these at the White House. And it listed the menu for the dinner we were about to have. And so he-- I remember, he held his up and said, "They write these by hand." And I said, "A calligrapher?" And he kind of gave me this look and he said, "They write them by hand." And so I-- I kinda let it go. And-- and then he talked about-- one of the things he said was how luxurious the White House was, the residence. And he said, "I-- and I know luxury." And-- which I credit. And-- he said, "It's-- it's really beautiful."
Comey is, I think, implying that Trump didn't understand the word "calligrapher." The 2 men are on different wavelengths — Comey, interested in an art form (calligraphy) and Trump, noticing that a person did work by hand (the human touch).
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: How long did it take to get down to business?

JAMES COMEY: Not long. I think it was probably during the salad, before the shrimp scampi.
I laughed heartily at this point, watching it on TV. Stephanopoulos asked about time and Comey told the time in terms of food courses, as if we know where in the order of things the salad appears. But I guess "shrimp scampi" was the entree, so the salad came somewhere in the beginning, but was there a soup course? An appetizer? And it's also funny for a man who just acted pretentious about he word "calligrapher" to say "shrimp scampi," especially when he's inserting Italian phrases like "amica nostra." "Scampi" just means "shrimp," and educated people are supposed to know that you're saying "shrimp shrimp" and that's silly.
He redirected the conversation-- I think we started talking about how the beautiful the White House was. He redirected the conversation by saying, "So what do you want to do?" And I kinda gave him this look...
No words, just "this look." Why couldn't he say something forthright? Why not make a connection to Trump and show him something about how you think of your work? Why is he so passive, so wary? If the idea is to stand strong on principles and traditions, why not let that show in a real and honest way at this point? I think this is where he lost Trump. Trump had to take the lead...
... and then he explained what he meant. And he said, "You know, a lot of people would want to be F.B.I. director and given all you've gone through, I would understand if you want to walk away but it would look like you'd done something wrong if you did that. But I figured I should meet with you and-- and see what you want to do," which was really odd because I think, by that point, at least three times, he had said he hoped I was staying and looked forward to working with me. But there was no acknowledgment of that.
... and then Comey just found it "really odd." What seems odd to me is how awkward and passive Comey is. Even in Comey's own telling, he seems inert:  he's waiting to follow instructions and trying to please a man he feels no connection to. Comey doesn't come across here as the embodiment of FBI tradition and integrity. He seems like a man hoping to hold onto his job and unsure how to make that happen, hoping to be told what to do. He's so wary, and I assume Trump did not like him or trust him.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think he wanted you to walking away [sic]?

JAMES COMEY: No. No, I think he wanted me to say, "Sir, I'd very much like to continue to serve and be your F.B.I. director." And then he would say, "Okay, but I need loyalty, I expect loyalty," which is exactly what he did say, the-- the second part. So I think it was about-- again, this is just a guess but it's an educated guess, that someone had told him or he had concluded that he gave the F.B.I. director job away for free by telling this guy you hope he's going to stay. You oughta get him in front of you and make sure he's a friend of ours. And-- and have him promise he's going to be loyal, 'cause the F.B.I. is a dangerous organization.
And that's the weather inside the cranium of James Comey. He talks so much about how Trump felt, but he's revealing how he himself felt and what kind of man he is. For all his rectitude and sermonizing, there is something needy and pliable about Comey.

Why did he do anything he didn't choose to do? Why did he fail to speak forthrightly? If Trump really said "Okay, but I need loyalty, I expect loyalty," I wonder if Trump wasn't giving him a test to see if he was a weak man or if he offered a substantial counterweight to presidential power.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Why not say no?
Exactly! Let's see how the head of the FBI answers:
JAMES COMEY: That's a fair question. I think because I was caught totally by surprise. 
Cat Person!
And again, I'm operating in an environment where I don't want-- I'm going to be director for another six years. This man's the new president of the United States, I do not need a war with him. I have to find a way to work with this administration and protect the values of the F.B.I. 
Why not just forthrightly explain what the FBI stands for and let the consequences follow? Why make yourself weak for the President? Why think that's what the President wanted? You don't have to find a way to work for him! You can stand on principle — you who want to be Mr. Principle today — and let him decide if he wants to keep you or not. Maybe if you'd done that he would have kept you.
And so-- and part of it was just sheer surprise. I couldn't think of a clever response. 
Why would you need a clever response?! Stand on your rock-solid principles. That was the time. That was the test. You failed right then, so don't preen now.
And by the second time he came back to it, he didn't respond at all. We just stared at each other and then he went on eating. 
How awkward. Why couldn't he talk to the President? He's staring?!
And then he came back to-- he didn't-- he noticed that I didn't answer. He came back to it later in the dinner. And by then, I had my wits about me and had a better answer. 
So before, he didn't have his "wits about" him. Later, he had his wits, and he could think of something clever enough to make speaking an option.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: What was the second time?

JAMES COMEY: The second time was later in the conversation. He said, again, "I need loyalty." And I said, "You will always get honesty from me." And he paused and then he said, "Honest loyalty," as if he was proposing some compromise or a deal. And I paused and said, "You'll get that from me."
Well, then, you made the deal. You went ahead with what you felt was expected, even though you felt queasy about it the whole time.
And, of course, in between those two-- the loyalty sandwich, in between those two, I had-- I had an opportunity to explain to him the F.B.I.'s role and how important it was for the F.B.I. to be independent and how I thought about it.
He's almost incoherent here — "the loyalty sandwich, in between those two...." But I guess this means he managed to get out some words about his principles, even as he ate the shit sandwich, which might have happened after the shrimp shrimp and before the dessert.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But did you cross a line there-- did you cross a line when you promised him honest loyalty? Did-- would it be fair for him to think, "Wait, I have a deal here."
Yes, you made a deal and then you violated it. You called it a deal. If it's a deal, why didn't you keep it? It's incoherent to say, because it violated principle, since it violates principle to break a deal.
JAMES COMEY: Yeah, I-- I don't think so. Given the context and the other things I'd said, I thought-- and look, it was a compromise on my part to try and avoid a really awkward conversation, get out of an awkward conversation.
Why were you so awkward? From my point of view, it seems as though it would have been easy to have a conversation, if you were devoted to principle and knew who you were and had integrity from the very start and had spoken with clarity and straightforwardness. Even after all this time and while posing as the embodiment of lofty values, Comey looks weak, confused, and dithering.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Was it a mistake?
A mistake to make the deal?
JAMES COMEY: Yeah, I don't know. But-- maybe, maybe. 
Still dithering!
And maybe I should've said in the moment, "Sir, as I told you, the F.B.I. has to be--" and then give him the speech again, maybe. But-- and so maybe I should've been-- yeah, that's fair feedback. Maybe I should've been tougher or more direct, especially given what I know now.
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe! Of course he should have been tougher and more direct! That's obvious, and if he had, Trump might have liked him.
At the time, I obviously couldn't see the future. But given what I know now, maybe it would've been better to give a more explicit-- say, "Sir, I can't promise you loyalty. Given the nature of my role, I can promise you I always tell you the truth," which I had already told him. "That's my role. And that I'm not part of it."
That would have been perfectly easy to say at the time.
I should've given that whole speech then. But in the moment, frankly, it didn't occur to me. 
Cat Person! Somehow, his own mind was too fuzzy to see and it didn't even occur to him that he had preferences and he could just say what they were.
And I-- maybe I didn't have the guts to do it. I wanted to get out of this conversation without compromising myself. 
Well, that didn't happen.
And I felt like, given all I've told him already, he has to understand what I mean by honest loyalty and he's kidding himself if he thinks I just promised that I'm-- I'm “amica nostra.” But-- in hindsight, you're probably right. I probably should have done it differently.
Probably. Even now — flogging a book flaunting integrity — he won't forthrightly say: I had the power to clearly state what was right and wrong and I just didn't have the presence of mind to figure out what it was. I was lost in a fog and imagining the man to be dominating me when in fact, I could have said no and walked away. I did what was put in front of me, and I didn't even do it well. I did it so lamely and awkwardly that I inspired no trust, even though I compromised myself trying to hold on to what I'm finally realizing I didn't even want.

450 comments:

1 – 200 of 450   Newer›   Newest»
wendybar said...

Talk about Pussies. WOW!! How embarrassing.

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

Great post.

rhhardin said...

I'd expect amicus noster from a lawyer.

rhhardin said...

The key phrase to look for is "so he goes..." if you want the teen girl effect.

Saint Croix said...

I think because I was caught totally by surprise.

Cat Person

I need loyalty, I expect loyalty

Dog Person

"dog people should marry dog people and cat people, cat people"

War of the Roses

readering said...

I say shrimp scampi. I wonder what the calligraphy said.

exhelodrvr1 said...

So what happened when it got to the nuts? And were they literally nuts, or were they Trump's?

Paco Wové said...

Wasn't Comey the guy who tried to avoid Trump by hiding behind some curtains? "Passive-aggressive little girl" seems to describe him well.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday I came across a lot of what I thought were parodies of Comey's book. Thought they were overdoing the "pathologically pompous whiny high-school girl" thing. Now I'm not sure if they were all parodies.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

It's pretty obvious that Comey was appointed as director of the FBI not because of his integrity, intelligence, and devotion to the rule of law. He got that position because he is a politically reliable sycophant who would do as he was bid by his political masters.

A boss inviting a high-level manager to dinner where they can have a conversation and get to know each other is known as a job interview. Comey's fearful of having a one on one conversation because he knows he isn't fit to hold the position he has, and was appointed to it because of that. If Trump asked Comey to do or say something that he was uncomfortable with, then one would hope that the director of the FBI would be forthright and tell the President that he didn't think that was proper, and give some reasons for that, instead he self-reports that he gave mealy mouthed evasions and doesn't understand what that reveals about him. As someone else has said: Worst. Political. Class. Ever.

Hagar said...

I have disliked Comey ever since I saw him on TV in the Martha Stewart case, but I at least thought he was a very smart liar.
It is disheartening to find out just what low quality persons rise to the top in our government.

Rick said...

I feel like I'm reading about a 20-year-old female fictional character.

I don't think you understand how rare your discipline is. Yes now he's at a point where he should be more pre-discerning and decisive. But he achieved this position only after successfully negotiating a decades long competition where rejecting that overture would have prevented him from even being present at the meeting. People unwilling to adopt the priorities of their superiors never make it past the initial management level where execution is the main priority.

Institutional screening essentially guaranteed that whoever Trump was meeting with would react that way to pressure. Organizational leaders know and use this. This is one of the main mechanisms corrupting institutions themselves over time. How do you think Hillary Clinton came to dominate the Dem party when now they all claim they disagree with her positions? The overwhelming majority of people submit to this kind of pressure.

Humperdink said...

This post says more about Comey than anything I've read to date. Just a weak, malleable person. Completely devoid of leadership skills. R. Lee Ermey he's not. And to think he ran the FBI is just frightening.

The Bergall said...

The word that comes to mind is "surreal............"

MikeR said...

Jeepers. Trump has a right to political appointees. Their job is to make sure that the more independent underlings follow the direction set by the administration. Trump was asking him if he could do that for him, or if he would be one more apparatchik trying to undermine the administration from within.
Since he was, Comey had a conflict.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I wonder if Obama ever had a one on one conversation with Comey. Most likely Valerie Jarret's people vetted him as the most pliable candidate, informed Obama, and he's in. The guy tried to hide behind the drapes to avoid Trump in a meet and great with several other high level civil servants. Trump has got to see that and know that this guy didn't get to be head of the FBI because of his intestinal fortitude. The guys a functionary, not a leader.

Tom said...

Trump grabbbed the FBI by the pussy and that pussy happened to be the director - who wilted in the face of weath and power. No wonder Trumo fired him. He had already fvck him and with no offer of $150k, either. Now Comey's patriarch needs to perform an honor killings to restore the honor of the FBI. And now I'm confused as who, exactly, is operating like the mafia.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

There was a movie I saw a few years back called 'Happiness' I think. And no one was really happy in that movie, so I think the name was ironic, at least in the way that Alanis Morrisette used it, maybe.

In the movie there's this creepy father dude who is a child molester. I mean, all child molesters are creepy, I get it, but he wasn't creepy in a John Wayne Gacy way, he was a quiet kind of creepy, which sometimes is creepier.

Anyway, he bangs his young son's friend, and the son finds out, and now the son is sad because he wonders why his dad would choose to bang his friend instead of him, like maybe he loved his friend better. And this makes the dad sad and shit, that he hurt his son by banging his friend in the ass.

And Comey reminds me of the father dude. Not that he is a child molester, maybe, because no one has said that yet, but he's creepy in the same passive sensitive-bitch way.

So Comey starts talking about his feelings and the law and shit, and he's talking about this shit in the same way the creepy quiet father dude looked at small boys. Like, the people who think he's wrong just don't understand his kind of love. Becuase he loves the FBI in a way that's pure and innocent, like a young boy is, and people just don't get it and make judgments about him and shit.

But it's like, dude, maybe you're loving the FBI in a wrong way. Maybe you think you're doing it out of love and shit, but you're still banging a young boy in the ass. I mean this like a metaphor -- like I said, no one has said he is a child molester, I'm just saying he's a lot like a child molester I saw in a movie once.

I post my shit here.

David Begley said...

What a brilliant post by Althouse!

I sent Brett Baier my comment from the prevous thread. Why didn’t the FBI seize Hillary’s server? And what about raiding Cheryl Mills office? That entire investigation of Hillary was point shaving. They didn’t try very hard. Missed layups and free throws on purpose.

Watch Brett use my question.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

This is the current headline at the Daily Mail:

'He's morally unfit to be President': Comey annihilates Trump in TV interview saying he 'lies constantly', 'treats women like pieces of meat' and IS 'possibly compromised by Russia'

Hard to argue with the basic premise here.

chorister said...

National Shrimp Scampi Day is April 29.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

I thought gamberetti was italian for shrimp.

Wouldn't scampi have to do with the verb to scamper?

Anyone know more Italian than just reading menus?

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I have disliked Comey ever since I saw him on TV in the Martha Stewart case

Martha Stewart is smart, well-educated, and connected. She was a lawyer and a successful stock broker. If they can put her away, apparently just because they felt like it, then they can put pretty much anyone in jail. They put her in jail for lying to the FBI. But why would she lie? She hadn't done anything illegal.

roesch/voltaire said...

Seems Althouse has gotten catty over coffee,maybe needs cream?

Sebastian said...

"how awkward and passive Comey is"

Love the post.

But let me summarize: OMG. OMG. OMFG.

Of course, I am a pretty cynical conservative, but the fact that this character could rise to the positions he did, and be treated as a man of "integrity," is still a sad commentary on the quality of our overlords.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

@ARM

"They" have been saying Trump is morally unfit since before he formally announced his candidacy. And yet, there he is. POTUS.

Unknown said...

Right on the money. #ComeyToo. -willie

Henry said...

@Beloved, I'm perplexed by the full-caps IS. Are you shouting IS or is the Daily Mail?

yadda yadda yadda yadda IS yadda yadda yadda.

* * *

Comey annihilates, yet Trump still exists. A paradox.

FIDO said...

Female Ghost Writer for our 'hard spoken man'.

Curious George said...

"Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
...and IS 'possibly compromised by Russia'

Hard to argue with the basic premise here."

So are you. With as much evidence.

roesch/voltaire said...

Comey is not catty but conflicted and too Self serving and public about the issues for a FBI agent which betrays his hubris, after all most folks recognize that Trump is a habitual liar without a moral compass so he reveals little that is new.

Henry said...

In this community theater production of My Dinner with Andre, Comey auditions for the Wallace Shawn role.

Chuck said...

4/16/18, 7:15 AM
Blogger MikeR said...
Jeepers. Trump has a right to political appointees. Their job is to make sure that the more independent underlings follow the direction set by the administration. Trump was asking him if he could do that for him, or if he would be one more apparatchik trying to undermine the administration from within.
Since he was, Comey had a conflict.

The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term. If a President were to remove him early, without good cause, in the midst of an investigation of the President’s campaign by the FBI, the President should be investigated for obstruction of justice.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

POTUS invites an important department head to a one on one dinner to try to get a sense of the guy. Is he reliable? Frank? Discerning? Or is he a mealy mouthed sycophant?

If Trump asked for his loyalty and Comey thought that was untoward then the obvious answer, if you really had integrity, is to tell him that he could rely on him to perform his job to the best of his ability, but that his loyalty was to the Constitution as expressed in the oath he took when sworn in.

Chuck said...

Does anybody really think that Comey is less credible on the essential issues, of than Donald Trump?

It will be interesting to see Trump’s meeting notes.

Trump better hope that Michael Cohen doesn’t have “tapes”!

Birkel said...

Now Chuck is just lying.
Let's go back and see which FBI Directors served ten year terms and were not removed.
Liar.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term.

Most people are unaware that the creation of the FBI was a controversial issue. There was no history of a federal police force prior to 1906 other than the Secret Service, which was founded for the sole purpose of pursuing counterfeiters. FBI agents didn't even start carrying weapons until 1934. Law enforcement was felt to be a state responsibility. Also, there was concern that a federal police force would be used by unscrupulous people in government to spy on citizens and politicians and thwart the will of the people. But fortunately J. Edgar Hoover was appointed to lead it and all of that was avoided. In fact all of the people leading it since Hoover have been secular saints.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Does anybody really think that Comey is less credible on the essential issues

Yep. Why shouldn't I.

Hagar said...

@Ron Winkleheimer,
No, no; Martha Stewart had done something illegal, and she should have known better even if the young turks she had managing her portfolio didn't. However, it was not much of a transgression and the normal SEC punishment would have been to fine her the amount estimated she had saved by her action and send her a letter admonishing her to never do it again if she valued her broker's license. Being Martha Stewart, the SEC might have tripled the fine and trumpeted the letter for publicity value in warning off other potential offenders, but no prosecution and certainly no jail sentence contemplated.
This was done by Comey carrying water for Stewart's personal political enemies.

David Begley said...

Comey played high school basketball in NJ. He knows about point shaving.

Why didn't G-Man Comey have David Kendall and Cheryl Mills arrested when they were Christmas shopping at Macy's? Tom Hagen got the arm put on him by the mob boss who was trying to rub out Michael's crime family.

Why do we give the FBI guns and allow them to put people in jail? Because they are supposed to be the good guys and above politics.

The entire Hillary investigation was an exercise in POINT SHAVING!

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

So I was reading shit on 4chan, and then Althouse, and then I ended up on Wiki, because that's how the internet works. Anyway, I ended up reading this:

"The shadow government (cryptocracy, secret government, or invisible government) is a family of conspiracy theories based on the notion that real and actual political power resides not with publicly elected representatives but with private individuals who are exercising power behind the scenes, beyond the scrutiny of democratic institutions. According to this belief, the official elected government is subservient to the shadow government which is the true executive power."

And Wiki titles it "Shadow government (conspiracy)". Like, if you believe shit is happening beyond the scrutiny of democratic institutions you're, like, a conspiracy freak.

And I dig reading about the Masons and the Bilderberg Group and the Illuminati and shit, but sometimes a conspiracy is pretty much just like the clique of cool girls in a high school. They don't consider themselves in a conspiracy, they just want to make sure the other chicks stay in their place. Like, don't dare sit at that table in the cafeteria, that is our table, you pull that shit and we'll spread nasty shit around about you.

So it's not like the mean girls are fronting for space aliens or the Majestic-12, they're just marking their territory. And that seems pretty much like what a lot of unelected people do in our government: they're marking their territory, and they get all bitchy and underhanded if you try to call them on their shit.

And at least some of the mean girls after high school end up being knocked down a peg or two, because, like, the people in the office don't give a fuck who you were in high school and shit. But in government jobs you never have to graduate, you can stay in high school your entire life where everything's cool and you make the rules, and like, you're a Senior forever.

Like, I didn't like high school in the first place, but this government shit really sucks ass.

I post my shit here.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

This was done by Comey carrying water for Stewart's personal political enemies.

That's what amazed me about the situation. Why would they put her in jail? Stewart has "personal political enemies?" Who are they and why are they her enemies? Wanting to put her in jail? Is it revenge for something that happened when she was a lawyer or broker?

Curious George said...

“You can call us wrong, but don't call us weasels. We are not weasels,” Jim Comey

Depends who "we" is Jimbo. But you and others are just that.

gilbar said...

"There was no history of a federal police force prior to 1906 other than the Secret Service"

I think i'm JUSTIFIED in getting all federal on you, and saying that the US Marshall's might disagree with you on that

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Chuck said...

The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term. If a President were to remove him early, without good cause,...

Then it's a good thing President Trump had multiple good causes. He, and others in his administration, have stated those reasons on various occasions.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I think i'm JUSTIFIED in getting all federal on you, and saying that the US Marshall's might disagree with you on that

I stand corrected. But their mostly about providing security to Federal Judges and pursuing fugitives.

"The Marshals Service provides security to the federal judiciary, and manages the witness security program. It manages and sells seized or forfeited assets of criminals, is responsible for the confinement and transportation of federal prisoners who have not been turned over to the Bureau of Prisons, and is the primary federal agency responsible for fugitive investigations."

https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-marshals-service

whitney said...

When Hillary's book came out I read that bill warned her not to publish. That it sounded whiny and uninformed. She ignored him. I now think that maybe Comey use Hillary as his proofreader. What an absolute embarrassment for him

CWJ said...

"Does anybody really think that Comey is less credible on the essential issues, of than Donald Trump?"

Ooh ooh, pick me. Pick me. Ahem, yes!

Anonymous said...

Sebastian: Of course, I am a pretty cynical conservative, but the fact that this character could rise to the positions he did, and be treated as a man of "integrity," is still a sad commentary on the quality of our overlords.

That's another interesting thing about the Trump phenomenon - however low an opinion a "cynical conservative" - or anyone else - already had of DC apparatchiks, the true depth and glory of their sub-mediocre weasel-osity wasn't clearly visible until held up against, not a paragon of virtue, but the shameless huckstering P.T. Barnum of the age.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Does anybody really think that Comey is less credible on the essential issues, of than Donald Trump?

Obviously. Comey knowingly participated in the farce that is the collusion accusation.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Angle-Dyne just nailed it.

walter said...

You might think an FBI director would be pretty good at asking his own questions instead being repeatedly caught off guard with inaccurate assumptions.
Did he also suffer the indignity of the classic mobster gesture of 2 scoops vs 1?

Hagar said...

Martha Stewart got to be "old news" pretty quick, but supposedly this started with her using some very disrespectful language about a New York politician who happened to be chairman of the House appropriations committee, or something like that.

rcocean said...

Wow. You really nailed it. Great Post.

He's the fucking FBI director and yet can't speak directly and honestly to the POTUS?

And why couldn't he "Pledge Loyalty"? The POTUS is his fucking boss. And he's President. Why wouldn't you be "loyal"?

Wasn't Comey "Loyal" to Obama? Why would "loyal" mean "unethical" or "slavish Obedience"?

Its obvious Comey hated Trump before he even met him.

FleetUSA said...

An excellent review of the Comey interview. I've circulated it to my email groups. Thanks

Pookie Number 2 said...

Its obvious Comey hated Trump before he even met him.

As we see all too often on these very comment pages, a lot of weak minds can’t get past their jealousy of Trump.

David said...

Brilliant post. Very few people will take the time to read with such care and insight.

Comey has a grandiose view of himself coupled with bad judgment. A dangerous combination, especially when the national press is willing to be so uncritical of him because it wants to get at the President.

Michael K said...

most folks recognize that Trump is a habitual liar without a moral compass so he reveals little that is new.

Most "folks" are not like you but I know that is hard to understand in some cases.

Mary Beth said...

We had looked all around and scrubbed thousands and thousands and thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.

I thought email scrubbing was supposed to be done by the one trying to hide things, not a service provided by the ones doing the investigation.

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

Something that jumped out at me was where he said he had 6 years left in his term.

What a lot of people don't realize, perhaps Comey too is that the 10 year term is not a minimum. It is a maximum term. It was made law after hoovers death to prevent another hoover.

Congress had to pass a special law so Mueller could serve an extra 2 years.

John Henry

Humperdink said...

Chuck said..."The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term. If a President were to remove him early, without good cause,..."

Gee Chuck, as I recall, the Dems were also calling for the weasel's head for his handling of the HRC server/email scandal. Didn't they know he was appointed for 10 years also?

PatHMV said...

I spent my first 5 years after law school prosecuting corrupt politicians in Louisiana. I found that very often, bad things were done not because a high-ranking politician ordered them to be done, but because a low-ranking state employee ASSUMED that their boss would be corrupt and therefore went ahead and did favors for the boss's friend without being asked.

Once, when I was working for our state governor, we got reports that a particular state employee was not working a full 40 hours per week. We investigated, and ultimately he was fired. One of his co-workers came to me, complaining bitterly that my boss, the governor, had protected this employee for years. I asked how this happened, who in the governor's office had protected him. In the end, what she told me was that because the employee had a picture on his desk of himself with the governor (at a Christmas party, his wife was briefly a secretary in the governor's office), everyone had ASSUMED that he was "protected," and thus that they would get in trouble if they called him out for YEARS of not working. In fact, nobody from the governor's office had ever told, hinted, or signaled that the guy was "protected" in any way, but the weak civil servant just decided that the governor was terrible because that's how she thought government worked.

Comey reminds me of that woman.

Michael K said...

My personal experience of FBI Directors is limited to Louis Freeh. He was Director when my daughter was in the academy and he used to come down and run 7 miles with them.

He alos was fired by Bill Clinton because he wanted to investigate the Khobar Towers bombing that killed a bunch of US military guys.

In the book, Freeh maintains that he was obstructed by the Clinton Administration for political reasons in investigating the bombing and bringing the terrorists to justice.

Eventually judge Lambeth concluded it was Hezbollah that did the bombing. That was in 2006 afetr Clinton was long gone.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

I don't know, but sometimes I think that when someone complains that something else is like the Mafia they're, like, really only talking about The Godfather and The Sopranos and shit.

Because they make it seem like this shit is all gangsta, but it really is only movie gangsta. Because if it was really the real Mafia then you'd be all worried about getting killed and shit, but you're really talking about the movie mafia, and they're bad-ass but it's only movie bad-ass, not the real get-you-killed bad-ass.

And it makes you seem like you're all heroic and shit, because you're standing up to the Mafia. But it's not like Martin Scorsese is going to put a hit on you or nothing, you're just being like some white suburban kid trying to act all pimp because he listens to Ski Mask The Slump God.

So, basically, when they're talking about the mafia they're being all Vanilla Ice, going on about rolling in his 5.0 and waxing chumps like a candle. And that song ripped off Queen, which ain't gangsta, it's just being an asshole. Because Vanilla Ice was gangsta like Freddy Mercury was heterosexual. Word.

I post my shit here.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Comey is the world's tallest Drama Queen.

He talks and acts like a butt hurt junior high girl who got insulted and dissed for her showing...I mean.... her date for the Junior Prom.

Self Centered
Vain
Overly Dramatic
Vindictive
Extremely favorable and unearned opinion of her/himself
Judgemental about others
Pretentious
Needs to be the star at all times
Drama Queen

Ken B said...

“And they did it simultaneously!” he said.
“At the same time?” I asked.
He gave me an odd look, and repeated “Simultaneously.” What an idiot huh?

rcocean said...

I laughed at the Calligraphy thing.

Who the hell talks like that?

I would've reacted the way Trump did. I'd be like "What a pretentious twit" and move on. Who in the world wants to talk about Calligraphy?

Temujin said...

Comey is one bizarre dude. I gotta say, when you look at James Comey, James Clapper, and John Brennan, and look over their public lies, congressional lies, their statements over the years, their thoughts, you have to weep for our country. These are not honorable men, or frankly, very intelligent men. Brennan is a complete goof with a history of bizarre actions and beliefs. Clapper is just a liar of the highest order and anyone using him for analysis should be doubted up front. And Comey? Well- there aren't enough mirrors in one room to appease his love of himself. He lives in his own world.

These guys ran our intelligence and justice teams for years. Still influence them. Add in the current crop of Mueller, Rosenstein, and their teams, and tag onto them our Infotainment press corp and, well...at some point there's got to be a serious house cleaning. Not sure what its going to look like, but it's got to happen. The issue is not Trump. The issue is our ruling class and how untethered they've become from our founding papers. They can rid themselves of Trump, but he was never the problem or the answer. He was merely a symptom.

Chuck said...

I get it, that the Trump fans of the Althouse blog don’t like Comey or what Comey says. So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination.

dreams said...

How's this for irony, Comey's height eventually got him in over his head. He's not very smart, just tall.

buwaya said...

Its a very odd sort of style for an executive, in memoirs or interviews.

This concern with ones own feelings is not typical.
The usual mode is externally focused, on circumstances, events, analyses, whatever it is, outside oneself.

And an executive in charge of such an organization would be all about what they do, their organization, its nature, its structure, its achievements, its problems. Especially in an interview with the new boss.

Chuck said...


Blogger Humperdink said...
Chuck said..."The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term. If a President were to remove him early, without good cause,..."

Gee Chuck, as I recall, the Dems were also calling for the weasel's head for his handling of the HRC server/email scandal. Didn't they know he was appointed for 10 years also?


You are confusing me, with someone who would defend the Democrats, and/or Obama, and/or especially the odious political operator Eric Holder. (And “Holder” includes his clone, Loretta Lynch.)

I don’t excuse any of it and I have no idea why anything that I have written in the past would make you think that I’d give a pass to anything Obama. You should ask an Obama voter about that. I don’t know, if Althouse knows any Obama voters.

William said...

Althouse presents a shrewd and rather devastating take down of the Comey/Trump dinner. The cat person back story is far more apt than the Mafia metaphor Comey tries to fashion.

Humperdink said...

Chuck said: " So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination."

The chances of that happening? Comey > 50%. Trump 0%.

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

Whenever Althouse brings up the 'Cat Person' thing I can't help but think of the film 'Cat People', because Nastassja Kinski was hot, and she was naked in that film a lot, so it was a pretty good movie that way. It's kinda the way 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' was a good movie because Phoebe Cates showed her tits in slow motion. Sean Penn was in that movie playing a stoner, and that was cool, too, it was back before he pretty much sucked.

Anyway, the movie 'Cat People' also had that title song by David Bowie, which was pretty fucking cool, because Bowie was cool, and he is, like, really very Bowie in that song.

And the song has the lyric "I've been putting out fire / With gasoline", which is pretty cool, too. Because you got a hot Euro chick naked in a movie where David Bowie sings about fire and gasoline and shit, you can't get much better than that.

But what it makes me think of now is how Trump deals with shit: the dude is all about putting out fires with gasoline. Like, people keep trying to burn him, and he just goes all high octane and says I'll show you a fire, bitch. Like that.

And you know that back in the day Trump would've tried to bang Nastassja Kinski and Phoebe Cates, even though it seems like he likes blondes best. But hot is hot, sometimes the details don't matter. Unless, like, she has a cock.

I post my shit here.

walter said...

Chuck said...So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination.
--
On what basis?

Pookie Number 2 said...

So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination.

One shudders to think of the fellating Chuck would offer Comey as “hard cross-examination”.

dreams said...

"He comforted me..."

With his little bitty hands, he's got the whole wide world in his little bitty hands.

Ralph L said...

The weird thing to me is that Comey thinks this makes him look good and upright.

buwaya said...

Cross-examining Napoleon could have happened only if he had been defeated and imprisoned. Someone could have, perhaps, had he lost at Marengo, or at Austerlitz, or Eylau, or...
But that would have been required first.
And in the end it was irrelevant.

Its what you do when your enemy is defeated and you are imposing victors justice. No one cross-examined Yamashita while he still commanded 400,000 men. They did it after he had surrendered.

Its a weird fixation, that bit about cross-examination. Very cart-before-the-horse. Or perhaps it is the tale of belling the cat.

Ken B said...

Where did the assumption come from that asking for loyalty is improper or corrupt? Trump has an agenda. He wants people who will faithfully implement it. That's loyalty. He was plagued by leaks, and he didn’t want leakers. Not leaking is loyalty. (Comey of course was a leaker.) He did not ask for blind obedience. Loyalty and obedience are not the same thing, and loyalty and dishonor are not the same thing. Comey chose dishonor.

buwaya said...

Nastassja Kinski was hot indeed.
Naked or not.

And Phoebe Cates too. My people that one, a mestiza.
I knew a lot of Phoebe Cates.

Chuck said...

No real American would think of a US President in “Napoleonic” terms.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Angle-Dyne, Angelic Buzzard said...
the true depth and glory of their sub-mediocre weasel-osity wasn't clearly visible until held up against, not a paragon of virtue, but the shameless huckstering P.T. Barnum of the age.


This argument leads to something of a dead end. As appallingly ill equipped as Trump is to be president there are almost certainly even worse people available, his lawyer for one. Are we to believe that a kakistocracy is the only way forward from now on? If so buwaya might actually be on to something.

walter said...

He also explicitly ran on "drain the swamp". A face to face ain't a bad way to check for swamp "slime".

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Comey ------> And so then in my head I was--

Buywaya says: This concern with ones own feelings is not typical.

The usual mode is externally focused, on circumstances, events, analyses, whatever it is, outside oneself.


Beware of people who "live in their heads" and are obsessed with their own "feeeeeelings". They are dangerous, live in a fantasy world and in general cause no end of problems for themselves and everyone around them.

Drama Queens are just tedious people to be avoided at all costs. Trump was probably confused by Comey: at the dithering, awkward silences, inability to carry on a normal conversation, tap dancing all over the place at direct and business ike questions. Comey projects weakness and evasion. Trump is thinking to himself. "What is this guy's problem.

Comey is thinking he is on a date with Don Coreloni and about to be hooked up with Harvey Weinstein.

Trump thinks he is conducting an business meeting and interview with the CEO of one of his top divisions in the Executive Branch.

Nice imagination you got there Comey.

Althouse NAILS it in her Fisking of Comey's interview.

buwaya said...

Americans are not exempt from history. Or human nature.
You have your Napoleons.

As for being Napoleonic, will Julius Caesar do?

William Manchesters biography of Douglas MacArthur, "American Caesar", essential reading.

Jupiter said...

"I feel as though I'm reading a #MeToo story told by a young woman."

Hmmmm.... There's something in the rulebook about that. To associate talking like an airhead with lack of a Y chromosome is ... misogyny! Hah! I knew there was a rule for that! I think I could play this game!

Pookie Number 2 said...

Are we to believe that a kakistocracy is the only way forward from now on? If so buwaya might actually be on to something.

It’s not only about it being the only way forward, it’s also an overdue depiction of where we’ve been.

buwaya said...

I agree with Instapundit, in that you have the worst leadership class in your history.

There is no alternative to a "kakistocracy" given the material available. And you will not fix it without purging the whole lot, and moreover destroying your corrupt cursus honorum, which filters for the worst.

Birkel said...

As Loretta Lunch and Lanny Davis attack James Comey, Chuck accuses Republicans of defending Trump.

It's an odd world that our resident fopdoodle inhabits.

robother said...

"So what do you want to do?" And I kinda gave him this look...

When I was a manager, I found open-ended questions like this best in job interviews, whether with prospective secretaries, paralegals or lawyers. It was far better at discovering the self-starters, and also the total bullshitters. If someone responded with just a look, and put me in charge of leading the interview, that would've been a short interview. I imagine Trump has had to be a quicker study of human nature than I.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Wow. So the new boss asks the guy to dinner, and just comments that he needs loyal department heads. And this weasel (such an appropriate word) not only squirms, but he’s mentally bashing the president the whole time (thinks he doesn’t understand what calligraphy is, or what simultaneously means).

Does anyone here not think Obama sought loyalty from, say, Eric Holder or Loretta Lynch?

And if you’re going to say “we’ll Obama’s would never actually say it”, just Think about that...

It’s all okay to expect loyalty and even the great and powerful O sought it, but but but you can’t say it! Good Lord. They’re all schmucks. Drain the f-ing swamp already.

Jupiter said...

Chuck said...
"So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination."

OK, works for me. Aren't you some kind of high-powered legal eagle, Chuckles? I heard you went to all the finest law schools, several times! File some writs! Aggravate a tort or two! Habeus some corpuses! Hale that pissant Trump into a poorly-lit room somewhere with a bored steno on hand and let's see you do your stuff! God, this is gonna be great!

khematite said...

Comey: "And so-- and part of it was just sheer surprise. I couldn't think of a clever response."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOetkFopHK0

Speaking of which, I'm seeing that Trump-Comey dinner as something along the lines of a Steinbrenner-Costanza interaction.

Francisco D said...

"One shudders to think of the fellating Chuck would offer Comey as “hard cross-examination”.

Hence the term "sucking up?"

mockturtle said...

On a serious note, Comey displays some psychological difficulties. His thought processes are convoluted, something I noted during the hearings. Althouse has put her finger on it when remarking about events going on in Comey's head as if his head was a world apart. And frankly, it just might be.

chuck said...

"The weird thing to me is that Comey thinks this makes him look good and upright."

Comey lives in an itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot world. The rest of us are just ghosts in the mist.

Chuck said...

Francisco D said...
"One shudders to think of the fellating Chuck would offer Comey as “hard cross-examination”.

Hence the term "sucking up?"


Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans.

Nonapod said...

Comey is like a great dane that's completely terrified by a inanimate objects. He's big, stupid, in need of constant validation from his superiors, and easily confused.

Chuck said...

Does anyone here not think Obama sought loyalty from, say, Eric Holder or Loretta Lynch?

Would anyone here DEFEND Obama, if that were shown? I wouldn't. I wouldn't be debating terminology about what "loyalty" means, or hiding behind some notion that the Director of the FBI serves at the pleasure of the president as a matter of strict Constitutional interpretation. I'd say, "Look into how the president may have violated the law..."

Chuck said...

walter said...
Chuck said...So let’s get Comey, and Trump, under oath for some hard cross-examination.
--
On what basis?


Well, much of the Althouse commentariat seems to think that Comey committed a crime. Trump thinks Comey should be jailed. (No word yet, on whether Trump thinks that there should be a trial, or any other legal process before jailing Comey.)

So let's put Trump in front of a grand jury, in the case of "US v Comey."

Anonymous said...

Professor, this is an outstanding analysis of this interview. This post deserves to be widely read and discussed. Mega kudos !

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

Big boss man now can't you hear me when I call?
I said you ain't so big, you know you're just tall that's all


Young, cool, skinny Elvis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndpdPVqZm_k

John Henry

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Trump grabbed Comey by the pussy.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

Chuck said...

"Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans."

Oh dear lord, Chuck. Aren't you embarrassed? You seem to have as much self-awareness as Comey. Cripes.

traditionalguy said...

Comey is a pretty face with a boyish innocence that plays a “I am too stupid to be a threat “ act to Oscar level. The CIA has Strozek inside to run their operations using theFBI’s reputation as Ace G-Men and all American
good guys. But since 1992 they have been
Corrupted by Clinton theft.

As for Mueller, he has been a cheap crook his whole career.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Regarding the calligraphy anecdote. My thoughts were that Comey thinks knowing the work calligraphy is a sign of intelligence and refinement, and he thinks Trump couldn't know it. Trump has had three wedding receptions, owns high-end hotels, and hosts lavish parties with rich and famous attendees. I think he has encountered the word calligraphy before.

Oh, and they sell calligraphy supplies at Michaels.

http://www.michaels.com/search?q=calligraphy

Michael said...

Talk about "Clueless." Comey is a Valley girl without the self-confidence. This twit was running the FBI?!

buwaya said...

It is incumbent on a subordinate to serve loyally, even if both superior and subordinate serve a higher authority, unless it is clear that the superior is deliberately acting illegally or subverting higher authority.

If a superior is proposing illegalities, or even being imprudent, it is the duty of the subordinate to offer candid advice. Which is another thing not in this interview.

Bay Area Guy said...

Comey is a:

1. leaker
2. liar
3. whiner
4. drama queen
5. all of the above

Please show your work.

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

Blogger buwaya said...

William Manchesters biography of Douglas MacArthur, "American Caesar", essential reading.

Amen to that as well as anything else by Manchester. I have The Arms of Krupp queued up on my Kindle for a rereading when I finish with Joe Stilwell and Ken Kesey.

His book on the writing of "The Death of a President" paints the Kennedy family as pretty bizarre as do most bios of them. Even the favorable ones that try to paint them in a good light. Manchester was a major Kennedy asslicker.

The Kennedy's might qualify as Napoleonic. Or at least wannabe Napoleonic.

LBJ and FDR also probably qualify as Napoleonic.

John Henry

Dixie_Sugarbaker said...

By this time didn’t Trump know about the FISA warrant on Page and that his communications had been caught up under that warrant? Of course Trump wanted to know where Comey was on that issue. He asked the question badly, but if Comey has responded that he would be loyal to the Constitution and laws of the nation I imagine Trump would have been satisfied. Of course, there is the question as to whether Comey has been faithful to the Constitution, which should trouble him more than anything Trump ever said to him.

Jupiter said...

Chuck said...

"Aaahouse; is iz ut I uv khong uhklained akout, in ekation ugh uh ommmments uhges a-ing in oma-ayed y hude, hatefuh, kiskusting Drum vans."

Chuck, I think I know what you are trying to say, but it would be a lot easier to understand you if you didn't have that big dick in your mouth. Spit it out!

buwaya said...

Comey certainly handled the various Clinton investigations in a most unusual manner.

Indeed, it is passing unusual that the whole email thing escaped their notice given how pervasive it was in government circles during the Obama administration, and that it had been going on for four years -or more, given that HRC still had a security clearance and was receiving state secrets. Until, that is, it was made public. Then, of course, the primary arm of US counterintelligence finally became aware of the whole thing.

It remains to be seen what else the FBI has conveniently overlooked all these years.

J2 said...


Flacid.

Chuck said...

Jupiter said...
Chuck said...

"Aaahouse; is iz ut I uv khong uhklained akout, in ekation ugh uh ommmments uhges a-ing in oma-ayed y hude, hatefuh, kiskusting Drum vans."

Chuck, I think I know what you are trying to say, but it would be a lot easier to understand you if you didn't have that big dick in your mouth. Spit it out!


Like I said, Althouse!

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

Blogger Chuck said...


Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans.


Hey everyone,

Stop hurting Chuck's feelings. He'll tell Mom if you don't.

John Henry

rcocean said...

You bash Hoover all you want.

But go online and listen to him Talk to Nixon.

Then listen to Comey.

Good God - what a difference!

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Chuck said...

Well, much of the Althouse commentariat seems to think that Comey committed a crime. Trump thinks Comey should be jailed. (No word yet, on whether Trump thinks that there should be a trial, or any other legal process before jailing Comey.)

So let's put Trump in front of a grand jury, in the case of "US v Comey."


Did Trump claim to have personally witnessed this criminal activity while in private with Comey? If not, that what would be the point?

That is a rhetorical question. We all know that you hope he says something under oath that contradicts something else he or someone else said. You desperately want to set up a perjury trap. We understand that.

I would rather Trump not testify, because I believe that Trump is far too careless with the truth. I much prefer that to Clinton or Obama, both of whom were much too careful with their lies.

Anonymous said...

BCARM: This argument leads to something of a dead end. As appallingly ill equipped as Trump is to be president...

"This argument" doesn't say anything about Trump's qualifications as an executive.

And we already know that you think Trump is incompetent.

Are we to believe that a kakistocracy is the only way forward from now on? If so buwaya might actually be on to something.

If you have a kakistocracy you have a kakistocracy. Whether it's "the only way forward" is not determined by the mere fact of its existence.

Bit heavy on the pompous vaporing this morning, even by your standards, ARM.

rcocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rcocean said...

ust to remind everyone.

Comey was NOT an "old FBI Hand" who rose through the ranks. He never worked for the FBI prior to his 2013 appointment. Before that he was in the private sector for 7 years.

He was an odd appointment for Obama. Why appoint a former Bush DAG, who hadn't worked for the Federal Gov't for 7 years to head the FBI? I suppose Mueller had a lot to do with it. And Chuck Schumer.

4/16/18, 10:19 AM Delete

Michael K said...

"LBJ and FDR also probably qualify as Napoleonic."

I you haven't, you should read Robert Caro's biography of LBJ. Especially the volume "Means of Ascent."

Johnson was the most corrupt person ever to be President and I date our decline beginning with his administration.

I listened to the audio version and I hope Caro lives long enough to finish the last volume.

FDR was an ignorant man but few knew anything about economics so he has that excuse. He was a good war president because he let the military run the war. He also was smart enough to get Knudson to run the war production industries. After trashing the productive class in 1932, of course.

Kennedy was an excellent politician but had little in the way of knowledge in running the country.

Johnson knew how to run he Senate and that bought disaster..

Hillary and Aaron Burr were the most corrupt to almost become president.

Buchanan might be the most inept.

Kevin said...

And so he-- I remember, he held his up and said, "They write these by hand." And I said, "A calligrapher?" And he kind of gave me this look and he said, "They write them by hand."

Trump was being gracious and pointing out the surroundings in a way anyone could understand, "they write these by hand."

Comey tries to helpfully introduce him the word calligrapher.

Trump comes back and reinforces that he understands, "they make these by hand." He is plainspoken and doesn't need to use the word calligrapher in normal conversation.

The point is not that they are done with calligraphy, but that someone is paid to sit down and write out cards for every meal and scheduled interaction that happens at the White House.

Even Trump thinks that's ostentatious.

Anyone who deals with the elites knows exactly the subtext of this kind of exchange. You tell the person to use a different word "calligrapher" because you're trying to one-up them. It's right out of the stock exchange when the hick from middle America tries talking with his classmates at Harvard who want to show him they're still not on the same level.

Comey, however is not of the elites. You can tell by the phrases he uses when answering questions.

I suspect Comey has been one-upped so many times he didn't even realize he was being put down. I don't think he was trying to one-up the President, but was gently informing him that if he didn't use the world "calligrapher" those around him would put him down.

Comey, who's spent his life going along to get along, wouldn't understand why Trump wouldn't be thankful for the pointer.

That probably told Trump all he needed to know.

Michael K said...

Comey was NOT an "old FBI Hand" who rose through the ranks. He never worked for the FBI prior to his 2013 appointment.

Yes and I have wondered why he was appointed. He had never been an agent. I think he might be the first Director who wasn't an agent.

buwaya said...

Perjury traps are fundamentally a perversion of justice.
Even if done to put away the obviously guilty, it is a despicable, dishonorable way to do it.

Against anyone who cannot be convicted because of ambiguous circumstances it is an evil practice.

Kevin said...

Well, much of the Althouse commentariat seems to think that Comey committed a crime. Trump thinks Comey should be jailed. (No word yet, on whether Trump thinks that there should be a trial, or any other legal process before jailing Comey.)

So let's put Trump in front of a grand jury, in the case of "US v Comey."


We have an entire Department of Justice to handle this and Chuck thinks the President should deal with it personally.

Because TDS.

Chuck is a lawyer? Yeah right.

Chuck said...

I would rather Trump not testify, because I believe that Trump is far too careless with the truth.


No worries. Trump won't testify. I truly don't think that he'll get a grand jury subpoena -- although the law allows for it -- and if he does, I suspect he'll invoke the Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination provision(s).

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Chuck said...

Look into how the president may have violated the law...

Asking for loyalty is not in any way an indication of violating the law. Nor is firing someone for cause. But you want to look into how the president may have violated the law, without a starting point of any reason to suspect the president had violated the law.

I have no interest in covering for a president who violated the law. But you are setting an absurd standard. You could devote 100% of the FBI's resources into investigating the president, everyone whom he ever came into contact with, all his communications, etc.

We could similarly investigate any previous president, or you, or me, or anyone else. That is not how law enforcement is supposed to work in this country.

rcocean said...

"Johnson was the most corrupt person ever to be President and I date our decline beginning with his administration."

The Kennedy's were preparing to run LBJ out of town using Bobby Baker and get a new VP in 1964. Then came the assassination, and no one in '63 wanted to accuse a Democrat POTUS of corruption. So, it was swept under the rug.

LBJ wasn't just corrupt - he made so many bad decisions about almost everything.

David-2 said...

@PatHMV - You make a very good point, yet she wasn't wrong.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Francisco D said...
"One shudders to think of the fellating Chuck would offer Comey as “hard cross-examination”.

Hence the term "sucking up?"

“Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans.”
—————————————
Well at least he didn’t threaten to eat your brains with fava beans and Chianti like he did yesterday on that 300+ comment, 4 Trump Tweets thread. I’ve long thought Francisco D is nuttier than any of his patients ever were. Hannibal Lecter wanna be.

TreeJoe said...

I bet a lot of FBI agents are now happy (er?) Comey is gone.

The President invited him to a one on one dinner. He spoke to someone else about it - which why is he talking to ex-officials about dinner with the President ahead of time? - and that someone planted the idea of a group dinner in his head and he ran with it.

It's completely normal for an executive to ask someone senior in his organization to a private dinner to get to know them and to determine if the person is "on their team" because if not, you need to get rid of them.

Especially given the background between Comey, Trump, and what was happening during the election with Clinton.

buwaya said...

And no one is going to put anyone in Washington in a perjury trap unless they have already been otherwise defeated and are powerless. Libby was betrayed by his superiors and abandoned to the wolves before the FBI chewed on him.

Chuck said...

Kevin, I was speaking entirely sarcastically. Aimed at the Althouse commenters who actually think that Trump is more credible than Comey.

I don't think that Trump should deal "personally" with anything in the DoJ. I don't think Trump has the skill, training, experience, judgment or moral character to touch anything in the Department.

But in truth, I really do want absolutely everybody in this under oath. I want the liars outed. I want everything that Trump has ever said to be put under a microscope. (That is a figure of speech. I don't think that speech can be examined microscopically.)

walter said...

"Look into how the president may have violated the law..."
Ah..so target a person instead of a crime.

rcocean said...

I think it would've been better - in hindsight - if Nixon had won in 1960. And even if Nixon had been assassinated in '63 instead of JFK - Lodge would've been a better POTUS than LBJ.

Chuck said...

Inga, I think that things here will get much, much worse, as the trove of "documents and things" taken pursuant to the SDNY subpoena of Michael Cohen are examined.

Francisco D said...

Chuck said ... "Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans."

Chuck, you are a vulgar angry little man who cannot take a joke. You remind me of Comey in terms of being a hypocritical, sanctimonious twit.

Inga, you are making stuff up again. Reality is not your strong suit, as we all know.

walter said...

Nice bit of Comey's wife saying she really wanted a woman president.
Yeah..someone here..was saying women had more depth than that.

rcocean said...

Looks like its turning into the Chuck and Friends show.

Well, it was a good thread for a while.

J2 said...

If you think you hate Comey now, watch this digusting interview with his pal Ben Wittes of Lawfare blog.

He describes Comeys revulsion for Trump. He describes how Comey described these incidents - the thwarted hug and the drape hiding and the loyalty pledge. You will discover that you have hidden reserves of hate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I6FiDKmVD4

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

Amen to Michael K on the Caro bio of LBJ. All 4 books. I too anxiously await the 5th. Your assessment of LBJ is spot on.

Dalek also wrote a very good 2 volume bio of LBJ. It is a bit more sympathetic but even he can't disguise what a monster LBJ was.

And if you have not read Caro's bio of Robert Moses and the destruction of NY, do so. Every bit as good as the LBJ bios.

While reading about LBJ, also read Roger Stone's The men who killed Kennedy: The case against LBJ. Not totally convincing but interesting throughout.

All through Ann's portal, of course.

John Henry

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Inga”, I think that things here will get much, much worse, as the trove of "documents and things" taken pursuant to the SDNY subpoena of Michael Cohen are examined.”

Yes , I think you’re right. We are beginning to see the meltdown already and no doubt it will get worse.

bleh said...

Comey is pathetic. Trump is, too, but for some reason I expect a more respectable public performance from people like Comey. That's not to say he's not a lying twit or a sanctimonious jerk, because he all that and worse.

It's just pathetic how he's been reduced to petty personal insults and tabloid speculation. This is the former Director of the FBI, a man who's promoting a book he wrote about ethical leadership, and he's shading Trump about his personal appearance and the state of his marriage.

Comey is a 12 year old girl in the 6 foot 8 body of a fiftysomething man.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Althouse; this is what I have long complained about, in relation to your comments pages having been dominated by rude, hateful, disgusting Trump fans.

It’s a joy to watch Chuck switch into victimhood mode right after (falsely, as is his won’t) criticizing others for their victimhood.

But for the record, I’m not a Trump fan - I think he’s a rotten person blessed by the fact that his critics (ranging from Comey to Clinton to our very own tedious Chuck) are infinitely worse human beings. And I think America is better off with this being revealed.

Birkel said...

People, if you're going to use foul language against Chuck make sure it involves twisting old lady's arms or discussing the denial of mentioning medical conditions of minor children.

Otherwise, you WILL be reported to Althouse.

EXAMPLE 1: I think it would be perfectly appropriate to grab Chuck' wife (shudder) by the arm and yank her any which way but loose.
EXAMPLE 2: I have never once said that Chuck's children have syphilis and anybody who says that I said Chuck's children have syphilis is wrong because I never once said Chuck's children have syphilis. So please quit saying that Chuck's children have syphilis is a thing that I said because I never said Chuck's children indeed do, beyond all medical doubt, have syphilis.

You have been warned!

Pookie Number 2 said...

*wont*

Darned spell-check.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Chuck, you are a vulgar angry little man who cannot take a joke. You remind me of Comey in terms of being a hypocritical, sanctimonious twit.

Says the most vulgar angry nutcase on the Althouse threads, oh the irony.

“Inga, you are making stuff up again. Reality is not your strong suit, as we all know.”

Blogger Francisco D said...
Chuck said: ... "What are you all serving at your Comey-watching parties?"

Narcissism dip with bullshit chips and fried Ritmo brains.

I was thinking off a side order of dried up Inga twat, but I can't really stomach that.

I don't think anyone remotely sane has for quite a while.

4/15/18, 9:17 PM

Maybe he was drunk as a skunk and had a blackout?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Chuck said...

But in truth, I really do want absolutely everybody in this under oath.

What is the this to which you refer?

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
J2 said...

Anne best post ever.

Please do Bloggingheads with Robert Wright.

buwaya said...

Nixon would have made a better President, objectively, in spite of the enormous PR campaign Kennedy's allies put on after his election. Kennedy was, much like Obama, made the center of a personality cult that had international ramifications.

The US certainly wouldn't have had the benefit of the propaganda campaign (a private one, note, in the privately-owned US MSM). That was valuable to US interests. Nixon certainly would not have gotten such coverage, such hagiographies, such an air of sophistication and culture - and Nixon was a much better educated man than Kennedy, and far more civilized, as we now know.

Its interesting how much international media coverage, and thus international public opinion, depends on the attitudes of the US MSM. Or for that matter quite a lot of international opinion about the US also.

I've always said that most anti-Americanism is made in the USA. A great number of Americans have been killed abroad because some people in the US MSM persuaded someone to do it.

Sebastian said...

@buwaya: "This concern with ones own feelings is not typical. The usual mode is externally focused, on circumstances, events, analyses, whatever it is, outside oneself."

Is it still usual? If it is, is Comey departing from the usual deliberately and schemingly, as the lying operator he also is, or naively and cluelessly, as Cat-Person Valley Girl?

PuertoRicoSpaceport.com said...

But, Birkel,

Not. One. Single. Person. Cares about what you say.

I have it on the very highest authority.

(There is at least one exception so keep posting)

John Henry

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Inga said...

Well at least he didn’t threaten to eat your brains with fava beans and Chianti

Shows what you know. Liver is eaten with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Brains pair well with asparagus and a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.

brylun said...

Here's Piers Morgan's take:

"The reality is that James Comey’s a snivelling, egotistical worm who quite possibly swung an election through disastrous misjudgment, was correctly fired for staggering incompetence, and is now cashing in on his abject failure in a manner that should make all right-minded Americans, Republican or Democrat, puke in disgust."

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Well at least he didn’t threaten to eat your brains with fava beans and Chianti.”

“Shows what you know. Liver is eaten with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Brains pair well with asparagus and a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc.”

Oh yes! Silly me.

dreams said...


“Inga”, I think that things here will get much, much worse, as the trove of "documents and things" taken pursuant to the SDNY subpoena of Michael Cohen are examined.”

"Yes , I think you’re right. We are beginning to see the meltdown already and no doubt it will get worse."

That's why they did the raid to get dirt so it could be leaked to the Washington Post to distract from the cover-up of the FBI/Justice/Clinton corruption.

walter said...

Stormy's going to be on The View..will Comey follow?
Joy: Oh. Arrrr...yer so TALLL!! Right ladies?

Hagar said...

Michael K said...
Comey was NOT an "old FBI Hand" who rose through the ranks. He never worked for the FBI prior to his 2013 appointment.

Yes and I have wondered why he was appointed. He had never been an agent. I think he might be the first Director who wasn't an agent.


That was the FBI's problem with L. Patrick Gray.

brylun said...

Piers Morgan further notes that Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein recommended Comey's firing:

"The bottom line is this: James Comey was fired for no other reason than being bad at his job.

Rod Rosenstein’s first act when he was appointed Deputy Attorney-General a year ago, was to address the ‘Comey problem’.

Rosenstein spoke to all the relevant people, and then sent President Trump a memo with his assessment and recommendation.

It said that under Comey, the FBI had suffered ‘substantial damage’ to its reputation and credibility.

It hammered him for the way he handled the reopening of the Hillary email investigation, and for ‘his refusal to accept the near universal judgment that he was mistaken.’

The memo also cited former Deputy Attorneys General Gorelick and Thompson’s damning description of Comey’s behaviour as ‘real-time, raw-take transparency taken to its illogical limit, a kind of reality TV of federal criminal investigation’ that is ‘antithetical to the interests of justice.’

It concluded: ‘The FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Having refused to admit his errors, the Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions.’

Trump read the memo, and rightly fired him."

J2 said...


During his public testimony before the intelligence hearings he repeatedly refers to his nausea or queasiness when describing decisions he made.

Jupiter said...

rcocean said...

"The Kennedy's were preparing to run LBJ out of town using Bobby Baker and get a new VP in 1964. Then came the assassination, and no one in '63 wanted to accuse a Democrat POTUS of corruption."

The assassination may well have occurred precisely because LBJ knew the Kennedys were scheming to get rid of him. This possibility adds a layer of irony to the photos of LBJ comforting the beautiful young widow. It may also explain how a man of LBJ's almost inhuman will-to-power was persuaded not to seek a second term in '68. Somebody had the goods.

rhhardin said...

Meat, sugar and spice meets puppy-dog tails.

Chuck said...

Ignorance is Bliss said...
Chuck said...

But in truth, I really do want absolutely everybody in this under oath.

What is the this to which you refer?


The firing of Comey, the possible obstruction of justice by Trump, and all related matters bearing on DoJ and FBI investigations of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Isn't that what the Hannitys and the Nuneses want? It is partly what they want.=, for sure. They want an investigation -- another IG, a special counsel -- to look into FBI improprieties. Fine! But do they want no investigation of the Trump Administration at the same time?

I am non-partisan in this. Take down Hillary, it's fine with me. McCabe, Comey, whatever. But I have zero doubt that of all them, the worst liar, fabricator and the most determined crook of all is Donald Trump.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“Take down Hillary, it's fine with me. McCabe, Comey, whatever. But I have zero doubt that of all them, the worst liar, fabricator and the most determined crook of all is Donald Trump.”

Yes. Trump makes Hillary look like Pollyanna.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Yes. Trump makes Hillary look like Pollyanna.

Disagree. He’s a more frequent liar, but far less corrupt.

Kevin said...

Trump makes Hillary look like Pollyanna.

Lying is not a crime.

To equate Trump with the rest of them because he "lies" in his Tweets would be to condemn just about everyone on Twitter.

And it really serves to undercut the actual charges against the rest of the people.

readering said...

Comey was NOT an "old FBI Hand" who rose through the ranks. He never worked for the FBI prior to his 2013 appointment.

If you look at the last 40 years, Freeh was the exception in having prior experience in the FBI. What he had in common with his immediate predecessors was being a federal judge. Since then. prosecutor/law firm backgrounds, not FBI, including incumbent Wray.

Kevin said...

It's nice how Inga and Chuck are working in tandem today.

buwaya said...

Its weird, really.

Trump has been a public official for less than fifteen months, and he is on the basis of that, allegedly "corrupt".

Clinton and her clique have been in public office or active political players since they were in college.

One would think that Clinton et. al., just on the grounds of opportunity, have had vastly greater opportunities to be corrupt.

There is a question of common sense here.

jaydub said...

"Fine! But do they want no investigation of the Trump Administration at the same time?"

For God's sake, Chuck, are you implying there has been no investigation of the Trump Administration over the past 18 months? What's like in your believe world?

readering said...

"My personal experience of FBI Directors is limited to Louis Freeh. He was Director when my daughter was in the academy and he used to come down and run 7 miles with them. He also was fired by Bill Clinton because he wanted to investigate the Khobar Towers bombing that killed a bunch of US military guys."

Clinton didn't fire Freeh. He quit under Bush. But hey, facts are boring.

Kevin said...

But in truth, I really do want absolutely everybody in this under oath.

OK, I'll play along.

For what crime? What gives the government the ability to grab someone and question them under oath?

Is this a new standard that will be applied going forward to all government employees? Are we planning to put the next president under oath at various points in time and ask whatever pops into our heads with the threat of jail time if she fails to properly respond?

Or is this just a very special thing for people you personally despise?

gilbar said...

"Louis Freeh said in his book My FBI that he felt the deepest about the Khobar Towers investigation, and it was not until his last day in office, June 21, 2001, a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia returned a 46-count indictment against 14 defendants charged with the Khobar Towers attack.[21] This was just before some of the counts would have expired due to a five-year statute of limitations. In the book, Freeh maintains that he was obstructed by the Clinton Administration for political reasons in investigating the bombing and bringing the terrorists to justice."

walter said...

Chuck takes issue with the firing of Comey..after Rosenstein's report suggested it.
"But..uh..Truuuuump!!"

Michael said...

Inga:

Quiz for you: After Trump is removed from office which of the following will be true:

a. Hillary Clinton will become President
b. There will be a do-over of the 2016 Presidential Election
c. A right wing, anti-abortion, religious zealot w/ no sympathy for the LGBTQ community will become president

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Chuck said...

The firing of Comey, the possible obstruction of justice by Trump, and all related matters bearing on DoJ and FBI investigations of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

But why investigate the firing of Comey? Trump not only has the constitutional authority to fire him, but had multiple valid reasons to do so, and nobody with any actual knowledge of the decision has ever suggested that the firing was to obstruct justice, nor for any other corrupt reason.

Why not appoint a special counsel to investigate Trump nominating Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, or signing last year's budget, or giving his State of the Union address? He has no more constitutional authority to do those things then he does to fire the head of the FBI.
Why not appoint a special counsel to investigate Trump for murder, or piracy, or littering? They would have just as much factual basis as the obstruction of justice charge.

Kevin said...

We are beginning to see the meltdown already and no doubt it will get worse.

Inga, please. Your statements in this regard have absolutely no credibility and you embarrass yourself by making them.

At best you can say something like, "I've been so wrong before, telling everyone the FBI was about to uncover a bunch of Trump's illegal activities. I've been so wrong so many times that I lack any credibility on those matters going forward. I hope this time is different. I hope in my bones I'm right. But frankly my bones are so incompetent at forecasting that I should begin to accept that if I'm feeling this way it's probably because this is yet another sucker bet for the left to keep MSNBC's ratings from falling off a cliff."

That would be honest, factual, and give you a modicum of respect from the Althouse commenters.

But no, you keep kicking that football...

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

At Drudge: THE INTERVIEW: 9.7 MILLION VIEWERS

We fortunate have in-house legal staff to watch, analyze, and fisk these events.

walter said...

Kevin,
The spirit of Harold Camping lives on.

Drago said...

Noted Racist and LLR Chuck: "I am non-partisan in this."

LOL infinity.

Martin said...

What I see here is that Trump comes from a business culture where you say what you mean and you mean what you say. In that culture you can get real business done in a brief conversation. OTOH, such frankness can be misinterpreted, both innocently and maliciously.

Comey is of a political/legalistic culture where you NEVER say what you mean, and only a fool would think you mean what you say. In that culture, it's all about carefully parsing every syllable and every nuance to create false impressions in big and little ways. And if it takes too long or is beyond you to do all that calculation on the fly in a conversation, you wind up thinking later that maybe I should have said it differently. Conversations are risky and to be avoided, better to have my lawyer call your lawyer...

gilbar said...

assuming that you were a tittie twisting piece of shit, that was being paid to pretend to be a 'Life Long Republican'; wouldn't you think that it might hurt your brand to be constantly in agreement with folks like igna?
i would think that you'd want to disagree with folks like igna, at least every now and then. I mean, they're paying you for your lies, you kinda owe it to them.

the 1st rule of lying: in order for a lie to be believable, it must be plausible.


Achilles said...

Chuck said...
“Kevin, I was speaking entirely sarcastically. Aimed at the Althouse commenters who actually think that Trump is more credible than Comey.”

Comey has admitted to leaking classified information to the press through intermediaries.

Comey and McCabe have both admitted to conspiring to leak classified information to the press.

Comey wrote Hillary’s exoneration letter months before the “investigation” was concluded.

Comey and Lynch are both calling each other liars now.

Comey hides behind curtains at dinner parties.

Comey lied about the source of the Steele Dossier.

Comey, Clinton, Obama were all involved in a conspiracy to commit treason by paying Steele, a foreign national, for information meant to undermine our republic and the lawfully elected president. The best thing for you leftists is for the perpetrators to be quietly sent to prison after a trial.

I rather hope you succeed in your coup though.

Achilles said...

Michael said...
“Inga:

Quiz for you: After Trump is removed from office which of the following will be true:

a. Hillary Clinton will become President
b. There will be a do-over of the 2016 Presidential Election
c. A right wing, anti-abortion, religious zealot w/ no sympathy for the LGBTQ community will become president.”

You forgot d.

Drago said...

It's going to be difficult for "Bowe Bergdahl republican" Chuck to choose between his Rachel Maddow blow up doll and his James Comey blow up doll.

Very difficult indeed.

I mean, Maddow is "brilliant", but Comey is super duper ethical and has a much higher loyalty to polls.

Tough call.

Given that Comey and Lynch and McCabe are already all calling each other liars, the safe choice for Chuck will be the Maddow model.

Drago said...

Michael: "Inga: Quiz for you: After Trump is removed from office which of the following will be true:"

The lefties already have that one covered.

Pence is supposed to resign as well, and then every republican who is next in line goes too.

Just as Inga and LLR Chuck imagines it should be.

Gunner said...

Is Comey claiming that Trump touched his bathing suit area?

walter said...

gilbar said...the 1st rule of lying: in order for a lie to be believable, it must be plausible.
--
Concocting the pissgate fantasy oppo research a prime example.

Comey: Well..with my keen mind..and after discussing it with my marching daughters and Hil grieving wife, uh..it could be true.

I'm Full of Soup said...

What Wendybar said in the very first comment at 6:48AM.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Just as Inga and LLR Chuck imagines it should be.

Just like the old Soviet Era military police Kafkaesque state they also envision.

One where the government can just willy nilly round up people without any charges. Interrogate you at length without any rights, lawyers or your knowledge of what you are supposed to have done. Invade their homes and offices. Threaten their children (as in Flynn) if the "perp" doesn't cooperate with unspecified charges. Put you into jail or a gulag for safekeeping. Accuse you of mental illness and stash you away in a straight jacket. Make you disappear.

Charges? We don't need no stinkin' charges!

"We know you are guilty of something Commrade....everyone is guilty of something.....just confess and tell us who else is guilty and we might go easy on you."

I for one, do not want to live in Chuck and Inga's fantasy world.

Chuck said...

Achilles said...
Michael said...
“Inga:

Quiz for you: After Trump is removed from office which of the following will be true:

a. Hillary Clinton will become President
b. There will be a do-over of the 2016 Presidential Election
c. A right wing, anti-abortion, religious zealot w/ no sympathy for the LGBTQ community will become president.”

You forgot d.


Is a right wing, anti-abortion, religious zealot w/ no sympathy for the LGBTQ community such a bad thing?

What about (d)? What's (d)? Is the Alt-right going to take up arms against... Mike Pence? I don't much think that a bunch of old white Fox-watching fatassed retirees worried about their pensions and their Schwab accounts and their Medicare providers are going to take up arms. Not without everybody laughing at them.

Amadeus 48 said...

I eagerly await James Comey’s entry into the private sector. Anyone who hires him can look forward to being advised to turn him-, her-, or itself in for any possible federal offence (think three felonies a day) and a series of self-serving CYA memos to file on every internal controversy. I once had a colleague who was having trouble finding a place in our firm because he thought the right solution to every problem was to report it to the authorities for their action.
It is amazing that he got to near the top of the Justice Department in the Bush administration. I think serving as an AUSA in the Southern District of NY shaped his views of Trump. Everyone there in those days thought everyone outside the US Attorney’s office was a crook.

Bruce Hayden said...

“The FBI Director is appointed for a ten-year term. If a President were to remove him early, without good cause, in the midst of an investigation of the President’s campaign by the FBI, the President should be investigated for obstruction of justice.”

Investigated, maybe. But as an atty, you should know that the President is essentially legally immune from prosecution for federal crimes while in office. For one thing, prosecutorial discretion is part of his plenary Article II Powers. He, or his delegates, get to decide what federal crimes get investigated, get prosecuted. If he says that what he did wasn’t Obstruction of Justice, it wasn’t. The sole remedies available against him are through the other branches - contempt by the Judiciary, and impeachment by Congress. Which is to say that his risk in law breaking is political, not legal. Maybe in a perfect world, with a perfect form of govt, some sort of higher authority could find him to have obstructed justice, and maybe remove him for such. But that is not the world we live in, or the Constitution that our country is governed under.

Chuck said...

Achilles said...
...
I rather hope you succeed in your coup though.


Achilles, I am concerned about a coup. A coup might make Trump a martyr. I want Trump's end in public life to be humiliating and irrevocable. Permanent. Including any emotional/philosophical/political legacy for him or about him.

Chuck said...

Bruce if you read carefully, you'll note that my notion was the investigation of a President, for obstruction.

I know that it could and would only go to one place, which would be resignation or impeachment. I get it.

But really, just think. Say that over this summer there is a new dossier, effectively built by the Special Counsel over many months, with irrefutable evidence of one or more felonies involving Donald Trump. Based on stuff like (just hypothesizing) recordings of Trump made by Michael Cohen.

And, the Democrats win the House. And the Senate is divided closely, say 51-49 or so.

And, the Democrats pass Articles of Impeachment out of the House.

Senate Republicans are furious at Trump, for the 2018 midterm fiasco. It would only take about 10 or 15 of them, to convict Trump and make Pence the President. And Pence goes to them, and says, yeah I think we can work together if you vote to convict in the impeachment trial. I've got about eight names on that list of Senate Republicans right now.

Birkel said...

Fopdoodle,
We wish the same for you.
You self-humiliate every time you comment.
Mission Accomplished.

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