- May 9th Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey who was investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Basically doing that caused people in the US, especially people in elected office, to freak out and go to DEFCON 3. OMG (Oh My GOD), Holy Crap, even Nixon never fired an FBI Director but he did fire Archibald Cox, a special prosecutor appointed by the Attorney General to investigate the Watergate scandal. Then the comparison was made between Trump’s firing of Comey and Nixon’s firing of Cox which was called the Saturday Night Massacre because on the night of Saturday, October 20, 1973 Nixon ordered Cox’s firing. However, Nixon’s Attorney General, Elliot Richardson, refused and resigned and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, who then became acting Attorney General, refused and resigned. That left Robert Bork, the Solicitor General, as the highest-ranking official in the Justice Department. Bork apparently wanted to keep his job and finally carried out Nixon’s order and fired Cox. Trump claimed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was supposed to be recused from all of this, and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein recommended that Comey be fired. So Trump asked them to write a letter explaining. Then Rosenstein threatened to resign after the narrative emerged from the White House on Tuesday evening casting Rosenstein as a prime mover of the decision to fire Comey and that Trump acted only on his recommendation. That’s where Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre comparison comes in and some are even calling Trump’s version the Tuesday Night Massacre but Rosenstein has not resigned, yet. Then Trump contradicted that lie and claimed that he decided alone to fire Comey regardless of any recommendations. Pick a lie and stick to it. Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre was the beginning of the end for Nixon and firing Comey may be the beginning of the end for Trump.
Comey had requested more resources for the Russia investigation shortly before he was fired. And Comey’s firing came just as he was stepping up his investigation, Comey had recently began getting daily reports instead of weekly reports. Then it came out on May 16th in the New York Times that Trump asked Comey, on February 14th, to end the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, the day after Flynn resigned. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump told Comey. Comey did not say anything to Trump about curtailing the investigation. But Comey wrote a memo about nearly every interaction with Trump. Comey’s notes, written immediately after the meeting with Trump, were part of a detailed paper trail the FBI director had built documenting Trump’s improper efforts to influence a continuing investigation which Comey then shared with senior FBI officials. Comey had created similar memos in the past and was known by his closest advisors to have the habit to document conversations that he believed would later be called into question. But they decided to keep the details of the memo secret so the Russia investigation would not be affected.
And, as if that was not bad enough, the nation’s top intelligence official, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, told associates in March that Trump asked him if he could intervene with then-FBI Director James B. Comey to get the bureau to back off its focus on former national security adviser Michael Flynn in its Russia probe, according to officials. And Trump asked Daniel Coats as well as another nation’s top intelligence official in March to help him push back against the FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government. Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Admiral Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election. Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the requests, which they both deemed to be inappropriate.
Trump sought the assistance of Coats and Rogers after FBI Director James B. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee on March 20th that the FBI was investigating “the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.” Trump’s conversation with Rogers was documented contemporaneously in an internal memo written by a senior NSA official, according to the officials. It is unclear if a similar memo was prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to document Trump’s conversation with Coats. Officials said such memos could be made available to both the special counsel now overseeing the Russia investigation and congressional investigators, who might explore whether Trump sought to impede the FBI’s work. A spokesman for CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who was present and was a witness during Trump’s meeting with Daniel Coats, declined to comment on the closed-door discussions. Basically Trump asked any and everybody high enough in government that he thought might be able to get it done to stop the Russia investigations. Was there anybody that he didn’t ask?
Trump’s original excuse for firing Comey was Comey’s behavior with Clinton’s emails during the campaign, it was all about Hillary Clinton’s emails, that Comey had mishandled the probe into Clinton’s private email server. Really? Who does Trump think is going to believe that, especially since Trump has long maintained Comey was right to release the letter about Clinton’s emails. That is an insult to one’s intelligence. At the time I thought Mr. Obama should fire Comey over the Clinton email issue because Comey was in front of microphones talking about it when he should not have been and then there was the letter about reopening the case when there should not have been because he found nothing and that was just days before the election. Yes, I felt then that Comey should have been fired. But for Trump to fire Comey now in the middle of investigating Trump’s campaign connections with Russia, no, that is nothing more than an attempt at a coverup. Firing Comey was all about the Russian connections investigations, Comey was getting too close and working too hard on the investigation for Trump’s liking. Then in an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, on May 11th 2017, Trump just came out and admitted that he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation.
Trump claimed that Comey told him 3 times, including once during a dinner meeting that Comey requested, that he was not under investigation. But if Comey did tell Trump that he’s not under investigation, that would have been a startling breach of protocol. I, for one, did not believe that Comey told Trump that, not for one minute. As a matter of fact it was reported by the New York Times on May 18th that Trump called Comey and asked him when federal authorities were going to put out word that Trump was not personally under investigation. Comey told Trump that if he wanted to know details about the bureau’s investigations, he should not contact him directly but instead follow the proper procedures and have the White House counsel send any inquiries to the Justice Department. Then FBI officials leaked that Trump lied (again), 1st, Trump requested the January 27th dinner meeting with Comey not the other way around. The dinner meeting came a day after the White House learned that Flynn had been interviewed by FBI agents about his phone calls with the Russians and Sally Yates (see above) warned the White House that Flynn could be subject to blackmail by the Russians on January 26th. And that, 2nd, Comey did not tell Trump that he was not under investigation. And that Trump demanded a loyalty pledge from Comey but did not get it. After Trump fired Comey Trump threatened Comey in a tweet that said “James Comey better hope that there are no “tapes” of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!”. Trump knows that recordings would prove that Trump is lying. And I, for one, hope that there are recordings. Then June 22nd 2017 the Washington Post reported that Trump said that he does not have “tapes” of his private conversations with then-FBI Director James B. Comey, finally ending a mystery of his own creation that began when he suggested that he had privately recorded their talks.
On The Rachel Maddow Show Michael Beschloss, NBC News presidential historian, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump’s habit of making empty threats about tape recordings, and famous actual presidential tapes.
On The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell Donald Trump has finally admitted that he does not have recordings of his conversations but hints at conspiracy theories. Lawrence O’Donnell says he only tweeted the initial claim that put him in this messy position because Trump can’t keep himself from lying.
Comey was invited to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee at a closed-door hearing on May 16th but Comey declined the invitation to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed meeting for scheduling reasons, said a spokesman for Democratic Senator Mark Warner. However, Comey will soon speak privately with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, an official familiar with the matter told Reuters that Comey had agreed, in principle, to testify behind closed doors. And if for some reason Comey changes his mind and decides not to testify behind closed doors, perhaps because he might want to testify in open session, then the Senate Intelligence Committee may issue a subpoena to compel Comey’s attendance to testify. But either way we may learn the whole truth in time. Then it was announced that the Former FBI director James Comey will testify in an open hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee at some point after Memorial Day, the committee announced May 19th. May 31st 2017 it was announced that Fired FBI Director James Comey is expected to testify in public before the Senate Intelligence Committee June 8th 2017 after having been “cleared for takeoff” by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a source close to Comey told NBC News. I, for one, can not wait. However, Trump is considering whether to invoke executive privilege, which Trump could try to do to block Comey from testifying. And if Trump does try to do that then the Congress and/or the Senate needs to just go ahead and impeach Trump now, why wait. But Comey has indicated that he wants to testify and Comey is now a private citizen, so he doesn’t have to fear retaliation for defying Trump. And Comey has an incentive to push back against the White House portrayal of him as unfit for office. June 5th 2017, Trump will not invoke executive privilege to block former FBI Director James Comey’s much-anticipated testimony before Congress.
On June 7th 2017 former FBI Director James Comey submitted his prepared remarks to the Senate one day in advance of his appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Senate published the prepared statement on its website. Comey will read his statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee but Buzzfeed points out 18 revelations from Comey’s Senate testimony about Trump and Russia. And you can read Comey’s prepared statement here.
Here are several segments of the Rachel Maddow Show from 6/7/2017: Here Rachel Maddow shows how top Trump intelligence officials refused to answer questions about Donald Trump trying to stop the Mike Flynn investigation, even though they had no legal justification for refusing to answer.
Okay, here it is, FBI Director James Comey testifies in the House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 US election. This is the full transcript published in the Washington Post, if you just want to read it. This is the full transcript and video published in the New York Times, if you want to flip between reading and watching it (the hearing is not called to order until 30:31 into the video). This is James Comey’s full testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on NBC, if you just want to watch it.
Here are several reactions to and segments of shows about Comey’s June 8th 2017 testimony in the House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
From All In with Chris Hayes: After watching James Comey testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) says there’s a clear case that the president committed obstruction of justice.
From The Rachel Maddow Show: Rachel Maddow looks at how former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony in the Senate raised questions about A.G. Jeff Sessions, and created a serious obstruction of justice evidence problem for Donald Trump.
From The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell: Donald Trump just lived through the darkest day he’s experienced in the White House as former FBI Director James Comey called him and his spokespeople liars. Lawrence O’Donnell explains how Comey’s rationale for keeping memos is because of Trump’s history of lying.
Trump also claimed that FBI employees had lost faith in Comey as an additional reason for firing Comey. But testifying before a Senate Intelligence Committee May 11th Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said no, “I hold Director Comey in the absolute highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity.” He said Comey enjoyed “broad support within the FBI and still does to this day.” He added, “The majority, the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey.” Trump was going to visit FBI headquarters but after learning that he would not be greeted warmly there Trump changed his mind.
On The Rachel Maddow Show Rachel Maddow reports on how a letter from two Senate Judiciary Republicans to the FBI appears to be trying to set up a case to discredit the Trump Russia investigation, a familiar political tactic by those feeling the head of an investigation.
Grassley, Graham letter requesting FISA applications (pdf).
- July 24th 2017 as reported in The Washington Post: Donald Trump’s pick to run the FBI represented New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for nearly a year before a mandatory retainer agreement was signed, according to records obtained by a New York City radio station. Christopher Wray began representing Christie in September 2014 during the George Washington Bridge lane-closing investigation, but a formal agreement wasn’t approved until August 2015, WNYC reported Monday.
A spokesman for the state attorney general’s office said it had no comment. Wray didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking comment. Wray’s firm, Atlanta-based King & Spalding, has been paid $2.1 million since Christie hired him in 2014. Three former Christie aides were convicted or pleaded guilty in the case, in which lanes on the world’s busiest bridge were closed to retaliate against a Democratic mayor who wouldn’t endorse Christie. The governor himself was not charged.
Several lawyers who work with state government told the radio station the extended delay — which came while Christie was preparing for and then launching his failed presidential campaign — was unusual. “Eleven months is a little on the long side — and in the very least, it’s kind of sloppy,” Jim Eisenhower, a Philadelphia attorney and former federal prosecutor told WNYC. He said some lag time is expected because of government bureaucracy, but he had never heard of such a long period of time in his 30 years of practicing law. American Bar Association and New Jersey court rules say terms of attorney retention should be communicated in writing “before or within a reasonable time after commencing the representation.” Wray is awaiting confirmation from the full US Senate after his nomination was approved Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
On The Rachel Maddow Show Matt Katz, reporter for WNYC, talks with Rachel Maddow about the sketchy employment by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie of Donald Trump’s pick to replace James Comey as director of the FBI, Chris Wray.
