Trump

[Stato]

I see that one argument made for pulling out of the Paris accord is that Trump claims that it is a treaty and that Obama should have had congress / senate agreement rather than signing it himself. There seems to be a pattern of Trump's policy decisions being entirely led by the urge to undo anything that Obama did: Climate change agreement, health care, loads of EPA protections, Trans Pacific Partnership, even dismantling Michelle Obama's moves to combat childhood obesity. Add in the allegations about his behaviour in hotels that are made in the Trump Russia dossier and the fact that he used to support Democrats before deciding that he should agree with Steve Bannon on everything, I'm starting to wonder whether Trump's sole motivation may be personal revenge on Obama; perhaps for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TwRmX6zs4

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Big day for Trump watchers on Thursday - sacked FBI director James Comey due to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Could be spectacular, especially as Trump is reported to be planning to provide his own live Twitter commentary to the proceedings

3pm kick-off UK time. Unmissable!

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...e-senate-intelligence-committee-a7774751.html

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Build up to tomorrow's big match...

'Fired FBI director Comey 'asked not to be left alone with Trump'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40184087

 

[Stato]

Build up to tomorrow's big match...

'Fired FBI director Comey 'asked not to be left alone with Trump'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40184087

The undercard's starting to look interesting too:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...879f14-4ace-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

 

[looney]

Fake news. Comey will have a whine and Trump will troll him some more and nothing else.

 

[knocky1]

Looks like Comey is ready to go. Can't believe I'd ever have seen a former head of the FBI in a favourable light.

 

[East Preston Gull]

Sounds as though it is more of a case of "nothing to see here"

Idiot with an ego but so far not impeachment material.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sounds as though it is more of a case of "nothing to see here"

Idiot with an ego but so far not impeachment material.

So far. Robert Mueller's wider investigation into ties between Trump's campaign team and Russian officials is still in its early stages.

 

[symyjym]

Looks like Comey is ready to go. Can't believe I'd ever have seen a former head of the FBI in a favourable light.

He’s a pen pushing slime ball

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

He’s a pen pushing slime ball

Doesn't come across like that at all in his prepared statement to the committee. Comes across as an independent public servant properly refusing to be compromised into swearing personal loyalty to Trump and taking great steps to keep everything on the record within his department in all his subsequent dealings with Trump. Wise man.

https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/os-jcomey-060817.pdf

(statement currently up on the Senate website)

 

[Stato]

Lawrence O'Donnell did an interesting piece yesterday that drew comparisons with Trump's position and that of Nixon's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXJ960JbELg

Coats' testimony today was odd, in that he refused to answer the question as to whether Trump made a similar request to him as the one that Comey has alleged in his statement. He didn't deny it, but, even with his own admission that he was unsure of his legal grounds for refusing to answer, wouldn't answer the question. However, he did say that he would answer the question in closed session. This raises the question as to whether circumstances exist that would cause him to be unable to issue a public denial of a conversation, but mean that he could deny such a conversation existed in a closed session. The questioning of NSA Director General Mike Rogers went the same way.

So Nixon resigned because impeachment charges were being prepared for obstruction of justice on the basis of a tape of him agreeing to a suggestion to ask the head of the CIA to pressure the head of the FBI to stop an investigation.

With Trump there seems the real potential for statements from the Directors of National Intelligence, the NSA, the CIA and the FBI all saying that he asked for their intervention in an ongoing investigation, and that he showed knowledge of wrong-doing by asking witnesses to leave before making the requests. This puts aside the fact that he later sacked Comey and then separately told TV that he had done so to make the Trump Russia investigation do away and the Russians that it was to relieve pressure on himself.

The only thing protecting him now are the House Republicans willing to put party before country. There is little evidence to suggest that they may do the right thing for the right reasons, but with the mid terms due next year, they could end up doing the right thing to try to protect their own sorry hides. I understand that the Republican's showing in the polls for the mid-terms were what led to the impeachment threat to Nixon.

Its starting to look like, should Trump get out of this with his job, Tricky Dicky's ghost will be calling on him to ask how he got away with it.

 

[studio150]

Looking forward to Trump's reaction, he just won't be able to keep away from Twitter.

 

[symyjym]

Doesn't come across like that at all in his prepared statement to the committee. Comes across as an independent public servant properly refusing to be compromised into swearing personal loyalty to Trump and taking great steps to keep everything on the record within his department in all his subsequent dealings with Trump. Wise man.

https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/os-jcomey-060817.pdf

(statement currently up on the Senate website)

Not too sure what the problem is wanting loyalty

At a glance I'm not too sure what that document really says about anything. What is the actual purpose, and what do people hope to happen next?

 

[deena_gold]

MSNBC - LOLS, just LOLLLLLLS!!!

Absolutely no evidence of any collusion with Russia and the investigation will end up digging up more dirt on Obama and the entire wiretrapping sh1tshow.

DO NOT believe anything MSNBC nor Clinton News Network EVER SAY they is bought media puppets who do the handywork of the establishment and represent nothing but fake news and propoganda, they are scum outlets do not degrade yourself in to watching them - even if you don't like Trump!!!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Not too sure what the problem is wanting loyalty

The problem is, as Comey says in the document, it is important that the FBI and the Department of Justice remain independent of the White House. It's clear from the document that Comey's loyalty would be expected to take the form of dropping investigations into possible Russian links, issuing statements that Trump was not under investigation etc. etc.

 

[Stato]

Not too sure what the problem is wanting loyalty

It seems that neither did Trump. In British terms, a prime minister can ask for loyalty from political appointments, he cannot ask for loyalty from civil servants or law enforcement officers. Their loyalty is to the crown. Trump doesn't seem to have understood that there is a big distinction between loyalty to office and loyalty to the present incumbent. Raising the matter in a discussion about whether the FBI director wants to stay in his job, can be seen as an inferred threat to someone who is supposed to be in job for a 10 year fixed term set apart from party politics.

 

[symyjym]

The problem is, as Comey says in the document, it is important that the FBI and the Department of Justice remain independent of the White House.

Can you imagine the KGB saying that to Putin?

 

[AZ Gull]

Not too sure what the problem is wanting loyalty

The FBI Director takes an oath to uphold the laws of the United States; the FBI were (are) investigating Russian meddling in the US election and possible collusion from the Trump campaign. As such, Trump was a potential target of their investigation. Comey's duty was to carry out a thorough investigation, not give an oath of loyalty to Trump.

At a glance I'm not too sure what that document really says about anything. What is the actual purpose, and what do people hope to happen next?

The Senate Intelligence Committee have asked Comey to provide testimony as part of their hearings into the Russia meddling. That document is Comey's opening statement that he will read tomorrow (Thursday) when he appears before the committee.

 

[deena_gold]

also.....Comey will only testify to the open senate he won't testify to a closed door comity - it means he can just pass off awkward questions by saying 'that's classified I cannot make any comment, they are trying to wangle it so it incriminates Trump whilst at the same time gets Obama off the hook - which will result in a great big nothing burger. It's really dirty stuff and MSNBC and CNN going after Trumps grandkids and even the unborn baby of his son.... I mean if you have any self-respect or intelligence, you can make cases against Trump but you do not have to stoop to those levels. I wonder what the stir would have been with a picture of an Obama severed head being held aloft on those propaganda outlets? They would have been calling for the feds and a prosecution case for incitement - it sets new levels on double standards and they should lose their licenses to broadcast 'news'. It's sickening what's going on there.

 

[Stato]

MSNBC - LOLS, just LOLLLLLLS!!!

Absolutely no evidence of any collusion with Russia and the investigation will end up digging up more dirt on Obama and the entire wiretrapping sh1tshow.

DO NOT believe anything MSNBC nor Clinton News Network EVER SAY they is bought media puppets who do the handywork of the establishment and represent nothing but fake news and propoganda, they are scum outlets do not degrade yourself in to watching them - even if you don't like Trump!!!

If what is more important to you is the source of the truth rather than the truth itself, have it from Fox News instead: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017...n-another-example-its-cover-up-not-crime.html

It will matter not whether any collusion is found. Nixon's downfall was not the discovery of a burglary, but the attempt to thwart investigation into a burglary.