Why Comey was fired.

[jc456]

Since most trumpfluffers don't venture to the thread where their idiocies get chewed up and spit out, I thought I'd share this here--

From Wobbly-

Given the magnitude of trump’s current Comey ineptitude, it is easy to forget some of the specifics of his five months of neon incompetence. Fortunately, I am here to take care of that problem. The most difficult aspect of my mission has been trying to edit it down to two volumes. To that end, I went with a reminder list of trumpiness, rather than dwell on the specifics and pain of each example of things trumped up.

1.) It all began with trump having his justifiably fragile ego damaged by the losing the popular vote. His twitter tantrums that have so demeaned the office of the presidency began with a completely unsubstantiated and then thoroughly discredited insistence he would have won the popular vote were it not for bus loads of illegal Mexicans hired by sneaky Dems. Things only got worse, much worse, when trump was confronted with the reality of his Inauguration crowds. Bitch hasn’t stopped sulking yet.

2.) trump’s first governing incompetence came in the form of insulting our close allies Mexico and Australia. trump would follow this up with petulant snubbing of Angela Merkel. It’s okay, though. trump maintained close relations between his lips and Putin’s ass.

3. We also got almost immediately manifestations of trump’s greasy conflicts of interest. Do you remember when the septuagenarian brat declared war on Nordstrom’s for dissing his daughter – not Tiffany, the one he has the hots for. Weekly examples of this kind of clumsy corruption continued through to the Kushner’s using presidential connections to raise money selling visas.

4. One of trump’s first examples of openly expressed disdain for the rubes he suckered was when the trump who mocked Obama’s golf trips began raiding the US Treasury for millions to pay for the golfing extravaganzas he would try to hide. trump has averaged more than one golfing expedition per week since taking office. In his defense, trump needs to recuperate from getting damn little done. We won’t get into how much the taxpayers have had to pay to keep the soft-core porn model from having to service her lardo hubby.

5.) I’m sure we all remember the spectacular failure of trump’s bumbling attempt to “repeal and replace Obamacare.” “Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.” It’s alright now, though. trump managed to get a bill past the Freedumb Caucus that now has Regressive Congresscritters cowering in their bunkers to avoid their constituents. Some might argue that creating a health bill that is opposed by the largest doctor, hospital, and insurance organizations is an accomplishment of some magnitude. Okay, I’ll give trump that one.

6.) How about that Muslim ban, eh? You remember the one that Spicer insisted wasn’t a travel ban in spite of the White House web page saying it was? trump managed to get that appeal to cowardly bigots shot down unanimously in the court, before he withdrew the idiocy, after blustering he would fight forever to keep it. His next effort to ban Muslims is currently stopped by the courts. Turns out that pandering to Deplorables with promises to milk their scapegoats makes it difficult to deny your bigotry later. Who knew?

7.) OBAMA BUGGED TRUMP IN HIS TOWER declared a narcissistic psychopath to the disgust and/or amusement of all but his most devout groupies. Wacko still insists it’s true, recently running away from a reporter and pretending to read something after being asked about his idiocy.

8.) Does the name Devin Nunes ring a bell? It is a mark of the quantity and volume of trump’s artless sleaziness that it took me, and I bet others, a moment to recall what that scandal was all about. It was, of course, the Keystone Kops episode where the chairman of the House Committee investigating trump went to the White House to get information he then had to tell trump but not members of his committee about how trump’s Obama-bugged-me dumbassery had been vindicated by what White House staffers told him to tell trump that turned out to be nothing at all. And people think trump might try to influence investigations of him. Cynics.

Okay, that’s Part 1. You might have noticed I have written about 750 words, and I haven’t even said much about colluding with Russia to corrupt our presidential election. That was kind of the point of this little essay. trump has been so incredibly amateurish, so frequently and spectacularly inept and corrupt and ineptly corrupt, that even buffoonery from just a few months ago tends to fade into the distant past. THAT is trump’s greatest accomplishment. Part II tomorrow.

Read more at Ricky Tavy, Mean Liberal

 

[Ray9]

Apparently it's a thread where people don't actually read words they just look at pictures.

 

[Divine Wind]

Apparently it's a thread where people don't actually read words they just look at pictures.

Highly partisan people, regardless of polarity, aren't big on having their opinions changed. Ergo, no, they don't read anything in which they are inclined to disagree.

 

[Dragonlady]

Once again Trump stupidly does the right thing at the wrong time. He should have fired Comey on the first day seeing as he gave Clinton a pass and used a bogus excuse about intent. Waiting like he did he gave the conspiracy nuts in the media more to go crazy about . more wasted time

Sent from my TM800A620M using Tapatalk

The Clinton email investigation was a political act in the first place: she was investigated for doing the EXACT same thing as the two previous Secretaries of State were doing, and what the current administration is doing: doing government business on private servers.

There is no evidence of any of the allegations of improper behaviour on the part of Clinton. Any contention that she was involved in ANY illegal or improper behaviour on her part falls apart for lack of evidence or witnesses - unlike the Russia investigation which has an abundance of both and which your President is trying to prevent the American people from seeing or hearing.

Hillary Clinton sat in Congress and answered each and every question put to her in a calm and rational manner.

Instead of offering proof of his accusations or evidence of voter fraud, Hillary's wrong doing in the uranium deal or Obama's administration wire tapping, Trump, who lied his way into the White House says "believe me".

You couldn't elect Clinton because she was a "liar and a crook", so you elected a treasonous liar and crook instead.

He's smiling and happy among the Russians. And miserable with May, Merkle, Trudeau, and the leaders of Mexico, Australia, and other allies and friends. He openly supported Le Pen in the French election. I can't imagine that will enhance relations with Macron, France, or the EU.

 

[Ray9]

The Clinton email investigation was a political act in the first place: she was investigated for doing the EXACT same thing as the two previous Secretaries of State were doing, and what the current administration is doing: doing government business on private servers.

They all had secret illegal servers in their bathrooms? Link please.

 

[Divine Wind]

The Clinton email investigation was a political act in the first place: she was investigated for doing the EXACT same thing as the two previous Secretaries of State were doing, and what the current administration is doing: doing government business on private servers.

There is no evidence of any of the allegations of improper behaviour on the part of Clinton. Any contention that she was involved in ANY illegal or improper behaviour on her part falls apart for lack of evidence or witnesses - unlike the Russia investigation which has an abundance of both and which your President is trying to prevent the American people from seeing or hearing.

Hillary Clinton sat in Congress and answered each and every question put to her in a calm and rational manner.

Instead of offering proof of his accusations or evidence of voter fraud, Hillary's wrong doing in the uranium deal or Obama's administration wire tapping, Trump, who lied his way into the White House says "believe me".

You couldn't elect Clinton because she was a "liar and a crook", so you elected a treasonous liar and crook instead.

He's smiling and happy among the Russians. And miserable with May, Merkle, Trudeau, and the leaders of Mexico, Australia, and other allies and friends. He openly supported Le Pen in the French election. I can't imagine that will enhance relations with Macron, France, or the EU.

Disagree since you are giving a false equivalency by completely ignoring levels of degree. Using private email isn't a problem. Using private email to conduct some government business may not be a problem. Passing classified information via unauthorized means and deliberately seeking to illegally bypass security protocols is a problem. Exclusively using a private, unsecure email system is a problem for most government workers, but especially cabinet members since they are a prime target for hacking. Destroying evidence such as deleting emails is a crime, a crime that then-Senator Clinton helped legislate. Lying to investigators is a crime called "obstruction of justice".

 

[Never3ndr]

Before we are all exposed to the lunatic-fringe media accusation that Donald Trump slashed his way to the White House with a hammer in one hand and a sickle in the other, those of us still in possession of our observational faculties may want to examine why FBI director, James Comey was let go- indecisively straddling the fence.


Comey’s actions regarding Hillary Clinton were like the proverbial timid manager in a large manufacturing plant that had just caught a well-liked higher-up stealing from the till red handed. He seemed unrealistically preoccupied with the ramifications of calling to account such a powerful figure. Comey embarrassed the FBI because he was intimidated by Clinton’s standing in the Democratic Party and her overwhelming support as the successor to Barack Obama.


Telling the people the emperor has no clothes takes the kind of courage we expect from the leadership of the FBI because it requires bravery, fidelity and integrity; the kind of bravery, fidelity and integrity we see in the rank and file of the bureau that charges into dark allies after bad guys under a hail of bullets. Comey’s bizarre behavior and outlandishly ambiguous statements about Clinton’s national security violations did more damage to the reputation of the bureau than anything in recent memory because he essentially downplayed willful treason.


Clinton’s self-important and insular arrogance led her to commit espionage against her country and the very people she claims to stand for. Clinton has been in high positions in government for many years and was acutely aware of security protocol-she just ignored it. Comey’s equivocating excuses and blatantly mitigating alibis for her treachery made the bureau look like a sycophantic press agent for a moneyed celebrity caught driving and drinking.


The truly wicked in our society will never face justice once they attain high rank under this kind of FBI but Comey was playing the odds because it looked like she would win. Unfortunately for Comey the game he was playing turned out to be Russian roulette because the skewed polls were wrong. Near the end Comey seemed to see it coming with Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner but his bet was already on the table and the pit boss (public) froze the chips. Comey needs to go sell shoes somewhere so the bureau can begin the process of rebuilding its brand.

I like how this guy blanket assumes that Comey acted in a manner he doesn't approve when he doesn't have access to the same information regarding Clinton that THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI with TS clearances does. If this isn't some self-fulfilled fantasy I'm not sure what else is. This guy literally starts with his own assumptions and bias...and then assumes everybody should act in a manner that supports his fantastical world-view. That is the definition of tyranny.

If Trump had an issue with Comey he would have replaced him like he has replaced everybody else when he stepped into office. The timing of his decision suggests that something else was at play. As in there was new information (not old, like the Clinton handling) that led to his firing. Might have something to do with an ongoing investigation...or maybe the fact that he didn't pledge loyalty that Trump demanded (like any dictator does).

 

[Ray9]

Before we are all exposed to the lunatic-fringe media accusation that Donald Trump slashed his way to the White House with a hammer in one hand and a sickle in the other, those of us still in possession of our observational faculties may want to examine why FBI director, James Comey was let go- indecisively straddling the fence.


Comey’s actions regarding Hillary Clinton were like the proverbial timid manager in a large manufacturing plant that had just caught a well-liked higher-up stealing from the till red handed. He seemed unrealistically preoccupied with the ramifications of calling to account such a powerful figure. Comey embarrassed the FBI because he was intimidated by Clinton’s standing in the Democratic Party and her overwhelming support as the successor to Barack Obama.


Telling the people the emperor has no clothes takes the kind of courage we expect from the leadership of the FBI because it requires bravery, fidelity and integrity; the kind of bravery, fidelity and integrity we see in the rank and file of the bureau that charges into dark allies after bad guys under a hail of bullets. Comey’s bizarre behavior and outlandishly ambiguous statements about Clinton’s national security violations did more damage to the reputation of the bureau than anything in recent memory because he essentially downplayed willful treason.


Clinton’s self-important and insular arrogance led her to commit espionage against her country and the very people she claims to stand for. Clinton has been in high positions in government for many years and was acutely aware of security protocol-she just ignored it. Comey’s equivocating excuses and blatantly mitigating alibis for her treachery made the bureau look like a sycophantic press agent for a moneyed celebrity caught driving and drinking.


The truly wicked in our society will never face justice once they attain high rank under this kind of FBI but Comey was playing the odds because it looked like she would win. Unfortunately for Comey the game he was playing turned out to be Russian roulette because the skewed polls were wrong. Near the end Comey seemed to see it coming with Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner but his bet was already on the table and the pit boss (public) froze the chips. Comey needs to go sell shoes somewhere so the bureau can begin the process of rebuilding its brand.

I like how this guy blanket assumes that Comey acted in a manner he doesn't approve when he doesn't have access to the same information regarding Clinton that THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI with TS clearances does. If this isn't some self-fulfilled fantasy I'm not sure what else is. This guy literally starts with his own assumptions and bias...and then assumes everybody should act in a manner that supports his fantastical world-view. That is the definition of tyranny.

If Trump had an issue with Comey he would have replaced him like he has replaced everybody else when he stepped into office. The timing of his decision suggests that something else was at play. As in there was new information (not old, like the Clinton handling) that led to his firing. Might have something to do with an ongoing investigation...or maybe the fact that he didn't pledge loyalty that Trump demanded (like any dictator does).

It's not really about me but let me say this. I'm 70 years old and I have lived through several administrations from Truman through Obama. All of those administrations, even Reagan's, were part and parcel of the political establishment of the US. Donald Trump's is unique in ways few comprehend. Trump rose to prominence like a avalanche rolling over the political establishment including the party he chose to represent. He enjoys the support of his troops because unlike most generals who sit and watch the battle from a distance, he grabs a sword and leads the charge against the real enemies of the people-the media, the government and the deep state bureaucracies that smother our freedoms. Comey's FBI leadership ran counter to the historical underpinnings of bureau which is to be apolitical and by apolitical I mean giving no consideration to some greater good by not properly investigating a powerful representative of the political establishment. People have lost sight of what real tyranny is.

 

[Divine Wind]

Before we are all exposed to the lunatic-fringe media accusation that Donald Trump slashed his way to the White House with a hammer in one hand and a sickle in the other, those of us still in possession of our observational faculties may want to examine why FBI director, James Comey was let go- indecisively straddling the fence.


Comey’s actions regarding Hillary Clinton were like the proverbial timid manager in a large manufacturing plant that had just caught a well-liked higher-up stealing from the till red handed. He seemed unrealistically preoccupied with the ramifications of calling to account such a powerful figure. Comey embarrassed the FBI because he was intimidated by Clinton’s standing in the Democratic Party and her overwhelming support as the successor to Barack Obama.


Telling the people the emperor has no clothes takes the kind of courage we expect from the leadership of the FBI because it requires bravery, fidelity and integrity; the kind of bravery, fidelity and integrity we see in the rank and file of the bureau that charges into dark allies after bad guys under a hail of bullets. Comey’s bizarre behavior and outlandishly ambiguous statements about Clinton’s national security violations did more damage to the reputation of the bureau than anything in recent memory because he essentially downplayed willful treason.


Clinton’s self-important and insular arrogance led her to commit espionage against her country and the very people she claims to stand for. Clinton has been in high positions in government for many years and was acutely aware of security protocol-she just ignored it. Comey’s equivocating excuses and blatantly mitigating alibis for her treachery made the bureau look like a sycophantic press agent for a moneyed celebrity caught driving and drinking.


The truly wicked in our society will never face justice once they attain high rank under this kind of FBI but Comey was playing the odds because it looked like she would win. Unfortunately for Comey the game he was playing turned out to be Russian roulette because the skewed polls were wrong. Near the end Comey seemed to see it coming with Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner but his bet was already on the table and the pit boss (public) froze the chips. Comey needs to go sell shoes somewhere so the bureau can begin the process of rebuilding its brand.

I like how this guy blanket assumes that Comey acted in a manner he doesn't approve when he doesn't have access to the same information regarding Clinton that THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI with TS clearances does. If this isn't some self-fulfilled fantasy I'm not sure what else is. This guy literally starts with his own assumptions and bias...and then assumes everybody should act in a manner that supports his fantastical world-view. That is the definition of tyranny.

If Trump had an issue with Comey he would have replaced him like he has replaced everybody else when he stepped into office. The timing of his decision suggests that something else was at play. As in there was new information (not old, like the Clinton handling) that led to his firing. Might have something to do with an ongoing investigation...or maybe the fact that he didn't pledge loyalty that Trump demanded (like any dictator does).

It's not really about me but let me say this. I'm 70 years old and I have lived through several administrations from Truman through Obama. All of those administrations, even Reagan's, were part and parcel of the political establishment of the US. Donald Trump's is unique in ways few comprehend. Trump rose to prominence like a avalanche rolling over the political establishment including the party he chose to represent. He enjoys the support of his troops because unlike most generals who sit and watch the battle from a distance, he grabs a sword and leads the charge against the real enemies of the people-the media, the government and the deep state bureaucracies that smother our freedoms. Comey's FBI leadership ran counter to the historical underpinnings of bureau which is to be apolitical and by apolitical I mean giving no consideration to some greater good by not properly investigating a powerful representative of the political establishment. People have lost sight of what real tyranny is.

Disagreed on your assessment of Comey. It's a different world post-Watergate and many other political scandals. As Comey himself explained, he was caught between revealing what the FBI found and keeping it under wraps to avoid being perceived as "political".

People blame him for not charging Hillary, but it's the FBI's job to investigate and the AG's office to file charges. Now that Comey is out of office, he is free to reveal what was really happening behind the scenes such what he told the AG and what the AG chose to do about it. This goes for both Lynch and Sessions.

 

[X.Onasis]

The buffoon, like Chance the gardener, has no idea what he's doing. He has no knowledge of how the government works, the Constitution, of history, or even how to formulate a complete sentence to impart a coherent thought. He has no plan except to try and look good today.
He's managed to get where he is through smarminess, bluffing, intimidation, theft, and the power of leveraging other people's money. He managed to get elected by taking advantage of the selfishness, hate and ignorance of a minority of the US population.
The pile of constant fabrications and "alternate facts" belie a fool with much to hide and his willingness to hurt others to protect his fragile ego will be his undoing.

 

[Divine Wind]

This story just keeps getting better!

Trump threatens Comey in Twitter outburst - CNNPolitics.com

Donald J. Trump on Twitter
James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

 

[shimon]

Seriously "Comey" was fired in the immortal words of Archie Bunker because He was a " Comey" ..lol....I find it interesting all the allegations thrown Trumps way on a constant basis but one must wonder if the reason they are so after him is because he has dirt on them that they don't want exposed and they are trying to misdirect the public by flinging as much mud at Trump they can in order to take the heat off themselves...By themselves I mean the previous establishment before Trump.. Comey is just one of the good old boys who was paid a lot of money by certain groups to keep the gravy train going..He certainly is not the first nor the last and if he was fired for a justified reason it will eventually come out one way or another...This Russia accusation is just a smokescreen to what the true picture really is....

 

[X.Onasis]

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Can you imagine what could be going through his pinhead when he posted this? What the fuck makes him think people are as stupid as he?
Comey hadn't started "leaking" anything yet he's sure it's the opposite of what he asserted?

Gee, how would he know that?

And pay no mind to the transference projection that would cause him to consider the tape possibility to begin with, okay?

What an idiot.

 

[Divine Wind]

Trump blames others for his problems, but his biggest enemy is his own mouth and twitter feed.

Aides think Trump, trying to fix the Comey media mess, made things worse with his NBC interview
The mood inside the White House is glum, with President Trump fuming over how the media is covering the firing of FBI Director James Comey and aides doing their best not to cross his path, several officials told Politico.

Several staffers thought it was a bad idea for him to schedule an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt, which aired Thursday — he ended up contradicting the White House's version of events regarding Comey's firing, saying he was going to fire him regardless of recommendations by the attorney general and deputy attorney general — but a person close to Trump said he was "fixated" on the news, thought the communications team wasn't doing its job, and he had to "take the situation into his own hands." He isn't alone in this thinking; son-in-law Jared Kushner also disapproves of how the press office is doing business, a person close to Trump told Politico, but other aides argue that the team wasn't given any direction or a game plan when Comey's firing was announced.

An outside adviser says that surrogates are not lining up to appear on television shows because Trump keeps making contradictory statements and they don't want to be publicly humiliated, and many aides agree that Trump's interview with Holt just made the Comey situation worse. In two of the funnier pieces of the puzzle, several aides immediately leaked to Politico that during a staff meeting on Thursday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the deputy press secretary, lectured them about leaking to the media, saying it was bad for Trump, while White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is more bothered with The Washington Post reporting that he was hiding in some bushes than the coverage Trump is receiving. The Post corrected their report to say he was "among" bushes rather than "in" them, but that didn't stop Spicer from telling Politico Thursday night that the paper "falsely described the situation" and "grossly misstated the situation around our attempt to brief the press."

 

[Divine Wind]

President Trump may have torpedoed his own administration by firing Comey. Instead of accolades from Republicans and Democrats alike on doing it, he's seen as being as crooked as Nixon (or Hillary!). Now, with the tweet threat against Comey this morning, Democrats are asking for the tapes. Democrat resolved to stonewall any Republican legislation is almost a certainty at this point.

Democrats demand Trump release the alleged Comey tapes — or admit he made them up
Nobody has any idea what President Trump meant when he tweeted that former FBI Director James Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press," but if such tapes do actually exist, the Democrats want to see them.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the president "should immediately provide any such recordings to Congress or admit, once again, to have made a deliberately misleading — and in this case threatening — statement."

The top Democrats on the Judiciary and Oversight committees, John Conyers Jr. (Mich.) and Elijah Cummings (Md.), also issued a letter requesting "all documents, memoranda, analysis, emails, and other communications relating to the president's decision to dismiss Director Comey." Conyers and Cummings additionally pointed out that it is a crime to intimidate or threaten potential witnesses.

Private citizens are trying their own ways to get their hands on any information about the alleged tapes:

View image on Twitter

Follow
David Hains

✔@DavidHains
Just filed my first FOI with the White House.

1:25 PM - 12 May 2017

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused to deny that Trump has recorded conversations in the Oval Office. Jeva Lange

=================================================

President Trump torched his legislative agenda by firing Comey
Despite the fact that Republicans control all three branches of government, President Trump has managed to score no major legislative victories in his first 100 days in office. And the firing of FBI Director James Comey may well ensure that he won't do so in the rest of his term either.

It may seem mystifying but Trump, by all accounts, simply didn't anticipate that booting the man who was investigating his ties with Russia would engender such blowback. He figured that because Comey had endeared himself neither to Republicans (who are upset that he didn't indict Hillary Clinon for using an unsecured email server for classified communication) nor Democrats (who are upset because he reopened the email investigation weeks before the election), Republicans would pat Trump on the back and Democrats would rejoice.

To say that this was a miscalculation of epic proportions is an understatement.

The FBI directorship was made a 10-year position in 1976 precisely because it is charged with checking malfeasance by public officials and therefore needs to be shielded from political influence. And although the president has the constitutional authority to sack the director, he is supposed to do so only in the rarest of circumstances — not because, as Trump put it, he "wasn't doing a good job." In the last 25 years, an FBI director has been booted precisely once when President Bill Clinton ousted Williams Sessions in 1993 for using bureau funds for personal expenses.

Trump's move, which many Democrats have convinced themselves is a Watergate-style cover-up, will only strengthen their resistance, making Republicans more impotent in the remaining three months or so days that Congress is in session than they have been in the past 100-plus days.

Thanks to President Obama's sky-high approval ratings when he entered the Oval Office, by this time in his term, he had ramrodded through Congress an $800 billion stimulus package, an expansion for federal funding for CHIP (a children's health insurance program), a $400 billion omnibus spending bill, and the auto bailout. By contrast, President Trump, who boasts "no administration has accomplished as much as me," has practically no major victories in Congress. Sure, he has signed 28 bills, but most of them are trivial housekeeping measures. His first attempt to repeal and replace ObamaCare even went down in flames when House Republicans were forced to pull back because he couldn't scare up enough votes from his own party to pass it. His second has yet to make its way through the Senate.

Republicans were trying to make up for lost time by sequencing an ambitious agenda on a very tight timeline where if one piece slips, everything falls apart. But the Comey fracas is going to make that well nigh impossible to pull off given that Republicans now have to add another item to their already packed calendar and confirm Comey's replacement.

This wouldn't have been a big deal under ordinary circumstances. And if Republicans were to quickly acquiesce to Democratic demands for a special prosecutor or an independent investigation into Trump's Russia ties, they might be able to stay on track. But House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have both adamantly rejected that idea. This will give Democrats the pretext to drag out the hearings to ensure that the new director has the independence and the integrity to hold the administration accountable.

The problem this simple loss of time poses for the Republican agenda cannot be overstated. They have a very slim 52-vote majority in the Senate, eight shy of what they need to avoid a Democratic filibuster and pass their health-care and tax reform proposals separately. Hence they have to do them together through a parliamentary procedure called reconciliation. The big advantage of this procedure is that it requires only a simple majority to pass. The big disadvantage is that the final bill cannot add to the deficit.

To meet that condition, Republicans need the savings from reforming ObamaCare to partially offset the the $4-6 trillion revenue loss over 10 years from Trump's tax cuts. But the House ObamaCare repeal-and-reform bill is pretty much dead on arrival in the Senate, where few Republicans support it. This means that the Senate has to write its own bill from scratch, something it has barely started doing, and then pass it. After that, both bills need to be merged into one in committee, scored, and put up for a revote.


Rinse, wash, repeat for the tax cut bill — except that the House actually hasn't even started writing it because the Trump administration has yet to send it a detailed proposal beyond a single-page outline of its wish list (which was admittedly quite promising).

As if this wasn't a tall enough order, all has to be accomplished before the 2018 budget resolution comes due in August and the old budget resolution expires. But at that point, Republicans also want to reignite their fight for funding a border wall and an infrastructure overhaul while also prodding reluctant members of both parties to raise the debt ceiling to avoid a government shutdown.

Even if Republicans worked like a well-oiled machine — which they are not — they would have a hard time getting all this done. But post-Comey it will take a miracle.

Indeed, in a small sign of things to come, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), just reversed his previous vote on overturning an Obama-era regulation to prevent methane gas from leaking on public lands. Instead, he joined two other Senate Republicans to defeat his own party's bill — and he very well may have done it to register his disgust with McConnell's defense of Comey's ouster.

Unless something dramatic changes, odds are that the rest of this fiscal year is going to be a near legislative zero for Trump and Congressional Republicans. And when they return in the next one, many of them will be more risk-averse, given that they'll face re-election in 2018, and therefore even less willing to take hard knocks for the president. No one should be surprised if they abandon a major ObamaCare overhaul and push only some lame version of Trump's tax cuts.

Many Republicans weren't ecstatic about Trump's election but hoped that, despite his flaws, they'd be able to pass major legislation because at least they'd have someone in the White House who'd sign their bills. The Comey debacle is a turning point that will expose this to be wishful thinking. A chaos-causing president who lacks basic discipline is no help to anyone.

 

[Ray9]

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Trump has been embarrassed by conversations he has in the past that he either forgot were taped or didn't know were taped. Some of those tapes appeared during the election process. He probably meant that no one is safe today from anything they say in public or private.

 

[Divine Wind]

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Trump has been embarrassed by conversations he has in the past that he either forgot were taped or didn't know were taped. Some of those tapes appeared during the election process. He probably meant that no one is safe today from anything they say in public or private.

Who knows? Let's see what tomorrow's tweets say!

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) | Twitter

 

[X.Onasis]

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Trump has been embarrassed by conversations he has in the past that he either forgot were taped or didn't know were taped. Some of those tapes appeared during the election process. He probably meant that no one is safe today from anything they say in public or private.

You're really stretching to defend the buffoon with that one.

In fact, for a defense of the threat, that excuse makes no sense at all. No one is safe? He's preemptively suggesting that Comey isn't safe because he's going to lie before he even responds?

Ridiculous.

He's implying either that there isn't proof that what Comey might leak is true -- or that there IS proof that what HE said that Comey may disagree with will be proven by a tape. There are no other reasons to make the threat....Except, of course, the implied admission that what Comey will say will contradict his silly claim that he wasn't being investigated by the FBI, because he knows he's lying and thinks everyone else is as stupid as he is and won't believe Comey. This proves many things; including the fact he was suborning justice in firing him, acting unethically at their dinner meeting as well as repeatedly lying about his conversations, and most assuredly demonstrating complete ineptness as a diplomat.

IOW, a buffoon.

 

[Weatherman2020]

 

[AntonToo]

Before we are all exposed to the lunatic-fringe media accusation that Donald Trump slashed his way to the White House with a hammer in one hand and a sickle in the other, those of us still in possession of our observational faculties may want to examine why FBI director, James Comey was let go- indecisively straddling the fence.


Comey’s actions regarding Hillary Clinton were like the proverbial timid manager in a large manufacturing plant that had just caught a well-liked higher-up stealing from the till red handed. He seemed unrealistically preoccupied with the ramifications of calling to account such a powerful figure. Comey embarrassed the FBI because he was intimidated by Clinton’s standing in the Democratic Party and her overwhelming support as the successor to Barack Obama.


Telling the people the emperor has no clothes takes the kind of courage we expect from the leadership of the FBI because it requires bravery, fidelity and integrity; the kind of bravery, fidelity and integrity we see in the rank and file of the bureau that charges into dark allies after bad guys under a hail of bullets. Comey’s bizarre behavior and outlandishly ambiguous statements about Clinton’s national security violations did more damage to the reputation of the bureau than anything in recent memory because he essentially downplayed willful treason.


Clinton’s self-important and insular arrogance led her to commit espionage against her country and the very people she claims to stand for. Clinton has been in high positions in government for many years and was acutely aware of security protocol-she just ignored it. Comey’s equivocating excuses and blatantly mitigating alibis for her treachery made the bureau look like a sycophantic press agent for a moneyed celebrity caught driving and drinking.


The truly wicked in our society will never face justice once they attain high rank under this kind of FBI but Comey was playing the odds because it looked like she would win. Unfortunately for Comey the game he was playing turned out to be Russian roulette because the skewed polls were wrong. Near the end Comey seemed to see it coming with Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner but his bet was already on the table and the pit boss (public) froze the chips. Comey needs to go sell shoes somewhere so the bureau can begin the process of rebuilding its brand.

Clinton did not steal anything. You simply made that up. Because you have a need to since you know that true analogy - mishandling some sensitive emails without any personal gain, is much too weak of a charge.

Love the way you completely ignore that Trump was lying big league about why he fired Comey.

 

[AntonToo]

Before we are all exposed to the lunatic-fringe media accusation that Donald Trump slashed his way to the White House with a hammer in one hand and a sickle in the other, those of us still in possession of our observational faculties may want to examine why FBI director, James Comey was let go- indecisively straddling the fence.


Comey’s actions regarding Hillary Clinton were like the proverbial timid manager in a large manufacturing plant that had just caught a well-liked higher-up stealing from the till red handed. He seemed unrealistically preoccupied with the ramifications of calling to account such a powerful figure. Comey embarrassed the FBI because he was intimidated by Clinton’s standing in the Democratic Party and her overwhelming support as the successor to Barack Obama.


Telling the people the emperor has no clothes takes the kind of courage we expect from the leadership of the FBI because it requires bravery, fidelity and integrity; the kind of bravery, fidelity and integrity we see in the rank and file of the bureau that charges into dark allies after bad guys under a hail of bullets. Comey’s bizarre behavior and outlandishly ambiguous statements about Clinton’s national security violations did more damage to the reputation of the bureau than anything in recent memory because he essentially downplayed willful treason.


Clinton’s self-important and insular arrogance led her to commit espionage against her country and the very people she claims to stand for. Clinton has been in high positions in government for many years and was acutely aware of security protocol-she just ignored it. Comey’s equivocating excuses and blatantly mitigating alibis for her treachery made the bureau look like a sycophantic press agent for a moneyed celebrity caught driving and drinking.


The truly wicked in our society will never face justice once they attain high rank under this kind of FBI but Comey was playing the odds because it looked like she would win. Unfortunately for Comey the game he was playing turned out to be Russian roulette because the skewed polls were wrong. Near the end Comey seemed to see it coming with Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner but his bet was already on the table and the pit boss (public) froze the chips. Comey needs to go sell shoes somewhere so the bureau can begin the process of rebuilding its brand.

Clinton did not steal anything. You simply made that up. Because you have a need to.