Burr, the R Chair: Can you tell us anything in an open setting? Comey: Very little. I've briefed you on the classified matters. How about this: the AG said not to call it an investigation, instead a "matter". This concerned me greatly.
Warner, D from Virginia: You put down a written record immediately after a meeting with Trump. Why? Comey: We were alone. The subject matter was on the responsibilities of the FBI. And the nature of the person: I thought he'd lie. I had never experienced this before, so I wrote it down in a very detailed way.
Warner: Unlike when you've met with other Presidents, you made a written record. Why? Comey: I did it for all, I think. I knew I might need a record to defend the FBI and myself, and integrety and independence thereof. It's subject matter plus the nature of the person.
Warner: Because he might ... lie? Comey: As I said, as FBI director I interact with Obama -- 3 times in 2 years -- when I met with Bush I didn't document it either. With neither did I feel the need to document it, as the combination of factors wasn't there.
Warner: We've requested those memos so we can read them. I understand you discussed with FBI leadership on whether to tell T he wasn't under investgation. Was that unaminous? Comey: No. While we didn't have a counter-intelligence file on Trump, in asking about potential coordination between Russia and T, his conduct necessarily falls within the scope. I disagreed, and told T there was not a counterterrorism investgation on him.
Warner: And did you revist that? Comey: Yeah. And while it is literally true, there was concern it was misleading.
Warner: What did you mean by patronage? Comey: My impression -- my common sense -- told me the dinner was an attempt to build a relationship of loyalty in the context of asking me to stay. This was odd, as T had already asked me to stay. Dinner is about me staying, and he's already asked me three times. My commonsense says this had to do with him trying to get something.
Warner: I get it. I was a govenor. This talk of loyalty. Ever heard that before: Comey: No. And I'm uneasy because the Director is not meant to feel political loyalty to a particular person. Justice is blind. The facts and the law. That's why I was uneasy.
Warner: You wrote this memo in a way that was unclassified. Is that because the facts would need to be made clear to the american people? Comey: I remember thinking this is really disturbing and a threat to our work. Sometimes when things are classified it is hard to share, and for good reason. My thinking was if i write it that doesn't trigger anything classified, it is accessible to future investgations.
Republican, whose name I didn't get: I dumb, you smart. Holy wow. Russians are everywhere. You wrote down 28 really important words from T: I hope you can see your way to letting Flynn go. I hope. ... clearly, that's not 28. Sorry. Republican: He clearly did not order you. Correct? Comey: Not in those words. Republican: He did not order you. Those words are not an order. You've done thousands of criminal ivnestigations. Have you ever seen a time when someone was charged for a hope? Comey: I took "hope" from the President of the United States as a directive. Republican: You don't know anyone whose ever been charged with a hope? Comey: I don't.
Feinstein, D from California: You are super awesome. Why do you believe you were fired? Comey: I don't know. To take T at his word, Russia investigation. I didn't know that at the time, but that's what he's said since. Feinstein: Loyalty, bullshit right? Comey: I don't know. I don't know him well enough to read him well. Our relationship was never on a good start. He asked for something and I couldn't give it. Feinstein: Do you believe the Russia investgation played a role? Comey: Yes. He has said so. Feinstein: Flynn. You said that you understood T to be asking you to drop investgation into Flynn. Please talk about that. Comey: Context and words lead me to that. Flynn resigned the day before. The controversy on about whether he'd lied to the VP. Feinstein: Why were you such a weak sack of shit? Comey: I wish I was stronger. Other people maybe would be.
Feinstein: Why did you wrote memos when you hadn't with two previous presidents? Comey: Again. We were alone. The subject matter. And my impression of the person. A gut feel that this is important to protect the FBI.
Feinstein: Did you show these memos to anyone outside the DOJ? Comey: I did. I asked a friend to share the content of the memo with a reporter, which I thought might prompt a special prosecutor.
Senator: Why should we believe you? Comey: My mother raised me not to say nice things about myself, so I won't. I say take it all in context, especially that he kicked the chief of staff and AG out of the office. That seems like a big deal. Senator: We should look for consistency? Comey: Yeah. Of course.
Feinstein (I think): So, is Trump a sack of shit? Comey: I can't answer that in an open meeting. Feinstein: But, he's a traitorous dickweasel? Comey: Same answer.
... it was pretty great. 538 has a much better rendition, of course.
My kid is watching it on . She's gonna summarize it for me.
ReplyDeleteSomeone should make a live plus for us on another continent...
ReplyDeleteBurr, the R Chair: Can you tell us anything in an open setting?
ReplyDeleteComey: Very little. I've briefed you on the classified matters. How about this: the AG said not to call it an investigation, instead a "matter". This concerned me greatly.
Ezio Melega, if I'm doing this I expect you to have comments. You're af perspective is a great one that we need.
ReplyDeleteWarner, D from Virginia: You put down a written record immediately after a meeting with Trump. Why?
ReplyDeleteComey: We were alone. The subject matter was on the responsibilities of the FBI. And the nature of the person: I thought he'd lie. I had never experienced this before, so I wrote it down in a very detailed way.
Warner: Unlike when you've met with other Presidents, you made a written record. Why?
Comey: I did it for all, I think. I knew I might need a record to defend the FBI and myself, and integrety and independence thereof. It's subject matter plus the nature of the person.
Warner: Because he might ... lie?
Comey: As I said, as FBI director I interact with Obama -- 3 times in 2 years -- when I met with Bush I didn't document it either. With neither did I feel the need to document it, as the combination of factors wasn't there.
Warner: We've requested those memos so we can read them. I understand you discussed with FBI leadership on whether to tell T he wasn't under investgation. Was that unaminous?
Comey: No. While we didn't have a counter-intelligence file on Trump, in asking about potential coordination between Russia and T, his conduct necessarily falls within the scope. I disagreed, and told T there was not a counterterrorism investgation on him.
Warner: And did you revist that?
Comey: Yeah. And while it is literally true, there was concern it was misleading.
Holy shit you guys. This is crazy.
ReplyDeleteWarner: What did you mean by patronage?
ReplyDeleteComey: My impression -- my common sense -- told me the dinner was an attempt to build a relationship of loyalty in the context of asking me to stay. This was odd, as T had already asked me to stay. Dinner is about me staying, and he's already asked me three times. My commonsense says this had to do with him trying to get something.
Warner: I get it. I was a govenor. This talk of loyalty. Ever heard that before:
Comey: No. And I'm uneasy because the Director is not meant to feel political loyalty to a particular person. Justice is blind. The facts and the law. That's why I was uneasy.
Warner: You wrote this memo in a way that was unclassified. Is that because the facts would need to be made clear to the american people?
ReplyDeleteComey: I remember thinking this is really disturbing and a threat to our work. Sometimes when things are classified it is hard to share, and for good reason. My thinking was if i write it that doesn't trigger anything classified, it is accessible to future investgations.
Warner: Did he ask about any other investgations?
ReplyDeleteComey: No.
Warner: damn.
Republican, whose name I didn't get: I dumb, you smart. Holy wow. Russians are everywhere. You wrote down 28 really important words from T: I hope you can see your way to letting Flynn go. I hope.
ReplyDelete... clearly, that's not 28. Sorry.
Republican: He clearly did not order you. Correct?
Comey: Not in those words.
Republican: He did not order you. Those words are not an order. You've done thousands of criminal ivnestigations. Have you ever seen a time when someone was charged for a hope?
Comey: I took "hope" from the President of the United States as a directive.
Republican: You don't know anyone whose ever been charged with a hope?
Comey: I don't.
Feinstein, D from California: You are super awesome. Why do you believe you were fired?
ReplyDeleteComey: I don't know. To take T at his word, Russia investigation. I didn't know that at the time, but that's what he's said since.
Feinstein: Loyalty, bullshit right?
Comey: I don't know. I don't know him well enough to read him well. Our relationship was never on a good start. He asked for something and I couldn't give it.
Feinstein: Do you believe the Russia investgation played a role?
Comey: Yes. He has said so.
Feinstein: Flynn. You said that you understood T to be asking you to drop investgation into Flynn. Please talk about that.
Comey: Context and words lead me to that. Flynn resigned the day before. The controversy on about whether he'd lied to the VP. Feinstein: Why were you such a weak sack of shit?
Comey: I wish I was stronger. Other people maybe would be.
(is anyone listening?)
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols William Nichols Yeah, I'm reading.
ReplyDeleteThat's giving me a deja vu: that's how Berlusconi did. That's how Renaissance lords did.
This is the portrait of someone who considers his State a personal belonging.
The person C. is describing is a feudal lord, not a President
Yep. Now the questions are what would have happened if you'd done what T wanted?
ReplyDeleteAnd the answer is: I would have stopped an ongoing investigation.
Like damn.
Feinstein: Why did you wrote memos when you hadn't with two previous presidents?
ReplyDeleteComey: Again. We were alone. The subject matter. And my impression of the person. A gut feel that this is important to protect the FBI.
Feinstein: Did you show these memos to anyone outside the DOJ?
Comey: I did. I asked a friend to share the content of the memo with a reporter, which I thought might prompt a special prosecutor.
Senator: Why should we believe you?
ReplyDeleteComey: My mother raised me not to say nice things about myself, so I won't. I say take it all in context, especially that he kicked the chief of staff and AG out of the office. That seems like a big deal.
Senator: We should look for consistency?
Comey: Yeah. Of course.
Good summaries!
ReplyDeleteomg.
ReplyDeleteSenator Jerk: Why did you take the call from the President?
Me: BECAUSE HE IS THE PRESIDENT
Comey: At one point, I did refuse....
POTUS calls you over for dinner. You say Yes.
ReplyDeleteI would say "yes" so I could croon "daddy's money" over and over again in his face until I got tased unconscious for it.
ReplyDeleteomg. Potus personally called Comey on the phone for dinner. I did not realize that is how it went down.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "best of" news feed. I'm away from my computer, so you're my go-to source today.
ReplyDeleteI also recommend this Tony:
ReplyDeletefivethirtyeight.com - James Comey Testimony: Live Coverage
That's some preessure!
ReplyDeleteFeinstein (I think): So, is Trump a sack of shit?
Comey: I can't answer that in an open meeting.
Feinstein: But, he's a traitorous dickweasel?
Comey: Same answer.
... it was pretty great. 538 has a much better rendition, of course.