[Business Insider] As fired FBI Director James Comey testified Thursday mostly on his conversations and communications with President Donald Trump, he revealed one bit of major news unrelated to the growing investigations involving the White House.
And a law professor says that looking back, the incident could have changed the course of last year's presidential election.
Comey said during testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Loretta Lynch, the attorney general during the FBI's investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server, had asked him to refer to the inquiry as a "matter" instead of an "investigation."
Comey recalled the request giving him "a queasy feeling." It also echoed language the Clinton campaign itself was using.
"That was one of the bricks in the load that led me to conclude I have to step away from the department if we're to close this case credibly," Comey said.
After hearing Comey's Thursday remarks, Jed Shugerman, a law professor at Fordham University, said he could no longer "stand by my earlier criticism that the GOP was asking about Clinton email to distract from the Trump questions."
"They may have intended to change the subject, but they found a real subject to investigate further," he added in an email to Business Insider.
The professor called the apparent pressuring of Comey to use "matter" instead of "investigation" a "huge mistake" and "a partisan intrusion" on Lynch's part.
It "probably changed history by making Comey more skeptical about her and the Clintons' role," he said. "I inferred that it had an effect on Comey that may have changed how he handled the investigation later. She will face very tough questions. And it validates the follow-up questions on the Clinton campaign on their handling the email."
"We will hear a lot about this," he added. "It does not rise to obstruction, because it was wording/semantic, not the substance of investigation, but Comey was right to be troubled. Lynch and Bill Clinton should be called to testify and explain their behavior. What's obstruction for the goose is obstruction for the gander."
#1
It "probably changed history by making Comey more skeptical about her and the Clintons' role," he said. "I inferred that it had an effect on Comey that may have changed how he handled the investigation later.
All of which assumes Comey was serious about the Clinton investigation from the beginning, which I doubt. A 'serious' Comey and a 'serious' FBI would have taken notes of their interviews and discussions with Clinton. No notes, no recorded transcripts. How very strange for such prolific note taker.
[DailyMail] - Comey's going to have the biggest Washington golden parachute ever, says one literary agent who already has the green light on a $10 million advance
- 'Jim Comey's explosive story makes 'West Wing' and 'House of Cards' on a par with Mister Rogers,' an acquisition editor for a major New York publishing house tells DailyMail.com
While he can't reveal classified information, he has yet to tell his own story behind Hillary email investigation, his dealings with Trump and his life
- When he was 16, Comey and his younger brother Peter were victims of a gunman who invaded the Comey home in suburban New Jersey
- Comey has proven his writing ability - at the College of William & Mary in 198o he wrote a much praised three-part series for the campus paper, The Fat Hat
If the publishing world has anything to say about it, the nation's ex-top cop, 56, will be a multimillionaire ten times over from the book deal major publishers are offering to pay up front for his memoir ‐ a whopping $10 million, DailyMail.com can reveal.
It's a sum right up there with the kind of advances paid to the Clintons - although maybe not a high as the Obamas Sweet, sweet irony.-
and the kind of royalty money generated by Comey's nemesis Donald Trump's many books.
'Jim Comey's story has everything, from White House intrigue to possible corruption and law breaking. His explosive story makes 'West Wing' and 'House of Cards' on a par with Mister Rogers,' an acquisition editor for a major New York publishing house told DailyMail.com
'When his proposal hits my desk, I've already been authorized to offer $10 million.'
#5
I could be wrong but I understood that a lot of government jobs need clearance before they can publish. CIA made that a lot quicker in recent years to the detriment of W Bush. I think Trump should order every manuscript to have to be read and cleared by Mathis when he has time (possibly may have to wait until the general retires).
#6
This should have been one of the Republicans' first areas of inquiry.
"Have you signed a book deal? For how much? Did the prospect of becoming a multi-millionaire influence your handling of any of these matters? If yes, how? If no, pull my other leg."
Posted by: Matt ||
06/10/2017 13:26 Comments ||
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[Hannity.com] The Department of Justice has issued a statement in which they are disputing certain aspects of Comey's testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In one case, the DOJ is disputing Comey's claim that he had never received any notification regarding the parameters of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal from the Russia investigation.
"In his testimony, Mr. Comey stated that he was 'not *** aware of' 'any kind of memorandum issued from the Attorney General or the Department of Justice to the FBI outlining the parameters of [the Attorney General’s] recusal,'" the DOJ Statement reads. "However, on March 2, 2017, the Attorney General’s Chief of Staff sent the attached email specifically informing Mr. Comey and other relevant Department officials of the recusal and its parameters, and advising that each of them instruct their staff 'not to brief the Attorney General *** about, or otherwise involve the Attorney General *** in, any such matters described.'"
In addition, the Department of Justice acknowledged that a story published shortly after Comey's firing which claimed the former FBI Director had requested additional resources for the Russia probe was, in fact, false.
"Despite previous inaccurate media reports, Mr. Comey did not say that he ever asked anyone at the Department of Justice for more resources related to this investigation," the statement reads.
Read the DOJ's full statement below:
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
06/10/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal from the Russia investigation.
I never understood why Sessions recused himself. Maybe, it was a part of the deal necessary for his confirmation as AG. Pubs should have employed the nuclear option and gone on. I don't recall Loretta Lynch or Eric Holder recusing themselves on anything.
#3
I think that one of the more interesting ironies of the Comey testimony is that, in the end, for special counsel Robert Mueller to be able to "credibly" assert that his investigation followed the evidence "wherever it led" is that at some point there is the probable possibility that it will become necessary to open an investigation into the legally questionable actions and motives of James Comey.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the entire Russian investigation on the hypothetical possibility that evidence (or a case) pertaining to any member of the Trump Campaign may come before him. It was the recusal of Jeff Sessions that opened the door for the appointment of a special counsel in the first place.
Since the testimony of James Comey has now became a major, integral, and incontrovertible piece of evidence to the entire Russian investigation and as former acting Deputy Attorney General and Director of the FBI, should Robert Mueller not be held to the same standard as Jeff Sessions ?
If Robert Mueller truly does possess any of the wonderful characteristics and attributes so effusively heaped upon him by both sides of the isle he will have no choice but to recuse himself.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
[IsraelTimes] Network cancels season 2 of ’Believers’ after presenter calls president ’an embarrassment to humankind'.
Only two weeks ago CNN dumped comedian Kathy Griffin, co-host of its annual New Year’s Eve celebration, when she was photographed holding a depiction of Trump’s severed head.
The swamp extends beyond the federal payroll, but even there it is starting to drain.
#2
Very surprised that CNN has a thread of decency in its fabric. Maybe the downward spiral of MSM management is beginning to level off a bit, even though their talking heads continue exploding.
#3
Now, Kathy & Reza were fired for being clumsy, like Nazis who didn't threat Jews they were transporting to extermination camps nicely, were transferred to Eastern front.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[IsraelTimes] Network cancels season 2 of ’Believers’ after presenter calls president ’an embarrassment to humankind'.
