Anyone still think that Comey and, separately, the NYC FBI ‘indictment’ fabricator DIDN’T violate the Hatch Act?* [UPDATED BY EDWARD SNOWDEN. SERIOUSLY.]
If so, Kellyanne Conway is not among you.
How many of those spiking early votes by Republicans last week in Colorado, especially, but also in Nevada and Arizona, can be attributed to Comey and the NYC FBI leaker? Apparently, Conway has a pretty damn good idea.
So do I. There’s an extremely close contest for Colorado’s 6th District House seat between uber-winger Mike Coffman and uber-progressive Morgan Carroll that I’ve been watching pretty closely. How much did Republican voting spike in that district between Oct. 28 and, well, yesterday?
One thing I’ve noticed in all this talk about whether Obama can, as a matter of practical politics, fire Comey, and if he does not, whether Clinton can—as a matter of practical politics—is how starkly ingrained it is in American political culture to consider only the right’s political grievances.
But, guess what? That’s now changed. BIGLY.
BIGLY.
And if the Dems do gain control of the Senate, the Judiciary Committee should hold hearings into this. Comey should be accompanied by a lawyer.
And the questions should not be limited to matters directly related to Clinton. This guy has some really strange views of the law itself. And not just the law concerning the actual legal mandate of the Director of the FBI, although he truly does. He also seems confused about the very concept of evidence.
And then there’s that problem that, accepting him at his word, he doesn’t know what the meaning and the purpose of testimony “under oath” are. (Which will be a convenient defense against Hatch Act violation allegations.) I mean … good grace.
For starters.
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*I inserted the word “separately” into the title after initial posting, because Comey’s acts are distinct from that NYC agent’s. By last Wednesday, when that agent leaked that fabrication, Comey already was in the middle of the hurricane he had started the Friday before, and surely played no role in that leak. Added 11/7 at 11:56 a.m.
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UPDATE: Update.
The FBI took its sweet time in updating Comey, or Comey took his time in updating Congress. Seems like a fielder’s choice.
This while early voting was underway in most states.
Updated 11/7 at 12:07 p.m.
Here’s a more comprehensive update, by William Oremus at Slate, posted about an hour ago.
Updated 11/7 at 3:18 p.m.
Maybe they should but they probably won’t. She doesn’t want to piss them off more than they already are. It isn’t fair but it’s practical.
It’s overwhelming, Jack. Check out Stephen Stromberg’s commentary in the Washington Post today: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/11/06/comey-to-country-the-jury-will-disregard/
Granted, he’s been a rah-rah Clinton backer all along. But what he says is the thoroughly overwhelming consensus.
I suspect that Comey has tendered his resignation, effective Wed. or maybe Friday. If Obama hasn’t asked for it, although Obama probably as waiting until after the email investigation concluded, which it did yesterday. And Comey likely tendered his resignation yesterday after announcing the end of that investigation.
There’s just overwhelming consensus across the political spectrum that Comey cannot remain in that job. Off-hand, I can’t recall anything similar–any similarly broad consensus about anything politically related.
No one–and I do mean no one–other than Trump, Giuliani and maybe Kallstom–who would accuse Clinton of partisanship or cover-up if she fired Comey. But Obama won’t put her in that position.
Comey’s gone. And almost no one will tell him not to let the door hit him on his way out.
Granted that Comey and all the other players in this sad melodrama are guilty of sins of both omission and commission. There is far too much misinformation being spread in the country as well as more specifically in the Congress. What happened to the concept of freedom of speech with the exclusion of false reports? You know, yelling fire in a crowded theater for fun rather than good purpose. There are consequences to words spoken aloud for ill conceived purpose.
The media plays a central and leading role in this kind of propagation of propaganda. It’s done for political purpose and it’s done with an eye to profitability through incitement of controversy that has no basis in facts. There were, in the past, rules set by and administered by the FCC. Where did that go? The first amendment was not always thought to protect the liars who seek gain through deceit and deception.
If you only want to talk about the Hatch Act then you should go over to today’s PaulCragrobrts.org and watch the professor from Harvard tell us just how an election gets stolen. he explains very clearly the great need for election reforms. He explains how electronic voting systems can be manipulated. He explains how in 11 states with Sanders ahead in the exit polls in those states that HRC mysteriously won above the margin of error. He also explains that in todays voting the states with electronic voting systems should be closely watched for exit polls rigging that becomes mysteriously convoluted above the margin of error. Talk about doing a Hatchet job. The DNC has become the hatchet job experts…
Sorry I did mean to say to look at today’s PaulCraigRoberts.org
For some reason I don’t think Trump is going to fire Comey.