Oh...my...God!President Trump says he would “100 percent” speak under oath about James Comey https://t.co/TjZsCVT6jf— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 9, 2017
Is it Christmas? Did Christmas come early this year?
This is clearly the trap that Comey set for Trump and he just lumbered right into it.
If Trump testifies under oath, that is all she wrote.
He is GUARANTEED to perjure himself and that would be way more than enough grounds for impeachment.
P.S. Actually Jonathon Karl got that loyalty question backwards but I think Trump knew what he was asking.
Update: So Trump was also asked about those tapes, and this is what he said:
"You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer.”When asked again about tapes, Trump responds: “you’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer” https://t.co/ioTNIMoQzE— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 9, 2017
To me that proves there are no tapes, since the existence of those tapes would in NO way disappoint the media.
Let's remember that the president can pardon himself for any and all federal crimes or crimes he might have committed. (He cannot pardon himself for impeachment.) No president has ever used this power, but trump certainly well.
ReplyDeleteNo he can't.
Deletethe fat fuck orange pus wad needs to be strung and hung for treason ...
DeleteYou are absolutely incorrect, 11:35 AM! Ridiculous statement and not factual!
Delete12:28: yes, he can.
Deletehttp://www.wisegeek.com/does-the-us-president-have-the-right-to-pardon-himself.htm
Good thing he has a crappy attorney
Delete+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Could Trump issue himself a pardon?
If Trump violated some law, could he pardon himself?
The short answer is that no one really knows. The longer answer is that the reasons he might want to are more complex than we might usually assume.
“We can all only speculate what would happen if the president tried to do it,” said Brian Kalt, professor of law at Michigan State University and author of the book “Constitutional Cliffhangers.” “We’re all just predicting what the court would do if it happened, but no one can be sure.”
The constitutional language governing pardons reads, “The President … shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” That vagueness is part of the reason the boundaries of the authority would need to be interpreted by the courts in unusual cases, like the one at hand.
That said, Kalt’s got an opinion about what the Supreme Court would do if Trump (or any president) tried to give himself a pardon: They’d throw it out.
But that the Constitution doesn’t say he can’t do it is, itself, a strong argument for his being allowed to. Samuel Morison is an attorney who specializes in pardon law, having spent 13 years in the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the Department of Justice.
“My opinion is that in theory that he could,” Morison said. “But then he would be potentially subject to impeachment for doing that.” Morison’s rationale is simple: “There are no constraints defined in the Constitution itself that says he can’t do that.”
Impeachment itself is specifically carved out of the presidential pardon power within the Constitution, so if Trump were impeached, he’d have no counter to that action.
There’s another clearly articulated boundary in the pardon provision that’s important: It applies only to any federal laws. If Trump were to issue himself a pardon, that would cover only any violations of federal law.
If Trump were to pardon himself, and if the courts were to sign off — ultimately meaning the Supreme Court, most likely — there’s not anything anyone could do about it. He’d be pardoned from prosecution for federal crimes under whatever limits he applied to his pardon, up until the point at which the pardon was granted.
If Trump really thinks the Russia investigation is an unfair witch hunt, that blanket of protection may prove remarkably alluring.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/05/24/could-trump-issue-himself-a-pardon/
Well gosh the russian thing is only a hoaxy cloud and he doesn’t know any russian hookers.
DeleteSo what crimes is little donnie going to pardon himself for?
========
What was this all about? Old article from June 1st
===================
Trump Is Personally Under FBI Investigation For Undisclosed 2016 Meeting With Russia
President Donald Trump is personally under FBI investigation for an undisclosed meeting that he, Jared Kushner and Jeff Sessions had with the Russian ambassador at a campaign event in 2016.
NBC News reported, “Five current and former U.S. officials said they are aware of classified intelligence suggesting there was some sort of private encounter between Trump and his aides and the Russian envoy, despite a heated denial from Sessions, who has already come under fire for failing to disclose two separate contacts with Kislyak. Kushner also denied through a spokesman that he met privately with Kislyak that day.”
The encounter occurred at the Mayflower Hotel, and it has drawn the scrutiny of both the FBI and Congressional investigators.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/01/trump-personally-fbi-investigation-undisclosed-2016-meeting-russia.html
I can predict what would happen if he tried to do it.
DeleteEvery Republican that supported and defended his actions would not be re-elected. Quite literally the people of this country would revolt.
Pardoning himself basically admits that any and all accusations are true, that he has committed criminal or treasonous acts to the extent he feels the need to pardon himself to escape prosecution. That won't even sit well with Republican voters.
McConnell and Ryan would be out on their ears. Every Republican up for re-election would lose their seats. And 2020 would put a Democrat in the White House with a majority in the House and Senate.
We can only hope that even the DCCC can't fuck that up and the Democratic control can begin to reverse all of the damage Trump has done and will do.
Another embarrassing appearance with a foreign leader, on so many levels. This man is such a liar, so blatant and in your face about it -- how will the presidency ever recover from this? I seriously doubt he will testify under oath to anyone, no matter what he just said. Once the grownups explain the jeopardy he'd be in, I'm sure this offer will evaporate just like the tapes.
ReplyDeleteAnd as someone brilliantly pointed out, someone who pees on prostitutes shouldn't be calling anybody else a leaker...
Oh he'll have no problem testifying under oath. He'll just continue to lie while doing it. He thinks "petty laws" don't apply to him cuz he's the "Emperor." So far he's gotten away with it.
Delete11:35, can you cite any legal information stating he can pardon HIMSELF? If so, I would like to see it.
ReplyDeleteThat would mean he COULD shoot someone on Broad Street and get away with murder! That seems to be a bit of an escape clause in the law that would possibly discredit the rule of law.
http://www.wisegeek.com/does-the-us-president-have-the-right-to-pardon-himself.htm
DeleteHe can't pardon himself on state charges and i believe you can only pardon someone convicted of a crime. But a sitting president can't go to trial.
Delete"You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer.”
ReplyDeleteWell, another take on that might be that he is trying to imply that there ARE tapes. You know how he is always going on about how the press is biased against him and making things up? Part of that denigration of the press would be to imply they would be "disappointed" if they couldn't do that because it was all revealed in the tape.
I doubt there is a tape. But, if there is, it shows that Comey recorded the conversation in his notes just about word perfect. And there is no way Trump is releasing that.
No way, Uncle Gryph says it PROVES there are no tapes.
DeleteI think this is the most dramatic post he's made to date. It would be funny if I weren't so tired of all the over the top bs coming from both sides.
He says there are tapes, so we know there aren't any.
DeleteI think the disappointment he is referring to is that the "tapes" will prove that he is telling the truth and Comey is lying.
I wonder if he is going to try to get a team to doctor up a tape of a fake conversation that supports Trump's version of what happened. There is certainly enough of Comey's voice on record now that they could try it. Maybe that's why he needs a little time.
Thanks Beth, I picked up on that "allegiance" switch as well. Sounded like McMasters speech when he denied that Trump never said the words no one asked him about.
DeleteOr possibly there are no longer any tapes.
ReplyDelete"I'm not a liar" yeah right, even don's friends call him a liar. The guy has not produced tax returns and he wont testify under oath. He should resign today.
ReplyDeleteEven his lawyers won't meet with him one-on-one. They claim he changes the narrative so they need witnesses.
Delete...As luck would have it, Donald Trump had a prescheduled joint press conference today with the leader of Romania. Naturally, the media began asking Trump about whether he’d asked Comey for loyalty. At one point Trump blurted out “Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under oath?” Huh? Does Trump seem to think that he himself was under oath when he was speaking privately with Comey in the White House? What is this even supposed to mean?
ReplyDeleteAnd then, after he was asked whether there truly are tapes of his Comey conversations, Trump bragged that he would reveal the answer in a “very short period of time” When reporters pressed him he said they’ll be “disappointed” with his eventual answer, essentially admitting there are no tapes. Then, finally, Trump volunteered to testify under oath before Special Counsel Robert Mueller, seemingly unaware that lying to Mueller is a felony which would sharply increase his odds of ending up getting impeached.
http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/pledge-trump-deep-end/3386/
Well goodie, Bob won't have to issue a subpoena for his appearance.
DeleteI think little donnie is celebrating a little too much for his own good and a little too soon.
If he listened to Comey, he stated, that the investigation was not over and one of the participants didn't want Comey to tell donnie he wasn't under investigation, because he might be in the future !!!
He did the old "I hardly know the man" excuse. Everything he said was parroting past statements that were lies and promises broken.
ReplyDeleteThere are no tapes and they will never let Trump testify.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/09/house-intel-committee-demands-turn-comey-recordings-trump-bluff-backfires.html
Delete"The House Intelligence Committee is demanding that the White House turn over all recordings, memos, and communications with former FBI Director James Comey, as Donald Trump has officially had his tapes bluff called by the Russia investigation."
Oops, There are no tapes, documents or memos. They either don’t take any because little donnie is use to bad business practices or they destroyed them because he is a criminal.
DeleteThey will blame it on the ghost of Rosemary Woods !!!
Way to go, 45 -- you turned the words and then made your 'case' on them. Of Course you will "swear under oath" that you never asked Comey to "pledge allegiance" - Comey never said you had!
ReplyDeleteComey said you asked him to pledge you his LOYALTY. There is a uuuuuuge difference between 'allegiance' and 'loyalty', you twisted soulless git.
So, yeah, the question the reporter asked you is if you would swear under oath that you never asked him to pledge you his LOYALTY; I just bet your base is all thrilled at how you're standing up to the lies, and all that other rubbish you've trained them to believe without question. Clever way you switched words up, there, you sorry sack of orangeness. You make me soooo tired.
I disagree, you have mischaracterized T.Rump - he is an ignorant, twisted, soulless git.
DeleteSemantics, like Muslim ban, travel ban blah blah blah
DeleteBesides, hasn't it been well documented that little donnie likes to have "his employees" sign or take a loyalty oath?
"You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer.”
ReplyDeleteIOW, he has DESTROYED those tapes!!!
He can't destroy them. They are official archives and the minute he tweeted about them he was served with documents to preserve them. Everyone with access to the Oval Office will need to lawyer up on that.
Delete2:24, you should have said he can't LEGALLY destroy them. BIG difference.
DeleteRepublicans don't care about "official archives." George W. and company destroyed millions of emails, etc. before leaving the White House. Things like traditions, rules or laws apply only to Democrats.
DeleteBeaglemom
Of course he destroyed them, oops, hit the delete button by mistake.
DeleteIf there are no tapes, it's only more proof that Trump lies about everything.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/busted-trump-treasury-pick-took-4-week-course-on-dartmouth-campus-and-called-it-a-degree/
ReplyDeletehttp://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/337166-trump-treasury-nominee-misrepresented-dartmouth-degree
"Otting has a bachelor’s degree and The Hill reported that if nominated, he will be the first U.S. comptroller in decades not to hold an advanced degree.
The White House confirmed Otting’s “error” on Friday, saying that “Bloomberg’s characterization of Mr. Otting’s credentials is correct.”"“The president’s choice for watchdog of America’s largest banks is someone who signed a consent order -- over shady foreclosure practices -- with the very agency he’s been selected to run,” Senator Sherrod Brown, the banking panel’s top Democrat, said in an emailed statement. “If Mr. Otting didn’t deal fairly with the customers at his own bank, it’s difficult to see why he’s the best choice to look out for the interests of customers at more than 1,400 banks and thrifts across the country.”"
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-06/trump-picks-former-banker-otting-to-regulate-wall-street-at-occ
House Republicans just repealed Dodd-Frank.
DeleteI'm sure McConnell will have the Senate rubber stamp that.
So everything is peachy now.
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/trump-blasts-comey-i-didnt-tell-him-to-kill-flynn-probe-but-it-wouldnt-be-wrong-if-i-did/
ReplyDelete“I will tell you, I didn’t say that. And there would be nothing wrong if I did say it, according to everybody that I have read today. But I did not say that.”
WHO the FUCK is 'everybody HE read today'? NO-BODY!
Which mean that you know he did.
DeleteJeebus he sounds like a fucking five year old trying to defend stealing cookies from the jar.
I didn't take them but even if I did there's nothing wrong with that. But I didn't.
He *is* a fucking toddler.
That lying SOB will never testify. It's all a show. If he never said those things to Comey, why kick the others out of the room? He's demanded loyalty from many others.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/insanity-internet-stunned-as-trump-sides-with-saudis-instead-of-his-own-secretary-of-state-in-qatar-dispute/
ReplyDelete‘Insanity’: Internet stunned as Trump sides with Saudis instead of his own secretary of state in Qatar dispute"
I keep coming back to the fact that Comey felt he could not go to Sessions with his Trump "problem". He said it was because Session was soon to recuse himself from the Russia investigation AND because of something known to the FBI that couldn't be discussed in the open hearing. I can't be the only one to think that Sessions is up to his neck in the Russia muck, and covering for Trump. Comey must have thought if he didn't leak his notes, all of this would be silenced. The entire White House is corrupt.
ReplyDeleteTop staff are really hoping tapes tweet was a bluff because if they do exist POTUS sounds like he's ready to destroy them.
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/RoguePOTUSStaff/status/873311573384757248
Should Trump actually testify under oath, the first thing that should be done is administer a lie detector test.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
He could probable beat a lie detector test because he is sociopath and pathological liar.
DeleteTrump has no concept of "truth" or "under oath." He believes what he says, especially the lies.
ReplyDeleteReporter to Trump: "Did he ask you to pledge an oath of loyalty to him?"
ReplyDeleteTrump: "No he did not."
Did anyone else catch that? Then he makes another gaffe when asked if he would be willing to say that under oath, and Trump says, "Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under oath?" WHUT?????
Reporter to Trump: "Did he ask you to pledge an oath of loyalty to him?"
Delete=====================
I am confused this makes no sense,is he asking if Comey asked trump to take an oath?
[Aiiiiii! You know what 'they' say about "assume"...]
DeleteWhen I made my comment above (@ 1:35), I assumed the reporter had his "he's" and "you's" all sorted out; apparently he didn't. But, that the reporter had the "he's" and "you's" all out of whack, shows even clearer that 45 is just playing with words -- in this case, going for the literal instead of the implied; instead of going for what any Reasonable person would go for, having carefully heard Comey testify and knowing full well what they'd heard the man say.
So, 45 felt NO restraint in standing up there and loudly proclaiming he would be happy, 100% happy, even, to swear under oath that Comey never asked him (45) to pledge him (Comey) Anything!
And, furthermore, 45 will be happy to swear under oath, (again, 100%), that he Never asked Comey to "pledge allegiance" to him...loyalty, of course, being different from allegiance when one demands it be pledged to the ranking person [in this case, 45 in all his obnoxious orangeness.]
45 is such a piece of work - he couldn't be honest in thought, word, or deed, if he tried -- he has spent so many years wiggling out of contracts and deals that he wouldn't know how to conduct himself honorable if he tried to.
@ 6:06 I think you are right, presuming trump wasn't just given his prepared answer.
DeleteI think he has answers that he just throws out there whether they make sense or not.
There is no way his attorney is going to let that LIAR testify before Congress, but it looks good to his supporter saying he will. See he is innocent cuz he said he would testify.
ReplyDeleteAs for the tapes, I don’t believe there are any; he was trying to bully Comey and Comey called his bluff. He is going to continue to string the “tapes” story but will come up with some excuse like executive privilege not to release them.
Remember little donnie is a sociopath, they think they are smarter than everyone else.
I find it disgusting how he continues to defame and smear Comey, but that is what little donnie does and hopefully it will backfire on him very soon.
It must have killed Lyin’ donnie to hear all those senators thanking Comey for his service and complimenting him on his integrity etc. That is what is adding fuel to the fire!!!!!
==============================================
Apropos of the news that Donald Trump — maybe accidentally and probably not reliably — said he would testify under oath about James Comey, here’s a story about the last time Trump testified under oath. (It went badly.) [Washington Post / David A. Farenthold and Robert O’Harrow Jr.]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/trump-lies/
Gosh maybe little donnie and Eric can be cellmates
ReplyDelete+++++++++++++++++++
New York Attorney General’s Office ‘Looking Into’ Eric Trump Foundation
The New York attorney general’s office is looking into the Eric Trump Foundation following a Forbes report that detailed possible self-dealing by President Donald Trump through the foundation.
“The attorney general’s office is looking into the issues raised by this report,” Eric Soufer, communications director for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, told Forbes Friday.
Soufer did not respond to TPM’s questions about the scope of any potential investigation.
Forbes published a lengthy investigation Tuesday detailing a spike in payments from the Eric Trump Foundation to the Trump Organization beginning around 2010, seemingly contrary to Eric Trump’s claims that he used the company’s facilities free of charge for his annual fundraisers for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Forbes found that, shortly before the spike in costs incurred by the charity events, the Donald J. Trump Foundation donated $100,000 to the Eric Trump Foundation.
Ian Gillule, who worked for the Trump National Westchester at the time of the payment, said the donation was made explicitly to offset the increased cost of using the Trump Organization’s facilities, meaning money donated to the President’s charitable foundation would have been used to profit the President’s business.
The publication also found a number of Eric Trump Foundation payments to other charities — some of which in turn paid the Trump Organization for charity events of their own at its golf courses — that coincided with the appointment of 14 new foundation board members, “the majority of whom owed all or much of their livelihoods to the Trump Organization.”
In response to Forbes’ reporting, a spokesperson for Eric Trump said in a statement to TPM that “at no time did the Trump Organization profit in any way from the foundation or any of its activities.” Eric Trump himself told Forbes, who interviewed him for its story, that “We get to use our assets 100% free of charge.”
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/new-york-attorney-general-looking-into-eric-trump-foundation
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/06/09/editorial-cartoon-comey.html
ReplyDelete"President Trump says he would “100 percent” speak under oath about James Comey ..."
ReplyDeleteWhen the sky is black with flying pigs.
Uh, wouldn't the sky be pink with flying pigs?
DeleteUnless they were flying potbelly pigs.
I think Moles meant that the sky would be so thick with flying pigs that the sun couldn't break through.
DeleteThank you,that's exactly what I meant. :-)
DeleteAfter listening to what Trump said,it seemed like he got confused and thought he was asked if he asked Comey to say things under oath.People are saying Trump said he will testify under oath,but I don't think that's what he thinks he said.
ReplyDeleteDoes Trump ever really understand what he says?
DeleteWell this is all certainly depressing - I had some shred of hope justice would eventually prevail - but now I realize our country will be destroyed and nothing we can do about it - Trump will pardon everyone (especially his sons and daughter), he already has all the secret money deals and connections to keep the trumps billionaires for centuries so he won't care if he is impeached - he'll just resign (with some made up excuse to save face) and go back to his cushy penthouse life. Whether he pardons himself or not is irrelevant because pence will pardon him - the republicans will have the supreme court, all the laws they every wanted passed and dismantled all regulations protecting the people and the environment and the voting situation is so dire and the general public so dumbed down that there is no way to get enough democrats in office soon enough to stop any of it.
ReplyDeleteHe can't resign until he's paid off all his creditors. Especially the Chinese and Russians. Them he can't stiff. Not without consequences. Not even the Secret Service would be able to protect him or his family.
DeleteAs long as there is money to be made, he'll cling on.