Monday, April 16, 2018

As promised let's discuss last night's James Comey interview.

Here are some excerpts courtesy of the NYT.

Comparisons to a mob boss:

STEPHANOPOULOS: How strange is it for you to sit here and compare the president to a mob boss? 

COMEY: Very strange. And I don’t do it lightly. I — and I’m not trying to, by the way, suggest that President Trump is out breaking legs and — you know, shaking down shopkeepers. But instead, what I’m talking about is that leadership culture constantly comes back to me when I think about my experience with the Trump administration. The — the loyalty oaths, the boss as the dominant center of everything, it’s all about how do you serve the boss, what’s in the boss’s interests. It’s the family, the family, the family, the family. That’s why it reminds me so much and not, “So what’s the right thing for the country and what are the values of the institutions that we’re dealing with?”

Trump's impact on those around him:

The challenge of this president is that he will stain everyone around him. And the question is, how much stain is too much stain and how much stain eventually makes you unable to accomplish your goal of protecting the country and serving the country? So I don’t know.

Trump's bizarre response to news that Russia had interfered in the election:  

No one, to my recollection, asked, “So what — what’s coming next from the Russians?” You’re about to lead a country that has an adversary attacking it and I don’t remember any questions about, “So what are they going to do next? How might we stop it? What’s the future look like? Because we’ll be custodians of the security of this country.” There was none of that. It was all, “What can we say about what they did and how it affects the election that we just had.”

Are the Russians blackmailing Trump?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think the Russians have something on Donald Trump? 

COMEY: I think it’s possible. I don’t know. These are more words I never thought I’d utter about a president of the United States, but it’s possible. 

STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s stunning. You can’t say for certain that the president of the United States is not compromised by the Russians? 

COMEY: It is stunning and I wish I wasn’t saying it, but it’s just — it’s the truth. I cannot say that. It always struck me and still strikes me as unlikely, and I would have been able to say with high confidence about any other president I dealt with, but I can’t. It’s possible.

How Clinton's inevitability convinced Comey that revealing the newly discovered emails on Anthony Weiner's laptop would not hurt her campaign:

STEPHANOPOULOS: At some level, wasn’t the decision to reveal influenced by your assumption that Hillary Clinton was going to win? And your concern that she wins, this comes out several weeks later, and then that’s taken by her opponent as a sign that she’s an illegitimate president? 

COMEY: It must have been. I don’t remember consciously thinking about that, but it must have been. Because I was operating in a world where Hillary Clinton was going to beat Donald Trump. And so I’m sure that it — that it was a factor. Like I said, I don’t remember spelling it out, but it had to have been. That — that she’s going to be elected president, and if I hide this from the American people, she’ll be illegitimate the moment she’s elected, the moment this comes out.

 Concerning his possible impact on the outcome of the election:

But a whole lot of me was thinking, “Oh my God, did we have some role in this? Did we have some impact on the election?” And it’s an incredibly painful juxtaposition, but also thinking, “I really wouldn’t have done it any differently.” 

God, I hope we had no impact. I hope we had no impact. But it — I know — I worry it sounds arrogant to say, but it — it wouldn’t change the result.

Comey also revealed that though he did not vote in the election, that his wife and essentially entire family were Hillary supporters, which must have made the days immediately after the election especially fun for him.

And finally on Trump's stunning lack of morality:  

I don’t buy this stuff about him being mentally incompetent or early stages of dementia. He strikes me as a person of above average intelligence who’s tracking conversations and knows what’s going on. I don’t think he’s medically unfit to be president. I think he’s morally unfit to be president. 

A person who sees moral equivalence in Charlottesville, who talks about and treats women like they’re pieces of meat, who lies constantly about matters big and small and insists the American people believe it — that person’s not fit to be president of the United States, on moral grounds. And that’s not a policy statement. Again, I don’t care what your views are on guns or immigration or taxes. 

There’s something more important than that that should unite all of us, and that is our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country. The most important being truth. This president is not able to do that. He is morally unfit to be president.

I left out the more salacious information about hand size, Russian hookers, and the pee pee tape, because I think that has already been covered in previous posts.

My take away from this interview is that Comey is essentially reporting what most of us already know about Trump's unfitness to lead this country, but he is also demonstrating his own inability to admit his mistakes, and to recognize that he could indeed have made better choices.

At one point Stephanopoulos asks him if he thinks Trump should be impeached, and Comey say he does not because it lets the American people off the hook, and instead believes Trump should be voted out in the next election cycle.

I completely disagree with that because it would allow Trump several more years to damage the country, and also fail to send a message to future corrupt politicians that there are consequences for that corruption.

The articles of impeachment exist for a reason, and if this ain't it, then I don't know what would be.

41 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:43 AM

    Nothing but another sales pitch for a book interview.

    Once again, someone doesn't like Trump's personality or way of doing things. A lot of nothing in essence.

    Hope you all enjoy spending more money on a ghostwritten book. The publishers sure pump these out fast these days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Serious question, do trolls EVER sleep?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:07 AM

      Was it ghostwritten? I suppose it *may* have been, but Comey is certainly literate, well-educated and well-spoken enough to have authored it himself. I'll bet he knows every word that was in it and would not have let it be published without verifying it - quite unlike certain other folks who have had books and blogs ghostwritten in their name.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:16 AM

      Serious question Gryph... What kind of head of FBI makes a publicly announced law enforcement decision... based on who he thinks is going to win an election?

      It makes absolutely no sense. He frankly does come across as incompetent.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous9:18 AM

      "The articles of impeachment exist for a reason, and if this ain't it...."

      If what ain't it? What are you saying he should be impeached on?

      Delete
    5. Obstruction, collusion, treason, I'm not picky.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous9:43 AM

      HOo many copies of Art of the Deal are on YOUR shelf, 8:43?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous9:51 AM

      Based on Comey's book? Where he says he doesn't know, feels that he is compromised is unlikely, and a bunch of other wishy washy responses?

      This is a bitter mans cash in book.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous9:59 AM

      9:18 AM Have you been deaf and dumb for the past 2 years?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:02 AM

      @8:43 AM Hope you and your fellow trumptards enjoyed spending a fortune to attend Trump's fraud University.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:26 AM

      https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/16/james-comey-book-clinton-spokesman-reaction-526574

      Nick Merrill>" knocked Comey for creating a “public spectacle of the conclusion of the email investigation,” the latest of several allies of the former secretary of state to speak out in response to the FBI director’s highly publicized media tour."
      "“He made a public spectacle of the conclusion of the email investigation, breaking with Department norms, calling into question the integrity of the process,” Merrill wrote. “It did nothing to quiet the Trump campaign from accusing the FBI of bias & did everything to make Americans feel uneasy.”
      ""I don't remember consciously thinking about that, but it must have been,” Comey said. “I was operating in a world where Hillary Clinton was going to beat Donald Trump. I'm sure that it was a factor."
      "“What amazes me … is that he decided to send the letter to the Hill because of a political consideration and that political consideration was he put it upon himself to be worried about whether or not the next president of the United States was going to be considered legitimate,” Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton’s communications director in 2016, told CNN on Sunday." "John Podesta, Clinton’s former campaign chairman, called Comey’s letter to lawmakers “one of the worst errors of judgment in post-Hoover FBI history” "Profiting indeed. 850,000 copies of his book have been printed and will likely sell, with scores of paid speeches on leadership that will accompany that," Merrill tweeted. "But yes, Hillary Clinton is the one that should go away."Asked whether Clinton would address Comey’s remarks, Merrill said in an email that his Twitter comments are
      “probably where we’ll leave it right now.”"

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:44 AM

      Lol. The jump to conclusions club is all here. Someone speaks reality and they are all of a sudden a Trump fan or 'Trumptards'...

      Sorry, but all you guys have been operating on for the last year and a half is a lot of unproven theories and stories all passed around from blog to blog. And even pushed to a large degree in mainstream media like cnn and cbs... all speculation. Just saying someone should be impeached doesn't cut the mustard.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous10:51 AM

      You mean like $arah Palin's "ghostwritten" books? Gotcha!

      Delete
    13. Happy To Pay My Own Bills10:57 AM

      Right, it's all just petty conflict about Trump's personality and way of doing things. BTW, all these people who defended the guy who singlehandedly lowered political discourse into the gutter are now clutching the pearls over Comey mentioning in passing details he remembers about Trump's tie, skin tone and hand size. Fuck you every one of you filthy Trump voters!

      Delete
    14. Anonymous11:12 AM

      "Obstruction, collusion, treason, I'm not picky."

      Okaaaay, but did Comey go there, and provide evidence?

      Delete
    15. Anonymous2:28 PM

      This is nothing more than Comey selling a book and Stephanopoulos vying for some ratings. Much ado about nada.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous3:08 PM

      I'm a very moderate liberal and I don't know a single person who has downloaded this book.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous7:25 PM

      3:08. Do you spend your day asking the many multiples of folks you know if they downloaded the book? It's not even available for downloading yet. You are a one silly lying clown.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous8:18 PM

      What is that?

      Is that the sound of a sad trombone as this supposed earth shattering interview fell flat?

      Delete
    19. Anonymous8:37 AM

      8:18pm : that's the air whistling through your ears.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8:48 AM

    It was a little weird.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:14 AM

    I wish there was a way to get the truth from people who deal in secrecy. But it's not possible.
    Even Comey's words show that he has been trained to be respectful towards people like Trump. I honestly in my own little heart believe this guy was complicit in knowing what it would do to Hillary when he put the word out on Hillary.
    I believe that being from a woman hating culture in the USA Comey did what he did.
    But he hadn't counted on Trump being like the scorpion that he is. Now he knows.
    I am so sick of our narcissist of a president. There hasn't been a day that this guy has not been on the news. It's maddening.
    Remember how George W. and his people tried the same thing Trump is attempting? How they tried to ramrod their way over our democracy? Not asking permission from congress for war to Iraq?
    Remember the grieving mom that stood by the white house fence trying to make George W. accountable for sending her son to a worthless war? Remember the guy in the locker room at that time who was badmouthing George W. and someone heard and sicced the FBI on him? These were times of suspicion and fascism at its' worst.
    Then Sarah came along with all her bile and unleashed the demons of our country.
    Then she came forth and endorsed the devil's emissary. Thanks a fucking lot Sarah. May you dry up and die a slow death.
    Now we are here hoping like hell we can get our country back from the devil and his constituents. It's gonna be a hard one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:33 AM

      'The Devil is Female And I can prove it'
      "In the beginning There was God No matter How you believe in HIM we all aggre he is a HIM but to Prove this first I will point to Mary as we all know God impregnated her with his son This is proof God MUST be Male.
      Ok now on to showing the Devil is female .
      First her name was Luci--fer Yea just look her biggest lie right out were you can see it.
      . Right off she uses her very name its self to put the blame on a male.
      Ok more proof well God wanted some one who he could share some of his glory with and made her first Now can you really Think he would make a woman for Adam but not for him self?
      Anyway to show more first thing this Woman does is tell him she wants half of every THING HE MADE. Well we all know what happens next the kik her out faze .Now you have a woman Luci--fer who has been scorned and hell came into being.
      So this very pissed woman what does she do next in her jellies rage?
      Goes and finds the ONLY other woman God made and MESSES WITH HER life to get revenge on God .
      But a scorned woman isn't easily modified . She keeps it up all through out history .
      Now here we are in 2012 and she has finly Gotten her altamit Revenge.
      Men have worked for 50 thousand years to make this world for there woman.
      And she has not only convinced them to take half of every thing we worked so hard to make but that woman are better then men > She did this by belittling men to the point woman dont just take half of what the man made but they take part of his soul as well .
      and has gotten her revenge on God buy not only making woman get half but take even more to destroy the very men that made what they take. Which is what she wanted to do to God but couldn't .
      But she did compensate men Even though that its self is torture as she well knows.
      wile The market hasnt fallen totaly yet investing in a relationship has CRASHED.
      And men are left with cheep sex as compassion just look at its every ware .
      and wile its just one night of cheep sex that gets US nothing and cost us something its better then investing in a crashed market that will cost us our soul.
      The story you have just read is true only Gods real name was omitted to protect his soventary."

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9:24 AM

    Turkey! welcome here NOW!xxx--->

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:41 AM

    McFUKU$hame:

    https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/views-ex-prosecutor-sunny-hostin-calls-bs-meghan-mccain-smearing-james-comey-leaker/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:43 AM

    Kelly anne artist made the rounds this am and said Comey elected trump when he came out about Hillary's emails,oops,first time telling the truth.

    I didn't buy his reason for coming out about the emails and keeping quite that trump was under investigation.

    Maybe there is more in the book,but trump is "selling"more books with his tantrums and RNC smear campaign,basically proving the mob boss comment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:38 AM

    I agree with you about impeachment Gryphen. It needs to happen. There is too much damage being done to our country with this administration.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:05 AM

    Trump allies are helping Russia spread lies about brutality in Syria

    When the Pentagon warned that a Russian disinformation campaign was underway, they forgot to mention that allies of the president were spreading it.

    The Russian propaganda machine is hard at work in the aftermath of the airstrikes on Syria, pushing disinformation about the chemical attacks and accusing the U.S. of wanting to start another world war.

    https://shareblue.com/disinformation-campaign-syria-russia-trump-allies/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11:07 AM

    Trump ‘jokes’ about firing John Bolton after just one week on the job

    “By the way, John Bolton is here,” Trump said, “and we just had a big, successful hit. John?”

    When Trump tried to continue, he was interrupted by applause that culminated in several attendees standing.

    “I’m a little jealous,” Trump said. “Are you giving him all the credit? You know that means the end of his job.”

    https://shareblue.com/trump-joke-firing-john-bolton-jealous/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:23 AM

    Trump Jokes About John Bolton Losing His Job After Getting ‘All the Credit’ on Syria Strike

    https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-jokes-about-john-bolton-losing-his-job-after-getting-all-the-credit-on-syria-strike/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:55 PM

      Trump is building the case of who to blame since he did not have the approval of Congress to bomb, Syria.

      The question remains what will Congress do about it.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous11:26 AM

    Identity Of Michael Cohen’s ‘Mystery’ Client Revealed As Sean Hannity

    Trump’s personal lawyer once represented the Fox News host, according to Cohen’s lawyer.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-cohen-sean-hannity_us_5ad4ef98e4b016a07e9f6410

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous1:56 PM

    James Comey broke America and he's a little ashamed of himself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:07 PM

      Precisely! He's also really full of himself.

      Delete
    2. scruffer5:52 PM

      He should be much more than 'a little ashamed of himself'.

      Delete
    3. scruffer5:56 PM

      But also, let's be clear, he's not the one that 'broke' America.
      The disgusting decline in education and public participation broke that. The 'pit them against each other' right wing racist/classist 0.1% caused that. The apathy of the American people caused that. The us vs. them mentality caused that.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous2:15 PM

      America was broke way back.
      Glad you woke up. Coffee?

      Delete
  13. Anonymous5:38 PM

    Trump is amoral. How many lies has he told since his election? Thousands. Trump supporters are the scourge of this country ... immoral and ignorant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:50 AM

      https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/gop-lawmaker-says-hes-never-heard-trump-lie/

      Delete
  14. Anonymous5:41 PM

    Trump loves the gullible 'trust in Trump' crowd. They are so easy for him to manipulate. Low IQ Fox 'educated' dopes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous7:19 PM

    Emotionally he is practically an infant. That's why his base feels a kinship.

    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.