The evolution of Comey

So let's go back in time just a few months... and see what the president, politicians and the media thought on Jim Comey then.

President Obama: "He's got the resume, but more importantly, a strong sense of right and wrong."

Democratic National Committee: "We are pleased that the career officials handling this case have determined that no further action by the Department of Justice is appropriate."

CNN: "If there is a silver lining to this episode from a public perspective, it is that the investigation itself appears to have been conducted without fear or favor. Comey is regarded as a straight shooter by both sides of the aisle. Who can forget that as deputy attorney general for President George W. Bush, it was Comey who raced into a hospital and stopped top administration officials from persuading a sick attorney general to bless their wiretapping schemes? No one should forget that President Barack Obama appointed Comey, a registered Republican, to serve as FBI director. Americans' trust in public officials and public institutions has fallen abysmally, as we all know. So far as we can now tell, the country in this instance has been well served by a leader and an FBI that has been diligent, hard-working and fair. Embittered partisans will disagree, but for my book, the FBI seems to have gotten this one right."

Richard Blumenthal, a former U.S. attorney for four years and former state attorney general for 20 years, said he has complete confidence in the integrity of FBI Director James Comey, a former Connecticut resident who made the announcement Tuesday: "He's a former colleague and a friend, and most important, his record demonstrates that he has both the capacity and the determination to make judgments about criminal matters with the highest degree of integrity and professionalism. So, I trust his judgment, and I believe it will have a great deal of credibility with the American people."

A lot changed in a couple months.

What changed with James Comey?

James Comey's decision to revive the investigation of Hillary Clinton's email server and her handling of classified material came after he could no longer resist mounting pressure by mutinous agents in the FBI, including some of his top deputies, according to a source close to the embattled FBI director.
'Some people, including department heads, stopped talking to Jim, and even ignored his greetings when they passed him in the hall,' said the source. 'They felt that he betrayed them and brought disgrace on the bureau by letting Hillary off with a slap on the wrist.'
According to the source, Comey fretted over the problem for months and discussed it at great length with his wife, Patrice.
He told his wife that he was depressed by the stack of resignation letters piling up on his desk from disaffected agents. The letters reminded him every day that morale in the FBI had hit rock bottom.
'He's been ignoring the resignation letters in the hope that he could find a way of remedying the situation,' said the source.
'When new emails that appeared to be related to Hillary's personal email server turned up in a computer used [her close aide] Huma Abedin and [Abedin's disgraced husband,] Anthony Weiner, Comey jumped at the excuse to reopen the investigation.
'The people he trusts the most have been the angriest at him,' the source continued. 'And that includes his wife, Pat. She kept urging him to admit that he had been wrong when he refused to press charges against the former secretary of state.

Meanwhile, in the Clinton camp.

Clinton’s aggressive strategy contrasts with her bunker mentality in previous episodes of the controversy over her e-mail practices at the State Department. Her campaign is taking a calculated risk in publicly criticizing Comey and pressing him to quickly release more detail. Should new information contradict past statements or call into question the judgment of Clinton or any of her advisers who migrated from the Obama administration to her campaign, it could be damaging.
Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Pricknick's picture

It's getting very mushy on the bottom side of the Clinton bus tires.
It makes the alignment questionable.
Maybe that's why they have to dump the sewage tank in public. Too much shit adds to the wobble.

up
0 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

link

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid told FBI Director James Comey that he may have broken the law by disclosing a revived investigation of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton days before the election and suggested the agency is withholding information about Republican Donald Trump.

“I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act, which bars FBI officials from using their official authority to influence an election,” Reid wrote in a letter to Comey on Sunday, which was obtained by Bloomberg.

Reid said that he understands that Comey and other top national security officials have “explosive information” about close ties and coordination between Trump, his top advisers, and the Russian government but has chosen not to release it.

up
0 users have voted.

link

An ABC/Washington Post tracking survey released Sunday, conducted both before and after Comey’s letter was made public on Friday, found that about one-third of likely voters, including 7 percent of Clinton supporters, said the new e-mail revelations made them less likely to support the former secretary of state.

The poll found that Clinton received support from 46 percent of likely voters to Trump’s 45 percent, suggesting the race is a toss-up. That contrasts with the 12-point advantage that Clinton held in the same poll a week ago. Trump’s numbers have crept up, in part, as more Republicans have gotten behind their candidate.

up
0 users have voted.
WoodsDweller's picture

Bear in mind that the last poll a pollster publishes before the election is the real one. They are free to put their thumbs on the scale to create a narrative when it's months before the election, but the last poll is the one that measures how close they are and whether they get business the next cycle.
And those show it's a competitive race.
Talk about Trump, Trump loses. Talk about Clinton, Clinton loses. ALL TRUMP ALL THE TIME ON EVERY CHANNEL FOR MONTHS. But not next week. Next week we talk about Clinton.

up
0 users have voted.

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

Whoa, thanks for all of the links and info!

The bullshit machine set on high - traitors accusing FBI investigator of being a traitor based on baseless propaganda lines intended to be used for global fascist conquest.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-30/comey-is-mum-on-cl...

Reid Says Comey May Have Broken the Law by Disclosing Probe
Michael Riley MichaelRileyDC
Steven T. Dennis @StevenTDennis
Sahil Kapur sahilkapur
October 30, 2016 — 12:35 PM CDT Updated on October 30, 2016 — 8:26 PM CDT

...The FBI director was advised by the Justice Department that his move would violate long-standing protocols to refrain from discussing on-going investigations and not to take major investigative steps that could be perceived as political interference, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Richard Painter, who was chief White House ethics lawyer in the Bush administration from 2005 to 2007 and is now supporting Clinton, wrote in the New York Times on Sunday that he’d filed a complaint against the FBI for a possible violation of the Hatch Act, which bars the use of an official position to influence an election. ...

Yup, because criminal behaviour among candidates must be kept secret from the public. We all know that the Bush Admin had no ethics, either, and would have tolerated none being imposed - and that they serve as precedent for Hillary's behaviours.

The other criminals already in public office certainly are giving themselves away publicly, aren't they? The Big Lie only fools some of the people some of the time.

Do they seriously have no idea how stupid, ugly and dangerous this anti-Russian propaganda as an 'excuse' for nuking the Russian people is? Especially after all of the times they've got away with this before, but about which the public is becoming better-informed?

They're so used to attacking those smaller and weaker than themselves, they have no idea how lucky they/we all are that Putin is so sane and reasonable regarding all of this pathological BS - the contrast totally showing them up for what they are. Fascist globalists out for world domination.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-31/clinton-allies-go-...

White House Sees No FBI Meddling as Clinton Allies Attack
Jennifer Epstein jeneps
Kevin Cirilli kevcirilli
Chris Strohm cstrohm
October 30, 2016 — 11:00 PM CDT Updated on October 31, 2016 — 3:59 PM CDT

As Hillary Clinton’s allies went on the attack against FBI Director James Comey, the White House pushed back against accusations from some Democrats that the agency chief is purposely interfering with the presidential election.

President Barack Obama’s spokesman, Josh Earnest, said Monday that he will “neither defend nor criticize” Comey’s decision to disclose a review of newly discovered e-mails that might be related to the investigation of the former secretary of state’s use of a private server.

But he said there’s no reason to believe Comey is “secretly strategizing to benefit one candidate or one political party. He’s in a tough spot.” ...

... The Justice Department sent a three-paragraph letter to lawmakers Monday afternoon that offered no new details in response to demands to explain the new investigation and Comey’s decision to go public with it over objections from the department.

“We assure you that the Department will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resources and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible,” Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik wrote. “We hope this information is helpful.” ...

Considering that these are corporate/Clinton people, this sounds like a barely veiled threat. Any disappearances/suicides/unfortunate accidents occurring to Comey/his family will obviously be met with grave suspicion as must any rigged trials, as it seems that Comey is now risking all to finally try to do the right thing for his people and country.

This whole corrupt mess in government needs to fall in order to remove the corruption and start over. Regime change finally starting at home so that it won't in other countries any more.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Pricknick's picture

Is Harry making accusations he can't back up?
Hearsay evidence Harry?
Good riddance to a deep down blue dog. May the entire democratic party follow him into retirement.

up
0 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Bollox Ref's picture

Boo!!

Thanks Harry.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Amanda Matthews's picture

bad on? Of all the crap that he's either colluded with the right on or just plain folded, standing up to the Feds for a crooked* politician is where he wants to hang his hat? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. These people are more concerned with their jobs and their own self-interests than they are right and wrong, ethical or unethical, legal or illegal.

Pelosi is no better.

What's really depressing is that 'sexism' is an issue that runs rampant throughout this whole mess. whether anyone likes it or not. But not in the usual manner. It's almost a 'reverse' sexism, and the Clinton creature and her acolytes milk it for all its worth.

Millions of Americans, particularly members of my own sex, are willing to vote for her just because she IS a woman. While a woman president would be a wonderful thing, this is not the woman for the job. She is, in fact, pretty much the worst woman for the job. She is a shameless, self-serving, dishonest woman. She has a track record of 'questionable' acts and poor judgement but, because she is a woman, millions are willing to ignore and/or excuse this fact. They have so far, so why would they stop now? As a Senator she didn't accomplish much but as SOS she was a compete disaster. Every thing that she touched went to Hell in a hand basket. She claims to be as up-to-the-job as any past president, ready to stand up and start wars with Russia and Iran, ready to kick ass and take names, but cries that she's being 'picked on' and drops the 'he's being a sexist meanie' card whenever anyone points out an untruth in her statements, or suggests that she's wrong about an issue, or points out her corruption and she has nothing else to come back with. Like I said in another comment I made somewhere else here, is it Dainty Flower or Iron Maiden? This is no way to run and election OR elect a president, but it's exactly what it boils down to. *sigh*

Oh well, Harry's going to come to her aid, her own Dudley Do-Right to the rescue. "Gadzooks, how dare those dastardly Federal Agents go picking on Shillary again?"

I think this is where he foolishly decides to demonstrate what a pitiful political hack he is and inserts his own 2 cents into the fracas because the election isn't about putting the best candidate into the White House (both Shills and Trump prove that), it's about maintaining power and control and being able to screw the majority for the benefit of a very very small minority.

*crooked - one of the few damn things Trump has been right about.

EDIT: Added sentence to end of paragraph #3

up
0 users have voted.

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

... is it Dainty Flower or Iron Maiden?

Sometimes I call her Little Miss Muffet, and sometimes the Magic Chipmunk.

up
0 users have voted.
Amanda Matthews's picture

to yourself, it makes sense.

Margaret Thatcher would be appalled.

up
0 users have voted.

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Hasn't Hillary already disqualified herself by claiming to be unable to remember anything about basic national security protocol, due to a bump on the head what, over a year ago? this evidently - according to her FBI statements under questioning - having knocked just about everything she claims as 'her experience' as Secretary of State right out of her head, at least while being questioned about it by the FBI and therefore needing to remember?

A self-confessed mentally incompetent President incapable of remembering even basic national security requirements is obviously impossible to consider, being a hazard to all.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Oldest Son Of A Sailor's picture

Trying to throw the election of her highnass...

up
0 users have voted.
"Do you realize the responsibility I carry?
I'm the only person standing between Richard Nixon and the White House."

~John F. Kennedy~
Economic: -9.13, Social: -7.28,

Why doesn't Her Heinous just ask Huma "what's on the emails on the laptop you''ve been sharing with your husband all the time you were working with me at State."

Doesn't seem like a difficult question. Huma could always say "well, as it stands now."

up
0 users have voted.

The FBI can't release any info on an ongoing case, but she could just tell us. She is the one that sent them to Huma and vice versa. Just more stalling and the Russians bullshit.

up
0 users have voted.
Bollox Ref's picture

I see that sad sack Harry Reid is on the case.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

dervish's picture

that's something he's known for.

up
0 users have voted.

"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Bollox Ref's picture

oh, wait.

up
0 users have voted.

Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

lotlizard's picture

These smoldering scandals are like a bunch of lit fuses — it might just end up going off under their own a— and finally blow the lot of them sky high.

up
0 users have voted.

That happens every time they put their faith in Republicans.

up
0 users have voted.

"If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, take their money and then vote against them you've got no business being in Congress."

Comey switched parties and contributed big moolah to the Clinton Foundation.

up
0 users have voted.

Neoliberals love them. They don't even have to switch sides to get hired. Liberals, OTOH...

up
0 users have voted.

"If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, take their money and then vote against them you've got no business being in Congress."

Wink's picture

one of those running as a "Dem" here in my c.d. Neither candidate (both Repubs) live in the state let alone the district. This is how "they" do it. "They" being the GOP. Got an open seat (or one you wish to protect)? Just run one of your Repubs as a Dem in that district. How do we keep losing down ballot races? By not running real registered Dems.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Amanda Matthews's picture

that there is new 'information' that calls for legitimate investigation? The problem isn't about something the Clinton creature's been lying about for over a year and a half now, it's because Comey is a 'neoliberal'? Do is Shillary. She's a Neo-liberal Third Way 'New' Democrat. So I don't think that's the answer.

I think it's more 'old sins cast long shadows', and Shills is standing out there in the dark.

up
0 users have voted.

I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

solublefish's picture

If a little belatedly so? I admit I was surprised when the Comey vs Clinton story showed up last week. I have not followed the Director's career closely, but I do recall hearing him interviewed at the time of the Ashcroft hospital incident, and thinking he was a rare bird for sticking his neck out for principle. The UK Daily Mail clip you posted seems to explain what happened. I'll be interested to see if any other media outlets corroborate this - or even repeat it. (On the other hand, the Daily Mail story, I see, was written by Ed Klein, so could be complete garbage.)

up
0 users have voted.
solublefish's picture

And no doubt it makes sense: it is an intelligible and coherent narrative. Unfortunately that doesn't mean it is true. I would like to hear more about the FBI agents who supposedly were handing in their resignations after Comey allegedly let HRC off the hook in June - or any other corroborating detail.

Still, I have to admit, the story as told here makes a damn sight more sense than the one Hillary is spinning.

up
0 users have voted.

Come tumblin' down! Yes the walls, come rumbling' tumblin'!
HA!

no peace for her

up
0 users have voted.

Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

lotlizard's picture

up
0 users have voted.

I was thinking Mellencamp, but that works Well also!

peace

up
0 users have voted.

Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

it is that the investigation itself appears to have been conducted without fear or favor

You have to be kidding me. He misrepresented the nature of criminal intent to let her off the hook. He said she had been reckless and wrong with classified info and anyone else would have been prosecuted, but no reasonable prosecutor would prosecute her. He pointed out some untruths she told, but did not recommend anything at all about those. He took the unprecedented step of making a public recommendation about prosecuting. How is any of that without favor?

Media and the ptb keep pretending that everything is on the up and up while they screw the rest of America. And we enable them because we take it and take it and take it.

Thank you, sir. May I have another?

BTW, this is crap: "when he refused to press charges against the former secretary of state." It's not his job to press charges. I don't even think he has the power to press charges if he wanted to. It's not even his job to decide if charges should be pressed. He can recommend, but the decision is up to the D of J.

Comey's job is to investigate, which, for better or worse, he performed. It's the D of J that has the responsibility for the prosecution decision. Although Lynch purported to slither out from under it by saying she would accept Comey's decision as final because of that dicey tarmac tête-à-tête, she doesn't get to decide what duties her department performs or doesn't perform.. (What the heck is it with the Clintons and tarmac, anyway? Serbia, haircut, Lynch).

Even if she compromised herself (and why did she?), she can recuse herself, but she can't recuse her entire department. When the Chief Justice recuses himself, that does not let the entire SCOTUS off the hook. No matter what, it's the D of J that is not pressing charges. The rest is smoke and mirrors.

Talking heads Sunday morning said about half the FBI is rebelling because of dissatisfaction with Comey's exoneration attempt. That doesn't cheer me up as far as the FBI's integrity, though, because about half the country leans right while the other half leans left. The division could very will simply be along party lines.

Bottom line: if any of this was on the up and up, Lynch would have been removed for cause after she had an utterly inappropriate and unethical tarmac meeting with Bubba; Comey would have been removed for cause when he said anyone else would have been prosecuting but not Her; and the D of J would have publicly taken responsibility for the prosecution because it is the D of J's call, no matter what is said publicly.

Lynch, then Comey, both befouled themselves and their departments and their President. And then their President and ours befouled himself by doing absolutely nothing. He allowed his position and loyalties as head of the Democratic Party and whatever deal he made with the Clintons in 2008 to supersede his Constitutional oath. Eff the lot of them and the Clintons and the private jets they each rode in on (at your expense, suckas!)

up
0 users have voted.
Wink's picture

sticks this time. Doubt it. The Village protects their own. But hoping. We need some fresh air.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

on each other.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/laptop-may-include-thousands-of-emails-linke...

If you read the WSJ article from yesterday that does a nice job of exploring the DOJ vs FBI aspects of the story, it seems pretty clear to me that McCabe is one of the sources for the story. He set himself up as one of the primary "bad guys" when his wife took all that money from McAuliffe. He wants to pin it on Justice to exonerate himself, and the article goes on at length about how Justice did its best to shut down the Foundation investigation. With the email investigation, I remember reading in the excerpts of interview transcripts here how the FBI agent would ask a question, five Clinton lawyers would object, and the DOJ lawyers would back the Clinton lawyers.

From what's been coming out in the past few days, it becomes clearer and clearer that Bill went on Lynch's plane just to thank her for a job well done.

Now what we need is an honest DOJ career lawyer who will expose what went on at Justice to sabotage this investigation with all of the immunity deals, destroyed evidence, and no search warrants or grand juries.

up
0 users have voted.