NYT: Trump Asked Comey to End Flynn Investigation

[Crumpets]

Horrible if true. But I don’t understand, if true, why Trump is that dumb. He should have known that such a request is illegal and has the potential to throw him out of office. I mean, almost every user on here wouldn’t make such a mistake in the president’s position.

He was expressing the hope. It was not a request (technically). And I doubt that it would be illegal even if he made such a request.

However it is highly improper if the description is correct. Trump is and have been playing with fire while testing the boundaries. So far he has managed to NOT get burned.

What exactly do you think it was? Put aside what it technically says, as in, what a robot might think it was with absolutely no idea of the way people really communicate and the way power dynamics work in situations like this.  You also don't ask everyone to leave the room just to "express hope." Trump was asking Comey to end it, and taking the Breitbart-style approach and dissecting the words individually as if the entire world is stupid, is, well, kind of stupid in itself.

I'm probably going into (wishful) semantic now, but if Trump wanted to request, he'd say so. Mulsim shutdown? He meant it. Talking with Giuliani about legal Muslim ban? He meant it.

To me 'I hope you let it go' sounds like what parents/friends say to someone who can't let their 'love' go, even if everyone understands it is over. Long ago.


Comey&Dems&media would love to find 'collaboration' even if everyone understands... there is only smoke there... Being hack is like being in love

But as I said it was highly improper and Trump knew it.

I can only imagine what the reaction would have been had it been discovered Bill Clinton said something similar to Loretta Lynch when they met on the tarmac...

[Middle-aged Europe]

the writers have unfortunately postponed tonight's episode but we are hopefully back on the air tomorrow.

Reports of Spicer sobbing in gratitude could not be verified at this time.  Nor could reports of a mass chant of “Oh praise Baby Jebus!” be verified as coming from the White House.

Reince Priebus was allegedly seen streaking DC however to mark no bombshells dropped for the first time in ten days.

Evening news cycles without Trump bombshell: 1

I surely hope we don't need to wait till Wednesday, don't we?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Per NBC, a special counsel has been named to take over the FBI Russia investigation.  It's former FBI Director Robert Mueller.  http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/special-counsel-will-take-over-fbi-russia-campaign-interference-investigation-n761271

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Just in on CNN: Justice Department names Robert Mueller as Special Counsel on Russia investigation

[Yank2133]

Just in on CNN: Justice Department names Robert Mueller as Special Counsel on Russia investigation

This is a good choice.

[I Won - Get Over It]

Just in on CNN: Justice Department names Robert Mueller as Special Counsel on Russia investigation

This is a good choice.

[The_Doctor]

Solid choice; does it mean he oversees the investigation or is it still under Boente, Rodstein, and the FBI Director?

[The_Doctor]

Never mind, our show runners have decided to satiate us with a mini- episode tonight!

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy alleged on recording that he thought, in July 2016, that Putin pays Trump and Rohrbacher and Ryan stepped in to swore everyone to secrecy.

[Virginiá]

Comey&Dems&media would love to find 'collaboration' even if everyone understands... there is only smoke there... Being hack is like being in love

You're calling me a hack when you are sitting here basically denying everything? "Oh, he didn't ask Comey to drop it. It was just HOPE." This is what a child would think, and no, that's not an insult. Superficial interpretation of verbal communication is very much in the realm of child-like behavior.

You're practically drowning in Trump cult kool-aid if this what you're seriously saying. You have an excuse or rationalization for everything he does, no matter how silly. Since you've re-registered on Atlas after your previous ban, you've basically continued your role as Trump justifier and rationalizer, so you're hardly in any place to be calling anyone a hack.

[KingSweden]

IIRC the Reagan Battalion were the ones that took down Milo.

This. They're good stuff

They are huge assholes (Go read any of their tweets during the AHCA debate) but they like to pick fights with the alt right crowd.

More in the sense that their scoops/investigative abilities are solid. They're kinda prickish, but not hacks

[heatcharger]

Wait, LittleBigPlanet was banned?

[I Won - Get Over It]

Comey&Dems&media would love to find 'collaboration' even if everyone understands... there is only smoke there... Being hack is like being in love

You're calling me a hack when you are sitting here basically denying everything? "Oh, he didn't ask Comey to drop it. It was just HOPE." This is what a child would think, and no, that's not an insult. Superficial interpretation of verbal communication is very much in the realm of child-like behavior.

You're practically drowning in Trump cult kool-aid if this what you're seriously saying. You have an excuse or rationalization for everything he does, no matter how silly. Since you've re-registered on Atlas after your previous ban, you've basically continued your role as Trump justifier and rationalizer, so you're hardly in any place to be calling anyone a hack.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WaPo reporting Kevin McCarthy a month before the election told his colleagues Trump could be receiving payments from Russia.

Already in its own thread: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=264488.0

[Virginiá]

Wait, LittleBigPlanet was banned?

Yes, he was banned last year for spam posting and derailing threads on a daily basis.

[heatcharger]

Wait, LittleBigPlanet was banned?

Yes, he was banned last year for spam posting and derailing threads on a daily basis.

I remember he was tempbanned, but I just assumed he blew his load at some point after Trump won and stopped posting altogether.

Anyways, back to the topic, I wish the velocity of this story would drop a bit. I want a very slow, painful, drip-drip of information to come out over the next few weeks and months so that maximum political damage is done to Trump and the GOP.

[ApatheticAustrian]

CNN: Comey kept Trump memos in a safe place. "They're preserved because he presumes someone will want to see them.”
https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/864989019276529664



Fox News downplaying/dismissing Comey news in primetime Tues apparently didn't work with viewers. CNN first in demo; MSNBC first in total.
https://twitter.com/mlcalderone/status/864915318292054017

[Badger]

Comey&Dems&media would love to find 'collaboration' even if everyone understands... there is only smoke there... Being hack is like being in love

You're calling me a hack when you are sitting here basically denying everything? "Oh, he didn't ask Comey to drop it. It was just HOPE." This is what a child would think, and no, that's not an insult. Superficial interpretation of verbal communication is very much in the realm of child-like behavior.

You're practically drowning in Trump cult kool-aid if this what you're seriously saying. You have an excuse or rationalization for everything he does, no matter how silly. Since you've re-registered on Atlas after your previous ban, you've basically continued your role as Trump justifier and rationalizer, so you're hardly in any place to be calling anyone a hack.

You know, although you are one of the most if not the most reasonable Trump fan on this forum - - admittedly not exactly High Praise dash dash she is absolutely right that you have no grounding to call anyone else a hacker the circumstances. Sorry, just calling it as I see it.

[The Other Castro]

Cryptic:

Haley Byrd‏ @byrdinator
Haley Byrd Retweeted Benjamin Wittes
Wittes, close friend of James Comey who tweeted this before the NYT story dropped Tuesday, just tweeted it again five minutes ago:

Benjamin Wittes‏ @benjaminwittes
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

[The_Doctor]

Cryptic:

Haley Byrd‏ @byrdinator
Haley Byrd Retweeted Benjamin Wittes
Wittes, close friend of James Comey who tweeted this before the NYT story dropped Tuesday, just tweeted it again five minutes ago:

Benjamin Wittes‏ @benjaminwittes
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

The writers are living up to their evening deadline.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Cryptic:

Haley Byrd‏ @byrdinator
Haley Byrd Retweeted Benjamin Wittes
Wittes, close friend of James Comey who tweeted this before the NYT story dropped Tuesday, just tweeted it again five minutes ago:

Benjamin Wittes‏ @benjaminwittes
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

The writers are living up to their evening deadline.

I wish they'd move the show to a new time slot.  The current one falls right in the middle of my evening commute.

[The Other Castro]

Cryptic:

Haley Byrd‏ @byrdinator
Haley Byrd Retweeted Benjamin Wittes
Wittes, close friend of James Comey who tweeted this before the NYT story dropped Tuesday, just tweeted it again five minutes ago:

Benjamin Wittes‏ @benjaminwittes
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

The writers are living up to their evening deadline.

I wish they'd move the show to a new time slot.  The current one falls right in the middle of my evening commute.

The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.

[Devout Centrist]

https://youtu.be/Q3Kvu6Kgp88

[Middle-aged Europe]

Cryptic:

Haley Byrd‏ @byrdinator
Haley Byrd Retweeted Benjamin Wittes
Wittes, close friend of James Comey who tweeted this before the NYT story dropped Tuesday, just tweeted it again five minutes ago:

Benjamin Wittes‏ @benjaminwittes
tick tick tick tick tick tick tick

The writers are living up to their evening deadline.

I wish they'd move the show to a new time slot.  The current one falls right in the middle of my evening commute.

You've got nothing to complain... it's midnight here when these stories break.

[The Other Castro]

Looks like this might be the story:

"Comey prepared extensively for his conversations with Trump"

You must be logged in to read this quote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-prepared-extensively-for-his-conversations-with-trump/2017/05/18/e53b1734-3bf1-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.c5c0660e6960

[The Other Castro]

We now have a statement from Trump on whether he did what Comey says he did: "No."