The noose gets tighter: Comey was fired after he requested more funds for the investigation.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washin ... cials-say/

I'm going to say that looks really, really bad...

Trump though cleared up everything today when he said that Comey was not doing a "good job". Well, gee, why didn't you say so before now? Well, of course if he is not doing a good job he has to be fired...

Doctor Fate wrote:Tell you what: how about a special investigation into Trump/Russia and another one into Clinton/emails?

We'll see who goes to jail first. My money's on Hillary.

But these are not even close to equivalent.

Why are you defending the narcissist-in-chief? The FBI man didn't back Trump on his wire-tapping accusations, said that he was sick to think he got Trump elected, and he's doing this Russia investigation, which was only going to get larger. Of course Trump fired him. It wasn't all about Russia. It was all about Trump, as it ALWAYS is.

More from Theatre of the Absurd...

Media:
Well, we can't believe the timing of this firing. We had no idea this was in the works. I mean, no one told us this was going to happen. It just came out of nowhere. Quite frankly, we are shocked.

Citizen:
Is the President required to inform you or receive your blessing before he fires someone who works for him?

Media:
Well, no. He doesn't need our permission of course but at the very least we would appreciate being informed of these matters. This firing took place in the afternoon. We had no idea and no time to prepare anything for our news rotations.

Citizen:
You seem to keep returning to the fact that you are upset about not knowing this firing was in the works. Is the fact you're so upset a possible indication that the Trump administration is doing a better job of stopping all the leaks to media that were illegal in the first place?

Media:
Are you accusing us of being a part of some scheme to reap the benefits of leaks?

Citizen:
No. Only curious to get your opinion on the matter. Leaks have dogged one administration after the next. This administration has pledged to get control of the leaks and put an end to them. The effort is no doubt part of Trump's promise to "drain the swamp." I'm simply curious to learn if your shock and outrage is in fact a sign of headway being made in this particular part of the swamp?

Media:
So you are accusing the media of being part of the Washington swamp then?

Citizen:
It's simply an observation about information control. You seemed to be in the driver's seat prior to this election. And now, not so much.

Media:
Well that's because we have an administration who accuses us of "fake news" and has the audacity to characterize us as the personification of evil, just because he doesn't like what we have to say about him. Don't forget, we're important players in all of this. We have pundits!

Citizen:
Is that it? Or is it possible that this is the first time you've been up against a President who doesn't recognize your role as pertinent to policy?

I think if you change citizen to "Dags" or "die-hard Trump voter" I think it would be more accurate...

It seems that Comey was fired for every single possible reason except that he was investigating a Trump/Russia connection.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

@realDONALDTRUMP

Is he threatening Comey because he expects him to contradict what he told Holt in his interview?
Or
Because he expects him to leak information about the FBI investigation that will be damaging?
Or
Some other bizarre reason?

Fate

Trump-Russian connections are the fantasies of liberal wingnuts, who grow them in hydroponic gardens powered by solar windmills

Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't express loyalty to Trump...
Because Trump needed a loyal operative to cover for him...
He wouldn't need that loyalty if the Trump-Russian connections were fantasies...

I have to believe that someone told Trump that if he fired Comey the media and the Democrats would interpret it as being done to impede the investigation into the connections between Trump and Russia. Any rational person would know that. So if you try to argue that he fired Comey to not impede the investigation into his connections to Russia...you run up against the problem that he must have been told that (1) he would take a huge political hit, and (2) it would increase not lessen the focus on his connections to Russia. Trump would have to have had a really good reason to still fire Comey under those circumstances...and we know what the reason is.

And his asking for fealty from Comey (I don't believe Comey would lie about it) as Ricky noted lends support to the idea that he has something to be worried about with regard to the investigation.

Ray Jay

It seems that Comey was fired for every single possible reason except that he was investigating a Trump/Russia connection.

I read this and laughed out loud. Good shout!

For the record, I believe I wrote that I am open to the possibility that Agent Orange was up to shenanigans with the Russians though I don't know which Russians nor have any evidence yet to support that claim.

And the talking heads have already made this point but it bears repeating. And that is, if Orangeman thought by firing Comey he would quell all the Russian boogeyman nonsense, it has had an opposite effect. The Dems and liberal media will only dig their heels in deeper from here on out. This may end up being the liberal branding of his entire presidency.

Oh, and note to self, if Trump ever calls to invite me to breakfast, lunch or dinner, politely decline. Or at least record the meeting.

Honestly Ray Jay, I think his principle reason may have come down to this....he asked Comey to focus on the leaks. He told Comey it was to be a priority. Whatever Comey did or didn't do to push the leaks to the front and center, it was perceived as not enough.

I'm sure you've been a boss at some point. How maddening is it when you've got something in your crawl and the people you are paying to work for you simply ignore your wishes. Would Ttrump fire him over something like this? Absolutely. I've seen him do it on TV! He's mad.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck..it probably is a duck.

Just about sums up my opinion of the two sides bantering back and forth...

The cartoon just obfuscates the issue. The bottom line is this: did Trump fire Comey to impede the investigation into his connections with Russia? Everything else is irrelevant, including the partisan interpretive lens through which the past actions of Comey have been viewed.

"Stay on target..."

I don't care either way. I would much rather have Pence, anyway.

If there is proof, provide it.

That's what investigations are for..and why a president firing the guy who is investigating him is typically viewed in a dim light.

I'm beginning to think that Agent Orange simply winds up the press because he can and again because he's board. He's sees them as completely insignificant and knows they will lie and spin to their hearts desire so why not have a little fun with them? Why not run them all over Hell's Half Acre? It's downright entertaining.

dag

I'm beginning to think that Agent Orange simply winds up the press because he can and again because he's board. He's sees them as completely insignificant and knows they will lie and spin to their hearts desire so why not have a little fun with them? Why not run them all over Hell's Half Acre? It's downright entertaining.

So Trump was winding Lester Holt up in his interview ?
The interview in which the president said: “In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story; it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’”

Admitting that Russia was on his mind when firing Comey?
And he admitted this because he was bored and wanted to watch the media dance?

Look, Trump lied his ass off in the interview. Because he can't help himself. He lies as easily as he breathes. And he lies to feed his narcissism and his ego. Without regard to the repercussions of being called on his BS. He's gotten away with it all his life, and only now is in an environment where the scrutiny is constant.
After the Holt interview he realized Comey was going to contradict him. And Comey has a reputation of being self righteous but also scrupulously honest.
So Trump tweeted his threats. Because, he doesn't understand that won't work with a guy like Comey either.
How do we know that Trump was BSing about the dinner.... Well start with who called who?

Trump claimed during the NBC interview that Comey requested the dinner. Comey’s allies are adamant that Trump asked for it. One current and one former senior FBI official close to Comey told NBC that the White House asked for the dinner. “The president is not correct," the former official said. "The White House called him out of the blue. Comey didn't want to do it. He didn't even want the rank and file at the FBI to know about it." But in the end: "He's still the commander in chief. He's your boss. How do you say no?

”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pow ... 4cd6600216

When Comey testifies to the Senate, he'll be asked about this dinner.... and the responses will once again display Trump as a compulsive liar.
Why doesn't that matter to you Dag?