+30
The FBI chief told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Abedin had made 'a regular practice' of forwarding 'hundreds and thousands' of Clinton-related emails to Weiner, 'some of which contain classified information'. But he was wrong - and is now being fired. Weiner is still being investigated by the FBI for sexting a 15-year-old girl
[h=1]'Was he fired?' Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov jokes about Comey sacking as he spars once again with NBC's Andrea Mitchell at the State Department[/h]
Lavrov made the unexpected comment during a visit to the State Department, just hours after President Trump's firing of the FBI boss once again brought swirling investigations of alleged Russian election interference to the forefront.
Lavrov appeared with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for a brief photo-op that included a prolonged handshake between the two men.
'Does the Comey firing cast a shadow over your talks, gentlemen?' Mitchell shouted out.
Lavrov responded: 'Was he fired? You are kidding! You are kidding!'
+6
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) watches as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts to a reporter's question by joking about FBI Director James Comey's firing
With that, Lavrov shrugged his shoulders, turned away from gathered reporters, and walked out the door of the ornate Treaty Room where the event was held as reporters continued to yell questions about the Russia investigation.
Lavrov didn't offer any other words.
Tillerson's own remarks were brief, and overlapped with the long handshake with the skilled and longtime emissary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'I want to welcome foreign minister Lavrov to the State Department,' Tillerson said, 'and express my appreciation for him making the trip to Washington so that we could continue our dialogue and our exchange of views that began in Moscow with the dialogue he hosted on a very broad range of topics. Thank you.'
- Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited Washington to continue talks with Secretary of State Tillerson and meet with President Donald Trump
- His visit came hours after the firing of FBI Director James Comey, which numerous lawmakers have tied to the bureau's Russia probe
- NBC's Andrea Mitchell yelled out a question about Comey during a brief photo-op Wednesday
- 'Was he fired? You are kidding! You are kidding!' Lavrov responded
- Lavrov scolded Mitchell at a Moscow press conference in April, asking: 'Who was bringing you up? ... Who was giving you your manners, you know?'
Lavrov made the unexpected comment during a visit to the State Department, just hours after President Trump's firing of the FBI boss once again brought swirling investigations of alleged Russian election interference to the forefront.
Lavrov appeared with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for a brief photo-op that included a prolonged handshake between the two men.
'Does the Comey firing cast a shadow over your talks, gentlemen?' Mitchell shouted out.
Lavrov responded: 'Was he fired? You are kidding! You are kidding!'
+6
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R) watches as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacts to a reporter's question by joking about FBI Director James Comey's firing
With that, Lavrov shrugged his shoulders, turned away from gathered reporters, and walked out the door of the ornate Treaty Room where the event was held as reporters continued to yell questions about the Russia investigation.
Lavrov didn't offer any other words.
Tillerson's own remarks were brief, and overlapped with the long handshake with the skilled and longtime emissary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
'I want to welcome foreign minister Lavrov to the State Department,' Tillerson said, 'and express my appreciation for him making the trip to Washington so that we could continue our dialogue and our exchange of views that began in Moscow with the dialogue he hosted on a very broad range of topics. Thank you.'
+6
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson exchanged a hearty handshake before Tillerson made brief remarks
+6
After reporters including NBC's Andrea Mitchell shouted questions, Lavrov stopped to engage, joking about FBI Director James Comey: 'Was he fired?'
+6
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) speaks while posing for photos with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the Treaty Room of the State Department
+6
The two diplomats then walked out of the room while reporters continued to shout questions
It wasn't Lavrov's first exchange with Mitchell, 70.
Lavrov scolded her for her 'manners' after she shouted a question during his meeting with Tillerson in Moscow in April.
Video of the incident begins by showing Tillerson, Lavrov and other officials sitting down at a table at the start of the press conference.
Before anyone could be seated at the table, Mitchell started shouting: 'Mr. Secretary, the Russians don't believe the intelligence. How confident are you, Mr. Secretary—?'
But before the 70-year-old journalist could finish her sentence, Lavrov quickly interjected: 'Who was bringing you up?'
'Who was giving you your manners, you know?' he asked Mitchell while grinning.
+6
Mithcell got scolded by Lavrov in Moscow in April. That wasn't her first incident with Tillerson (above left on Wednesday next to Lavrov), as a little over a month ago the veteran journalist was kicked out of a State Department press conference for repeatedly shouting questions at Tillerson
Mitchell however claims that she was not the one being targeted, stating: 'My colleague Carol Morello was the brave journalist who started asking questions.
'Lavrov was looking right at her. I was on the opposite side of the room, behind him, out of sight. Perhaps I was a convenient foil, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't his target.'
The exchange came as tensions between Russia and the U.S. were high following the missile strike President Trump ordered on Syria.
President Trump was set to meet with Lavrov in the Oval Office Wednesday morning. The U.S. and Russia have a series of friction points, including Moscow's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and what the U.S. intelligence community says was interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Wall Street JournalVerified account @WSJ 19m19 minutes agoMoreComey’s deserved dismissal: The FBI chief forfeited his credibility with his 2016 interventions. http://on.wsj.com/2qZGqWu via @wsjopinion
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InterestingDonald J. TrumpVerified account @realDonaldTrump 44m44 minutes agoMore
James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do what I want.
Incompetence + malice: "Trump has surrounded himself w sycophants & amateurs unwilling or unable to tell him no"
The Daily 202: Firing FBI director Comey is already backfiring on Trump. It’s only going to get...washingtonpost.com
The Daily 202: Firing FBI director Comey is already backfiring on Trump. It’s only going to get...washingtonpost.com
[h=1]Pence Backs Trump on Capitol Hill: He Made The Right Decision on Comey at The Right Time[/h]
In a visit to Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, Vice President Mike Pence backed President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey Tuesday evening.
"This was the right decision at the right time," Pence told reporters. "The President took strong, decisive action. I'm grateful for the action the President has taken."
"It was time for a fresh start at the FBI," Pence continued, adding the President's decision was "solely and exclusively based on his commitment to the best interests of the American people."
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[FONT="]Vice President Mike Pence[FONT="] said Wednesday that President [/FONT]Donald Trump[FONT="] acted with “strong leadership” for firing FBI Director [/FONT]James Comey[FONT="] on Tuesday.
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In a visit to Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, Vice President Mike Pence backed President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey Tuesday evening.
"This was the right decision at the right time," Pence told reporters. "The President took strong, decisive action. I'm grateful for the action the President has taken."
"It was time for a fresh start at the FBI," Pence continued, adding the President's decision was "solely and exclusively based on his commitment to the best interests of the American people."
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[FONT="]Vice President Mike Pence[FONT="] said Wednesday that President [/FONT]Donald Trump[FONT="] acted with “strong leadership” for firing FBI Director [/FONT]James Comey[FONT="] on Tuesday.
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WHY DID COMEY REALLY GET FIRED?
-- The excuse given by the administration does not pass the smell test. The official line is that Comey was fired because senior Justice Department officials concluded that he had violated Justice Department principles and procedures last year by publicly discussing the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server. Newly installed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote up a document to justify the move, which Sessions and Trump then signed off on.
“What's perhaps most notable about Rosenstein's letter is that it makes the case for Comey's ouster using a slew of newspaper quotes and op-eds from former law enforcement officials,” Aaron Blake notes. “The letter doesn't actually add much to the public record or suggest extensive behind-the-scenes fact-gathering; it's basically a summary anyone could have written in an afternoon."
A former top Justice Department official who was quoted in the Rosenstein memo calls the justification a “sham.” Donald Ayer, who was deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush, said in an emailed statement: “At the time, Mr. Trump was supportive of the most incorrect things that Comey did -- editorializing about the facts of the then-ended investigation and later announcing that the investigation had been reopened. The Deputy should realize that his correct assessment of those mistakes is now being used to justify firing for a very different reason."
The editor of the conservative Weekly Standard made another important observation about the memo:
Bill Kristol
-The Rosenstein memo is dated...today. So there was no real recommendation from DOJ. Trump wanted to do it, and they created a paper trail.
-One can be at once a critic of Comey and alarmed by what Trump has done and how he has done it.
-- The real story: “Several current and former officials said the relationship between the White House and the FBI had been strained for months, in part because administration officials were pressuring Comey to more aggressively pursue leak investigations over disclosures that embarrassed the White House and raised questions about ties with Russia,” Devlin Barrett, Adam Entous and Philip Rucker report. “Although the FBI is investigating disclosures of classified information, the bureau has resisted calls to prioritize leak investigations over the Russia matter, or probe matters that did not involve leaks of classified or otherwise sensitive information … A current official said administration figures have been ‘very aggressive’ in pressuring the FBI.”
“Trump was rankled by FBI director’s media attention” is the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
“He had grown enraged by the Russia investigation, two advisers said, frustrated by his inability to control the mushrooming narrative around Russia,” Politico adds. “He repeatedly asked aides why the Russia investigation wouldn’t disappear and demanded they speak out for him. He would sometimes scream at television clips about the probe, one adviser said.”
-- Comey learned he had been fired while addressing FBI employees in Los Angeles. “While Mr. Comey spoke, television screens in the background began flashing the news,” the New York Times reports. “In response to the reports, Mr. Comey laughed, saying that he thought it was a fairly funny prank."
-- Keep in mind: The classless way Trump axed Comey might contribute to a desire among some allies and supporters of the ex-director to leak additional damaging information about the president.
-- The excuse given by the administration does not pass the smell test. The official line is that Comey was fired because senior Justice Department officials concluded that he had violated Justice Department principles and procedures last year by publicly discussing the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server. Newly installed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote up a document to justify the move, which Sessions and Trump then signed off on.
“What's perhaps most notable about Rosenstein's letter is that it makes the case for Comey's ouster using a slew of newspaper quotes and op-eds from former law enforcement officials,” Aaron Blake notes. “The letter doesn't actually add much to the public record or suggest extensive behind-the-scenes fact-gathering; it's basically a summary anyone could have written in an afternoon."
A former top Justice Department official who was quoted in the Rosenstein memo calls the justification a “sham.” Donald Ayer, who was deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush, said in an emailed statement: “At the time, Mr. Trump was supportive of the most incorrect things that Comey did -- editorializing about the facts of the then-ended investigation and later announcing that the investigation had been reopened. The Deputy should realize that his correct assessment of those mistakes is now being used to justify firing for a very different reason."
The editor of the conservative Weekly Standard made another important observation about the memo:
Bill Kristol
-The Rosenstein memo is dated...today. So there was no real recommendation from DOJ. Trump wanted to do it, and they created a paper trail.
-One can be at once a critic of Comey and alarmed by what Trump has done and how he has done it.
-- The real story: “Several current and former officials said the relationship between the White House and the FBI had been strained for months, in part because administration officials were pressuring Comey to more aggressively pursue leak investigations over disclosures that embarrassed the White House and raised questions about ties with Russia,” Devlin Barrett, Adam Entous and Philip Rucker report. “Although the FBI is investigating disclosures of classified information, the bureau has resisted calls to prioritize leak investigations over the Russia matter, or probe matters that did not involve leaks of classified or otherwise sensitive information … A current official said administration figures have been ‘very aggressive’ in pressuring the FBI.”
“Trump was rankled by FBI director’s media attention” is the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
“He had grown enraged by the Russia investigation, two advisers said, frustrated by his inability to control the mushrooming narrative around Russia,” Politico adds. “He repeatedly asked aides why the Russia investigation wouldn’t disappear and demanded they speak out for him. He would sometimes scream at television clips about the probe, one adviser said.”
-- Comey learned he had been fired while addressing FBI employees in Los Angeles. “While Mr. Comey spoke, television screens in the background began flashing the news,” the New York Times reports. “In response to the reports, Mr. Comey laughed, saying that he thought it was a fairly funny prank."
-- Keep in mind: The classless way Trump axed Comey might contribute to a desire among some allies and supporters of the ex-director to leak additional damaging information about the president.
[FONT=CNN, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif]Rod Rosenstein was overwhelmingly confirmed as deputy attorney general, after a Senate vote that was 94-6 [/FONT]
[FONT=CNN, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Utkal, sans-serif]And Trump acted on his advice. Trump is truly great President. [/FONT]cheersgif
So obvious why he got fired . So simple.
MEMORANDUM FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
FROM: ROD J. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL SUBJECT: RESTORING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE FBI
My perspective on these issues is shared by former Attorneys General and Deputy Attorneys General from different eras and both political parties.
Judge Laurence Silberman, who served as Deputy Attorney General under President Ford, wrote that it is not the bureau’s responsibility to opine on whether a matter should be prosecuted. Silbertnan believes that the Director’s performance was so inappropriate for an FBI director that [he] doubt
Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who served under President George W. Bush, observed that the Director stepped way outside his job in disclosing the recommendation in that fashion“ because the FBI director doesn’t make that decision.”
Alberto Gonzales, who also served as Attorney General under President George W. Bush, called the decision an error in judgement.
Eric Holder, who served as Deputy Attorney General under President Clinton and Attorney General under President Obama, said that the Director’s decision was incorrect. It violated long-standing Justice Department policies and traditions. And it ran counter to guidance that I put in place four years ago laying out the proper way to conduct investigations during an election season. Holder concluded that the Director broke with these fundamental principles and negatively affected public trust in both the Justice Department and the FBI.
Former Deputy Attorneys General Gorelick and Thompson described the unusual events as real-time, raw-take transparency taken to its illogical limit, a kind of reality TV of federal criminal investigation, that is antithetical to the interests of justice.
Donald Ayer, who served as Deputy Attorney General under President George HW. Bush, along with other former Justice Department officials, was astonished and perplexed by the decision to break with longstanding practices followed by officials of both parties during past elections. Ayer’s letter noted, Perhaps most troubling is the precedent set by this departure from the Department’s widely-respected, non-partisan traditions. We should reject the departure and return to the traditions. Although the President has the power to remove an FBI director, the decision should not be taken I agree with the nearly unanimous opinions of former Department officials. The way the Director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong. As a result, the FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Having refused to admit his errors, the Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions.
So obvious why he got fired . So simple.
MEMORANDUM FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
FROM: ROD J. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL SUBJECT: RESTORING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has long been regarded as our nation’s premier federal investigative agency. Over the past year, however, the FBl’s reputation and credibility have suffered substantial damage, and it has affected the entire Department of Justice. That is deeply troubling to many Department employees and veterans, legislators and citizens.
As you and I have discussed, however, I cannot defend the Director’s handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken.
Almost everyone agrees that the Director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives.
The Director was wrong to usurp the Attorney General’s authority on July 5, 2016, and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution. It is not the function of the Director to make such an announcement. At most, the Director should have said the FBI had completed its investigation and presented its findings to federal prosecutors.
The Director now defends his decision by asserting that he believed Attorney General Loretta had a conflict. But the FBI Director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department. There is a well-established process for other officials to step in when a conflict requires the recusal of the Attorney General. On July 5, however, the Director announced his own conclusions about the nation’s most sensitive criminal investigation, without the authorization of duly appointed Justice Department leaders. Compounding the error, the Director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation. Derogatory information sometimes is disclosed in the course of criminal investigations and prosecutions, but we never release it gratuitously. The Director laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial. It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do.
In response to sceptical questions at a congressional hearing, the Director defended his remarks by saying that his goal was to say what is true. What did we do, what did we find, what do we think about it. But the goal of a federal criminal investigation is not to announce our thoughts at a press conference. The goal is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to justify a federal criminal prosecution, then allow a federal prosecutor who exercises authority delegated by the Attorney General to make a prosecutorial decision, and then if prosecution is warranted - let the judge and jury determine the facts. We sometimes release information about closed investigations in appropriate ways, but the FBI does not do it sua sponte.
Concerning his letter to the Congress on October 28, 2016, the Director cast his decision as a choice between whether he would speak about the decision to investigate the newly-discovered email messages or conceal it. Conceal is a loaded term that necessitates the issue. When federal agents and prosecutors quietly open a criminal investigation, we are not concealing anything; we are simply following the longstanding policy that we refrain from publicizing non-public information. In that context, silence is not concealment.
Comey admits he didn't bring charges against Huma because she didn't understand she was committing Federal felonies? WTF? I would have fired him right then and there.
No doubt Trump will continue to be investigated, and absolutely no doubt the results will be the exact same as they have been since this nonsense began in November....
It's been 5 months since you've started this Trump-Russia stuff, Dems, whatcha got? Absolutely, positively, nothing. Nunca. Nada. Nil. El zippo nachez.
Loving the complete futility of the Dems here, they look like Keystone Cops, led by Sargent Stupid, Schmuck "crocodile tears" Schumer.
No doubt Trump will continue to be investigated, and absolutely no doubt the results will be the exact same as they have been since this nonsense began in November....
It's been 5 months since you've started this Trump-Russia stuff, Dems, whatcha got? Absolutely, positively, nothing. Nunca. Nada. Nil. El zippo nachez.
Loving the complete futility of the Dems here, they look like Keystone Cops, led by Sargent Stupid, Schmuck "crocodile tears" Schumer.
