Posted on 05/11/2017 8:31:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
Among Donald Trump's many shortcomings are the vast amount of history he doesn't know and the little he does. Perhaps someone told him that when Richard Nixon faced an unwelcome investigation, he fired the investigator. Perhaps no one told him it only made Nixon's plight worse.
Trump owes most of his achievements to his talent for getting attention. Whether the attention was positive or negative was immaterial. His fame became larger and more lucrative either way. In the White House, though, making yourself conspicuous is not always a winning tactic.
By firing the FBI director who was in charge of the investigation of the Trump camp's connections to Russia, the president did not douse the flames licking at his administration; rather, he fed them. He instantly turned a problem into a calamity.
The White House position is that the attorney general and the deputy attorney general wanted to sack James Comey for mishandling his duties, and the president, with an uncharacteristic deference to underlings, granted that request. In his memo outlining the alleged mistakes Comey made in last year's probe of Hillary Clinton's emails, Rod Rosenstein echoed criticisms voiced by many people in Washington.
But assuming that was a reasonable basis to show Comey the door, some obvious questions arise: What was the terrible rush to remove him -- without even informing him? (Comey learned of it from a TV news report while speaking to FBI employees in Los Angeles.)
Why was Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- who had to recuse himself from the Russia investigation after misleading a Senate committee about his contacts with the Russian ambassador -- involved in a decision about the person in charge of it? And why did it take so long to figure out that what Comey did was a fireable offense?
In any event, it's hard to think of any circumstances in which firing the FBI director on such grounds would be taken as legitimate. Suppose Clinton had won and sacked Comey upon taking office. Or suppose Barack Obama had cashiered him shortly after the election. Either development would have ignited outrage over the apparent political motives at work.
Trump's motives give every appearance of being worse than political. The FBI investigation could implicate his subordinates in a collusion with an unfriendly foreign government to affect the outcome of an American election. They could also implicate him. Impeachment and prison could follow.
At every stage, the president has conducted himself like someone with a lot to hide. The sensible thing for an innocent person to do when confronted with an inquiry into suspected misconduct is to cooperate fully in bringing the facts to light. The sooner they are known the sooner the innocent will be exonerated.
Full disclosure, however, doesn't help the guilty. They have nothing to gain if the truth is uncovered. Their sole hope lies in denying and concealing the relevant facts and impugning anyone who questions their version.
Trump's insistence that the claims of collusion are "a total hoax," his reluctance to fire Michael Flynn for lying about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, his effort to prevent former acting Attorney General Sally Yates from testifying to Congress about the Flynn matter -- all suggest a grave fear of being found out. Likewise with the unverified claim in his dismissal letter that Comey assured him on three occasions he was "not under investigation."
Trump can claim anything he wants, and he usually does. But this is one of those times when his pattern of invention and deceit is a liability. On a matter of real import, no one but his most devoted disciples takes anything he says on faith.
If Trump imagined that getting rid of the FBI director would help his cause, he was grossly mistaken. Instead of allaying suspicions, he inflamed them. Instead of unifying congressional Republicans behind him, he provoked criticism from some of them. The appointment of a special prosecutor or congressional commission suddenly became far more plausible.
If he imagines he can replace Comey with a staunch loyalist who will shut down the inquiry, he is probably also wrong. Preventing Senate Republican defections in a confirmation vote for the next FBI director will require him to choose someone of unquestioned integrity and independence.
Trump is caught between two stark options. He could furiously try to derail the investigation, which would suggest guilt, or tamely let it go wherever the facts lead, which could prove it.
For an innocent man, it would be an easy choice.
Trump was being guilty of being an idiot for not throwing that pos out the first day. This is what we elected him to do. Build wall, no obongocare and drain swamp. Keep chugging along Trump
Ha ha ha ha go away stupid person
I thought Town hall was conservative.
Townhall is part of the demonic Salem (Witch) Media empire of globalist fake conservatism. Among other sites owned by them are Human Events, HotAir, TheRightScoop, and Twitchy — all filled to the brim with NeverTrump traitors. I won’t click on a single one of their articles to help Salem, and I suggest my fellow FReepers do the same.
Perhaps no one told Stevie "My Lips Are Chapped From Kissing 0bama's Posterior" Chapman that screwing around with a popular President might be a quick way to end up on the wrong end of a rope...
https://townhall.com/columnists/stevechapman/
This guy has been obsessed with Trump for a long time. He needs to seek professional help.
Twitter protects them from the proles, so they let it all hang out on there.
It's an AWESOME tool - one we didn't have back during the impeachment wars.
https://twitter.com/stevechapman13
This account doesn't have the blue verified check, but I think that it's really ScumChapman.
And yes, Stevie is a #NeverTrumping Libtard cuck holster, Haaavaaad grad & Chicago cockroach.
Harvard used to turn out some of the toughest men the
world has ever known. My dad’s commanding officer during
WWII was tough as nails & he earned every bit of respect
my dad gave him. In fact, my father used to tell stories
about “Cap’n Noon” & I thought for a long time that no one
could survive the wounds he received in more than one major
battle. - Today, most of what they’re turning out are just
more melting snowflakes. The Captain finally had to agree
to be sent stateside for medical attention when a Nazi
officer shot him in the neck after his leg had been blown
off by a German machine gunner. (My father thought very
little of the Nazi officers; even less after that.)
this has been the best Winning Wednesday so far. I havent laughed so much at all the fake drama in at least two weeks. And on Tearjerker Thursday, we get to see them all cry again as their accusations are debunked one by one.
Rosenstein - 1
DNC drama queens and MSM - less than zero - again
Coming out of Washington this morning is affirmation - Rosenstein didnt mesh with Comey from day one, he thought something was off about him, and he himself had interviewed more than a handful of people concerning Comeys performance. Per Fox.
Comey was already the subject of a Justice Dept IG investigation for ethics violations. For a stroll down memory lane let”s go back to January:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/01/12/justice-department-inspector-general-to-investigate-pre-election-actions-by-department-and-fbi/?utm_term=.604d740374fc
Every time Trump attracts this kind of demented outrage it reminds me of Muhammad Ali’s tactic called “Rope-A-Dope.”
The dopes are, of course, the dopeacrats and the dopemedia.
The firing of Comey by Trump has NOTHING of “Nixonian” intent or effect. This action was much more on the order of Truman firing General MacArthur. Simply asserting just who was boss in this situation.
Watergate Redux this ain’t.
Well. The entire thing is a complete waste of time unless you want a fishing expedition to find something, anything, no matter what it relates to.
Which is what this author apparently wants.
>>By firing the FBI director who was in charge of the investigation of the Trump camp’s connections to Russia, the president did not douse the flames licking at his administration; rather, he fed them. He instantly turned a problem into a calamity.
If these idiots really believed this, they’d shut up about it. Let Trump cancel his own ticket.
He sure does
Mr Chapman appears to be in our President’s corner...(/s):
= = = =
Articles
Trump Makes Himself Look Guilty
12 hours ago
Our Lazy President
May 04, 2017
Public Toilets and Private Burdens
Apr 30, 2017
A Bold Remedy for Overdose Deaths
Apr 27, 2017
The Un-Free Speech Movement at Berkeley
Apr 23, 2017
Trump’s Empty Bluster and Bombing
Apr 20, 2017
In Syria, the Wrong Kind of Humanitarian Intervention
Apr 13, 2017
Trump’s Risky Syria Gambit
Apr 09, 2017
When Cops Encounter Knives, What Should They Do?
Apr 06, 2017
Trump’s Wall Is Already Collapsing
Apr 02, 2017
The Coming Fiscal Binge
Mar 30, 2017
Why Health Care Can’t Be Fixed
Mar 26, 2017
Trump Isn’t Running The Government Like A Business
Mar 23, 2017
Opioid Deaths: Another Drug War Failure
Mar 19, 2017
Are Immigrants Destroying Our Way of Life?
Mar 16, 2017
Comey must REALLY have the goods and have Trump shaking in his boots to get fired!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.