I don’t see how you can apply that word to an action that probably determined the outcome.

...just wondering, do you do Comey's charges against Trump with the same timbre?

What has he said about 45 that has been determinative of anything?

...I imagine this is what Trump is counting on.

We need to move on and let the guy make his case!!

To continue crying about the election has no positive objective. Plus, as much as I know 100% Comey’s “Letter to Congress” elected Trump I personally don’t think he did it with that goal in mind. Regardless, none of that matters now!!

are feeding America this "oh, was Comey meeean to Hillary/get over it" line? For god's sake, they subverted our state and national elections and are gutting our treasury, dismantling our institutions, and rewriting our laws to serve them.

We need to ALWAYS look for motive. As W said,

Hillary. However, I did say it was of my opinion that the enemy was not Comey with a premeditated plan to get Trump elected even I KNOW HIS ACTIONS DID!! We can’t change that & trashing Comey now & trying to paint him as a dishonest actor much like Trump is doing does us no good. IMHO.

dangerously wrong. How bizarrely clueless would Comey have to be making the same kind of severely unethical "mistakes" for actually a couple of years that ALWAYS hurt Democrats and ALWAYS assisted Republicans?

Remember, his behaviors were scrutinized by his peers and judicial journals long before mainstream media started covering them. And there are many articles out there for you to read on this, as well as Rosenstein's memo outlining extremely legitimate and delayed case for firing Comey. All he has ever had to do was read one of those to get clued in.

"Lordy! That was wrong? So wrong I should be fired for it. Wow! Who'da thought?" (Scratching his head in shocked bemusement, of course.)

Just because Comey made an enormous error & broke protocol it doesn’t mean he had a premeditated objective of Trump elected out of some long running hatred of Hillary...NONE of his professional colleagues who publicly said Comey the wrong decision have said he did so for other reasons than Comey gives.

There was far more going on at the time Comey did what he did having to do Giuliani, anti Clinton factions inside the NYPD & the NY field office of the FBI that got in Comey’s head...And I know that played a huge role in why Comey screwed up in the manner he did!

We were all complaining here on DU in the run up to the election about what Giuliano was saying on TV! If I’m not mistaken I think there may be ongoing investigation into whether he was given info from inside the Wiener investigation by these anti-Clinton factions leading up to the investigations about the hundreds of thousands of emails that were found on the laptop.

Was not Comey...It was Erik Prince, Rudy Giuliani, and Donald Trump as well as an anti-Clinton faction in the NYPD & an anti-Clinton faction in the FBI’s NY field office. There are a few versions of this but this one by Seth Abramson is by far the most detailed I’ve read!!

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_587ed24fe4b0b110fe11dbf9/amp?__twitter_impression=true

real problem and one not entirely in Comey's control. And Giuliani has very powerfully involved with them for decades.

Given the truly vast sums of money involved, however, it's likely far bigger people than these were and are behind the Republican takeover, although they were certainly players. It was the NY office that announced a week before election day that a 15-year-old investigation into a Bill Clinton pardon had been closed at some point and released 150 pages of documents (showing it found nothing).

And, of course, there was plenty of Giuliani chicanery to go around. The Mueller investigation is only one authority checking out that possible plot to kidnap a man and deliver him to a Turkish prison hell for money.

Comey's OWN long pattern of public behaviors is proof that he was actively working against Democrats though. I've read experts on this, and you can also. No understanding of motive is legally required to establish guilt; the consistent pattern of effects of actions is itself enough to prove a case, if one is ever brought. Note that he violated the Hatch Act -- in public for all to see, but that is an ethical violation, not a criminal violation punishable by incarceration, so the type of proof required is different.

One of the biggest of the unanswered questions is not whether Comey interfered in the election, he did, but whether he decided to commit career suicide all by himself or was conspiring with others. Other questions relate to what other violations and legal crimes might an investigation uncover. It would be strange indeed if those actions we all witnessed were all of it.

During the election had nothing to do with a Bill Clinton pardon. As far as Comey’s life long crimes against the Democratic Party go...You’re gonna have to educate me on those. I’ve read quite a bit about it him & I’m not familiar with this side of him. Which is kinda odd considering his wife & 5 daughters were all HUGE Hillary Clinton supports & even went to the Women’s march at Trump’s inauguration.

If there wasn't an email server, there wouldn't have been an announcement to make.

If there had been even handed treatment, Comey would have talked about the investigation into the Trump campaign.

Was just getting started.

President Obama as notified. He went to Mitch and Ryan. Mitch refused to join Obama, so if Obama had announced they would have hit him full blast.

There are more Republicans involved in this cover up than we know.

It is time to lay the blame right on the backs of the crooks!

to include Comey in it.

I do, however want Democrats to work together instead of fighting each other over the last election.

At this point we need to concentrate on this Primary in May and the one in November. We HAVE to elect Democrats!

I think far too many people have put what happened in 2000 in the rearview mirror and let themselves get fooled again by election shenanigans. And the events of 2000, much like the events of 2016 will, created a series of events that had/have unfortunate consequences. The obvious beginning is the Supreme Court nominees, which led to Citizens United and overturning parts of the Voting Rights Act.

Yet right here on this site, people are normalizing Bush because they don't think he was as bad as Trump. He caused Trump. If we become too complacent about any piece of the puzzle that lost Hillary the presidency (it still makes me feel sick to write that), then I think we're losing the larger war.

Just imagine if Gore had been President between 2001 and 2009. Imagine how different many things would be, starting with the environment and the protection of voting rights, and a SCOTUS that would not have passed Citizens United.

The treachery of Republicans.

On the other hand, with all that in mind we have to come together, fight like hell to make sure it does not happen again!

We can not change the past, we sure can change the future. Fretting about what happened,arguing among ourselves gave us Trump.

I mean, yeah, obviously, we move forward, but we can't normalize the past, either. It's like the depressing statistic that something like 40% of Millennials don't know about the Holocaust (I'm sure that statistic needs some parsing, and that you'll get vastly different results with different demographics, but still).

To make sure it does not happen again.

That's what the FBI was investigating. The Russian were attacking American democracy. That is an issue for the President, not the FBI director or anyone else, to address with all Americans.

The email server was a convenient target. But if that didn’t exist, they would have gone after something else. And, since, like the rest of us, Hillary Clinton is human and, unlike her, the Republicans are shameless, immoral liars, they would have found something else to beat into a “scandal.”

This was not Hillary’s fault.

If anyone was to blame it is those who did not vote, listened to all the lies.

Plus those who actually want a skunk like Trump in office. They still think this is a Reality show.

against Dems and Hillary in particular.

...like the fate of the republic depends on dwelling on it.

Just how concerned are folks who are dwelling on Hillary emails right now with doing something about the outcome. There doesn't seem to be a path from grousing about Comey/Hillary to confronting Trump over his firing. Not even a destination plan.

Like fucking Duh. People defining Comeys life by this one action....glad I'm objective and not a partisan hack.

Comey’s life work is astounding!

I agree with you.

The trap is democratic hypocrisy.

they are really not thinking and not seeing the bigger picture here. It's not hard for on one hand.... Comey fucked up royally w/ the Clinton email thing and then on the other hand he is an honest person with a stellar career and his CHARACTER should not be assassinated.

But people really are partisan...on both sides.

...for assuming folks on a political discussion board complaining about political slights and misdeeds, would themselves act with more political acumen.

makes no sense.

which is, by definition, partisan. Maybe you would be more comfortable with the "No Labels" group.

but yes I do realize that. I was just hoping that there would be more objective responses and less emotion and that people would get the bigger picture here. We are back in 5th grade and it's Comey vs. RUMP. I'm with Comey...period.
And I sure as hell ain't gonna talk shit about my guy on the way to the school yard for the fight.

Comey's worst day is better than RUMP's best...end of story! I don't care what party Comey is affiliated with, my last sentence is a fact regardless.

Really!

The election is long over. We need to neutralize Trump and every weapon available should be used to build the attacks against this corrupt and evil man.

Continuing to argue about an election that happened a year and a half ago is a waste of energy and time. When Democrats have regained control of Congress, we can address the structural issues to strengthen our government and our elections.

Until then, we need to get this criminal out of our system.

In today's NY Times, Charles Blow writes, "So, I see no need to pick sides between Comey and Trump. I dislike the former, but I despise the latter." Wise words, I think.


More: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/15/opinion/dislike-comey-despise-trump.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

I have been so frustrated by this. And this isn't the first time something like this has happened when somebody who might have been against us in the past is now acting as an ally or at least behaving as an enemy against one of our enemies. I don't understand putting one's energy into past grievances when we have much bigger problems right in front of us.

Comey is not the problem NOW. Trump and his administration ARE. Let's keep the focus where it belongs.

I don't think it's something that I will ever "get over", personally. I cannot just "let it go".

One of the most notable pundits falling for the "political trap" you mentioned is David Gregory. This morning he was all over James Comey's interview saying, "I don't like Comey's interview" and going on to whine about what Comey did before the election instead.

Instead of focusing on the good that can come out of Comey's interview and book, Gregory was blasting him for what he did in the past, implying that Comey's motives are political. Gregory went on and on in a manner that discredits Comey's current accusations about Trump. That is not good.

Besides being a stupid oaf, he is dishonest asshole.

Regardless of past transgressions, Comey is on our side now.

I find it odd that people can’t believe that Comey did what he did because of “the code” of the law. Have we as a nation really gotten so far off track that we cannot believe that individuals still live their lives by a code of ethics, honor and measurement? Comey’s actions were not favorable to Hillary, but I simply don’t see him doing what he did to purposely give us Trump. He did it because he thought it was right. Was it a mistake? Sure. But I still don’t think his motivation was to get Trump elected.

I'm angry, too. But it's like blaming the driver of the car that is rammed by another car in the wrong. There were casualties, Democrats were screwed, out of a president as well as a Supreme Court seat.

Being angry at Comey for the corrupt actions of the Republican Party and their unholy alliance with big money and Russians is cathartic. But if that is all we do it is a distraction. Use that righteous anger to defeat the criminals in 2018. Don't reminisce about past battles and what went wrong, FIX IT. Republicans want Democrats to be angry (only). And Republicans want progressives to be consumed with what-if scenarios from 2016, and forget about midterms.

Don't let them win again. Defeat Republicans in the midterms, fu*k Comey. In that order.

What he did to Hillary's chances was terrible, but we're in a crisis like this country has never seen before, and if Comey's testimony helps bring Trump down, then it should be supported, not thrown out the window because of what happened in the past.

demanding "impeachment" and name-calling Trump.
You have betrayed one of the demands of the post you thought you agreed with.

snark alert

Tell me what part of that quote is not true and how that fact is going to
derail any of the multiple investigations into Trump and company.

Comey didn't write that memo to the public, it was sent to the intel committee. Jason Chaffetz is the one that lied about what it meant and said in a tweet, that got that firestorm rolling.

But for a short period in Oct. of 2016 Comey was ring master in that shit circus.


Tarc I wish you well.

Nasty New England weather + not enough coffee, I'm just trying to resist the Comey teardown we're seeing in a lot of corners today. I know he bears some culpability but he should not be scapegoated either for costing Hillary the election.

If his book tour is useful in any way, and if anything he possesses or says is useful to Mueller in the short-fingered vulgarian's eventual;y takedown, ten we have to hold our nose and use him.

of obstructing justice? I don't think so.

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say, in Comey's case, the enemy of my enemy is my friend... but, I sure as hell WOULD say don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

Besides I think the #1 witnesses are Flynn, Kushner, Manafort, Cohen,

which I completely understand. I only question whether it's helpful at this point.

....enough that the other team could win. Bernie Sanders was way ahead of Trump in the polls.

Comey helped to elect Trump, purposefully. Otherwise, he would have followed the established protocols.

"They" are Democrats who see that he was wrong. Even if he is now attempting to mitigate his responsibility, he was still wrong.

discussing Comey and you bring up Bernie. Way to go!

why everyone isn't blaming the ruskies for illegally tipping the scales? That is to a large extent what this is all about.

I agree with you. There's a lot of wasted energy on here hating on Comey when we should be listening to him.

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Divide and attack the opposition so that they attack each other. Divide and conquer is a common ploy.

And now that Trump is awake and twittering lies and BS about Comey, I know that is exactly what Russian trolls want us to do. They are counting on us to discredit Comey from the left while they do it from the idiot in charge side.

So, I accept Comey's apology and explanation of his actions. Now let's bring down the organized crime swine who benefited from the manipulation.

Unfortunately there's not a damn thing I or the rest of us can realistically do to correct it.

OTOH we do have the power to use Comey's book to help take Trump down and, if not get him impeached, make damn sure he's seen as the toxic pile of pig poo he, and his GOP enablers, are so we can get a Democrat back in the WH in 2020 and this time with a large enough Democratic majority in the Houses to stop RepubliCon BS.

We already have a LOT of work to do to fix the mess these jerks have made and are making. This isn't the time to do anything but put on our fumigation suits and help get what Comey says about Trumpass out there to the voting public. The U.S., heck the world, needs Trump and the RW GOP nutters out of power.

good post!

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Though for many in this thread that doesn't seem to be something they can do.

Mango Mussolini is the accused.

Anything that extricates Trump from the presidency is a bonus to the Democrats, the USA and the world.

Let us help write history as to whether Comey was a good guy or a bad guy....after all the facts are known. Right now, we're working with an incomplete set of facts and a helluva lot of assumptions.

For now, he's a witness for the prosecution. I wish him Godspeed.

Gee, with our country at the point where trump/repubs could destroy all we care about and you think this is just "slights"? Take a step back and study some US history to see how serious Comey's actions were. Comey was part of HRC's loss. There's no way you can spin it either. And I am SMH at you thinking this is just about "slights". The pain of her loss will and be with us for a very long time.

...or we can put that aside and actually do something about removing Trump from office.

You should recognize that I'm no less concerned about the outcome of that election than you express here. I'm just not a fan of despair and apathy. However you view what Comey did in that election, it makes no sense at all to be a pawn in Trump's deflection strategy. That's what all of my blather in the op is about. Going on and on about 2016 is pointless to me. I want every front of opposition to move forward and be relentless. That's how much in earnest I am to upend Trump.

Bantering back and forth about how 'slights' may not apply to Comey's actions against Hillary doesn't get us even pointed in the direction of confronting Trump. It actually takes us in the opposite direction. Consider that as you sit satisfied with heaping scorn on Comey, and on those who are moving on from what he did in that election to the present-day challenges we all face.

The pain of what is going on hits us 24/7. And yes, Comey played a part.

neither aid nor hinder Mueller's investigation. Comey is a bit player now, and nothing liberals say about him makes any difference.

As if the discussions on a forum are going to affect events. Not only do I not understand the shushing, it makes me fucking angry. I haven't said much in these threads about Comey, the self-regarding sanctimonious prick with a hard-on for the Clintons that goes back years, but I really resent some posters and their insinuations that anybody who does is either stupid or a Russian troll.

It's a fucking discussion board, people.

The enemy of my enemy can be my supporter on a certain aspect, on other aspects he is not.
Comey used interesting and I guess helpful tweets to speak out against Trump. Some of them were absolutely earnest (support of the FBI and the foundations of the US), some of them probably were also used to stay in the spotlight while he was working on his book.

Before his explanation about polls going in Clinton's direction influencing his decision, it was my opinion that Comey made a gamble and chose a side in 2016. The way he treated Clinton was out of order and it was a reason that got him fired. Ultimately, he made wrong decisions that hurt him as well because the side he chose is now totally opposed to him.
But just because Trump is going after him, we shouldn't forget and forgive everything he did. Just because one is bitter about what Comey did, one can still draw independent conclusions about his arguments against Trump. These positions aren't incompatible.

This was enormous. How sexist to continue to discount and minimize the seriousness of it.

...collusion with RUSSIA was 'instrumental in giving us the Trump presidency,' as well.

Which prosecution is actionable? Seriously.

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At the beginning of the interview, I saw a man I dispise and who I believe influenced the election. But I also think this election was rigged from the start with biased reporting and trumpism. Trumpers never needed an excuse to blame Hillary for everything.

What stuck with me is the final part when he said the con is "morally unfit." I agree. He may believe the "America he loves" has good values, but when 35 to 40% (majority white) approve of trump it's clear we're in trouble and we better start focusing on that fact. Comey is not the enemy. The enemy is the moral unfitness of a majority of white Americans.

I agree.. Now is not the time for Democrats to come out openly and attack comey for the 2016 election while Comey is helping us attack Trump.

Maybe there should be a moratorium on democrats attacking Comey for a while at least until after Trump has left.

He used his office for partisan gain and now that he got screwed he's crying. I hope he learned something. But I'm wondering would he be talking if he hadn't been fired.

Trump uses them like tools.

with you.

There's momentum to finish these investigations of Trump, led largely by Republican investigators. Attacking Comey at this point is counterproductive, similar to attacking Bernie Sanders or calling all Trump voters racist. We all need to peel off some time from venting and write to elected reps on both sides to pressure them to consider impeachment, along with organizing for the win in the midterms.

last night. I agree with you, but I couldn't control the anger I felt, in large part because he didn't fully acknowledge the mistakes he made. He needed to apologize to the country and Hillary Clinton.

or is anyone else tired of rehashing the election and whether or not Comey's actions cost Hillary the election. Truth is nobody knows for sure. I say stop crying over spilled milk and let's address our present problem - what to do about Trump.

Why is it that Comey is being attacked on both sides for saying uncomplimentary, but basically true things about Trump? As a private citizen is he not allowed to voice his opinion of our current President. We are playing right into Trump's hands. If Trump attacks and you don't respond, he takes that as a sign of weakness and intensifies the attack . In this case Trump and his cronies in Congress and Fox News will continue to assail the American public with their bogus attacks against not only Comey, but Mueller, the FBI and the American judicial system. Where I come from turn-about is fair play and as far as I am concerned I think Comey should "go for it" with my blessings. UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL. Old cliché-but true.

things that nothing can be done about. This kind of behavior strikes me as very trollish. Anything that takes our energy away from the main focus - which is getting Trump and other republicans OUT of office - is a waste of time.

Conversely, how do comments typed on a discussion forum get Trump and other republicans out of office, exactly? And wouldn't that make any comment a waste of time? Including yours?

are doing when they question that decision of Comey's is not doing the same as Trump, who is doing his typical childish name-calling & just trashing Comey in his usual pathetic manner. It is a legitimate criticism, question & is not crying about the election but it is telling Comey we would appreciate an answer to why you did what you did & in his book his trying to clear his name on that episode is not getting it done. When he put his explanation in the book, he opened himself up to legitimate questions & criticisms on what was such an earth-changing decision of his.

No, it will not change the election, no it is in the past, over & done but that does not mean people do not deserve an answer to the question & by doing it we are not helping Trump in any way.

...

It’s time to move on from Hillary. It’s done and over. Let’s spend our time getting a cohesive strategy to unite all factions of the Democratic Party - wishful thinking at best at the present time. Bengazi would never end. Move on!

we are doomed to continue fighting and not learning from the last election.

it happens time and time again.

All I have to do is bring up 2000 election and Ralph Nader and watch the fur flight.

I applaud your noble effort, but alas, your valiant attempt a bringing sanity to the argument will sadly fail

When so many on this post object to "fighting the last election" when discussing 2016?

2016 is the easy target, just bring up 2000 and you will see much gnashing of the teeth.

give it a whirl.

I suggest the title of "the 2000 election wasn't naders fault" then watch the spleen venting abound.

to do one way or the other with Comey's book, which makes Trump look as ridiculous as he actually is.

Sure, that's a great thing, baiting Cheetoh.

But how can we, when we point out that we didn't much like what Comey did to Clinton right before the election, serve to deflect this current criticism of Trump?

I'm thinking you may be inflating our power from this blog, which is by and for Democrats. I mean, we're all pretty much preaching to the choir here. Now if I go on a more right wing, or even a neutral blog like the Hill and do that, maybe it would help Cheetoh, but I'm still just not seeing it.

I still feel like Comey's pre-election 'revelation' on Clinton's emails was at best a severe lapse in judgement, and at worst a partisan effort to ensure she lost. Comey isn't perfect by any means.

And remember, there's already been a kiss and tell book, Fire and Fury, that has come out. In spite of all the hoopla on that one, we don't even hear about it now.

...this is a very responsible forum, with a great community of intelligent, committed Democrats and progressives.

I think most of us get it here. I may be paying too much attention to the media, which sparked my comments this morning.

I've said before that it's a mistake to view this forum as some sort of remote control over politics or elections. Lots of different and disparate motivations for posting here.

thing is the criticism of Comey revealing what he did just 11 days before election does deserve questioning, scrutiny & he opened it up by that with his putting it in his book. Doing that has absolutely no effect on what Trump does or doesn't do. In many cases just jinn's up those who want or love to argue with someone.

to back him.

I mean, I'm really upset about his fecklessness, but I don't think my being upset is going to have much of an effect...

because the voters should have their voice and do it at the polls.

I would rather not hear that repeated too often from a critic.

once again. We sometimes just seem blame oriented.

The same, of course can be said about Bernie- for some, everything is about Bernie, and slights to Bernie, etc.

Can we please be done with the 2016 election? The 2018 election is around the corner.

was, and how badly the Democratic candidate for president was treated. This is Gore X 1,000 when you take into account Comey's and Russian interference. No American should ever forget how Hillary Clinton was robbed of the presidency after a lifetime of service to the country. No! We won't forget! That said, we will indeed focus on the upcoming elections. We are actually capable of holding two thought in our heads at the same time.

Oh, and by the way, I will never forget how John Kerry was treated, either. Chickenhawk draft dodging Republicans slimed a war hero who stood up to tell the American people the war was wrong, the war was a mistake, and that Americans were committing crimes of humanity in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

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used against Democrats and we must be more forceful in fighting the bullshit. over 50% of white people approve of the shitshow.. that means they approve of racism, sexism and raping the planet and a "morally unfit" president.

Not a damn thing can be done now about what happened with Comey and Clinton in the 2016 campaign but we do have those who just cannot seem to let it go. Are we supposed to now join hands with Trump in going after and trashing Comey?

witness for the obstruction WITHOUT needing him to be my best buddy, and WITHOUT needing to insult other democrats who remember facts.

Comey wants so much for everyone to see him as a conflicted misunderstood hero. But history, which takes all of a person's actions into account, will see him as a scoundrel.

He sided against Sec'y Clinton, he tipped the balance, he perpetuated the hatred. He got shitcanned for it. Good. I do desire to know his side, but I will not pay for it, nor will I give him any form of respect. No matter his background or training, he is just another privileged sucker who wasted any modicum of respect that I had for him with his sabotage.

of that hinders nor has anything to do with Trump or the investigation nor do people equate the two. What Trump is doing is his childish, pathetic & desperation of attacking Comey, he is afraid of everything right now.

That said; what Comey did was despicable & will be until he can justify what he did which he probably can't do. None of it is rehashing the election either, that is over.

Comey believed she would win and wanted to ensure she would not be an illegitimate President, according to his statements. He strikes me as quite idealistic from his quotes, but lacking in political sophistication and ill-equipped to navigate the polarized politics of today. His integrity is refreshing, but dangerous. Trump could not abide a man that could not be bought.

The Comey Letter Probably Cost Clinton The Election

So why won’t the media admit as much?

By Nate Silver
Filed under The Real Story Of 2016
Published May 3, 2017

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-comey-letter-probably-cost-clinton-the-election/