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highplainsdem

(49,030 posts)
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 11:29 AM Oct 2016

Top ethics lawyer in GWB WH files complaint w/ Office of Special Counsel over Comey's abuse of power

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/opinion/on-clinton-emails-did-the-fbi-director-abuse-his-power.html

But it would be highly improper, and an abuse of power, for the F.B.I. to conduct such an investigation in the public eye, particularly on the eve of the election. It would be an abuse of power for the director of the F.B.I., absent compelling circumstances, to notify members of Congress from the party opposing the candidate that the candidate or his associates were under investigation. It would be an abuse of power if F.B.I. agents went so far as to obtain a search warrant and raid the candidate’s office tower, hauling out boxes of documents and computers in front of television cameras.

The F.B.I.’s job is to investigate, not to influence the outcome of an election.

Such acts could also be prohibited under the Hatch Act, which bars the use of an official position to influence an election. That is why the F.B.I. presumably would keep those aspects of an investigation confidential until after the election.

And that is why, on Saturday, I filed a complaint against the F.B.I. with the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates Hatch Act violations, and with the Office of Government Ethics. I have spent much of my career working on government ethics and lawyers’ ethics, including two and a half years as the chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, and I never thought that the F.B.I. could be dragged into a political circus surrounding one of its investigations. Until this week.
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Top ethics lawyer in GWB WH files complaint w/ Office of Special Counsel over Comey's abuse of power (Original Post) highplainsdem Oct 2016 OP
I read that opinion by Mr. Painter, it is very good but AmericanActivist Oct 2016 #1
Agree, and I hope this gets more attention soon. Business Insider story link: highplainsdem Oct 2016 #2
Comey's in trouble. SunSeeker Oct 2016 #3
Goodbye POS pdxflyboy Oct 2016 #4
RABID-RIGHT REPUBLICAN FILTH ATTEMPT ANOTHER COUP D'ETAT RickRockwell Oct 2016 #5
I think this is worse than 2000 Gman Oct 2016 #8
Welome to DU, RickRockwell! calimary Oct 2016 #12
A big salute to this fine American bucolic_frolic Oct 2016 #6
There really is no more Republican Party Gman Oct 2016 #7
Good, file that complaint! I just wonder, how does one act as an Ethics lawyer BlancheSplanchnik Oct 2016 #9
K&R! Mme. Defarge Oct 2016 #10
Will this be discussed on the Morning Joe show INdemo Oct 2016 #11
Something needs to happen to comey and his job for enabling Cha Oct 2016 #13
this will be a hot potato for Corp tv. How will they discount it, will they report it. I guess not. Bill USA Oct 2016 #14
He's been interviewed on MSNBC BainsBane Nov 2016 #15
I was talking about network TV: "this will be a hot potato for Corp tv", not print media. Glad MSNBC Bill USA Nov 2016 #16

AmericanActivist

(1,019 posts)
1. I read that opinion by Mr. Painter, it is very good but
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 11:33 AM
Oct 2016

when I realized he was working for W. as an ethics attorney I thought, WOW! if Mr. Painter is so passionately against Dir. Comey's letter then Comey's actions must be gravely wrong.

RickRockwell

(3 posts)
5. RABID-RIGHT REPUBLICAN FILTH ATTEMPT ANOTHER COUP D'ETAT
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 01:49 PM
Oct 2016

RABID-RIGHT REPUBLICAN FILTH ATTEMPT ANOTHER COUP D'ETAT
.
If they can't fix the election at the Supreme Court Level like they did in 2000, depend on GOP Pond Scum to fix things using their traditional tried and true tactics: Dirty Tricks. Media Smoke and Mirrors and the threadbare Bullshit accusations surrounding Clinton's email saga are their tools of choice this time. They've been beating off on it and recycling the lies and petty libels connected to that for over two years. This is one more example of how Democrats have allowed themselves to be sabotaged by offering a cooperative conciliatory hand to rabid slavering GOP Pit Bulls. They're interested in only one thing: Biting off the hand of any unwary Democrat that dares appease them. Allowing any of these animals near the levers of power is always an extra super big mistake whether it's in The Whitehouse, Congress or the FBI. That's what Obama did when he nominated GOP Filth Comey to head the FBI. It never fails. When will Democrats finally get it?

calimary

(81,447 posts)
12. Welome to DU, RickRockwell!
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 02:20 PM
Oct 2016

They will ALWAYS cheat to win. They've already established that. Try to stack the deck politically at the state level, try to make sure only THEIR preferred judges ever get seated or nominated, try to gerrymander the districts so that their dwindling mostly-white supporters speak with an abnormally and artificially-inflated loud voice, try to target oppositional voter groups to keep them from voting, try to limit all opportunities for voting so fewer people anywhere can take part.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? Just objectively? WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

Does it not suggest that they realize, deep down, that they can't win legitimately UNLESS they try to keep blocks of voters from voting? Does it not suggest that at least some of them realize they have LOSER issues to run on - that are not popular, that are outdated, that are irrelevant to the way the world has changed and the demographics in this country are changing?

Michael Moore stated it flat-out on the Chris Hayes show a few days back - that like it or not, this country is LIBERAL. This country slants LIBERAL. He pointed out - look at all the issues, and he rattled 'em off: women's rights, climate change, voting rights, marriage equality, higher minimum wage, affordable college, separation of church and state, ALL OF IT - all those "liberal" issues are now supported by a majority of this population. And as the demographics change, that majority is only going to grow. The ratio of women to men is only growing. The numbers of people of color are only expanding. And all those demographic groups are on the RISE. The GOP is on the LOSING end. Its strengths are aging and dying out. Whites are on the way to minority status. And the better-educated a voter is, the more likely that voter will be to vote Democratic, and LIBERAL. And if GOP doesn't change its views, abandon its increasingly unpopular stands on these issues, and recognize that this is the 21st Century and NOT the 6th, it will continue to decline and become an irreversibly minimal party - that will likely never hold the White House again. Which would be MORE than alright by me!

But then again, who the hell WANTS to vote for a party that pushes this pre-historic shit?

bucolic_frolic

(43,266 posts)
6. A big salute to this fine American
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 01:51 PM
Oct 2016

Do we have to go down the tube over everything because of this
election? Mainstream Americans must fight for what is right.

Gman

(24,780 posts)
7. There really is no more Republican Party
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 02:03 PM
Oct 2016

This comes from daddy Bush' wing of what was the GOP which is supporting Clinton and brings a whole lot of clout.

BlancheSplanchnik

(20,219 posts)
9. Good, file that complaint! I just wonder, how does one act as an Ethics lawyer
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 02:06 PM
Oct 2016

(Top, sideways or otherwise), in an administration like the Dick and little Georgie Show?

INdemo

(6,994 posts)
11. Will this be discussed on the Morning Joe show
Sun Oct 30, 2016, 02:17 PM
Oct 2016

I highly doubt it.
The Corporate mafia media will not touch this

BainsBane

(53,056 posts)
15. He's been interviewed on MSNBC
Tue Nov 1, 2016, 04:16 AM
Nov 2016

And elsewhere I expect. His op ed was in the Times. Not exactly low profile.

Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
16. I was talking about network TV: "this will be a hot potato for Corp tv", not print media. Glad MSNBC
Wed Nov 2, 2016, 04:15 PM
Nov 2016

is continuing the fight to provide facts to viewers. That's why the rest say they have a "Liberal bias".

How many people get their news from network News vs newspapers? (tip: the difference is huge)

"And elsewhere I expect"... I expect?? Sorry, I don't give much weight to conjecture.



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