Here’s the live feed for former FBI Director Comey’s testimony.
Update at 10:34 AM EDT
I switched the live stream below to PBS’s.
by Adam L Silverman| 370 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Politics, Silverman on Security, Not Normal
Here’s the live feed for former FBI Director Comey’s testimony.
Update at 10:34 AM EDT
I switched the live stream below to PBS’s.
Comments are closed.
Corner Stone
Copying over from previous thread as it may fit better here:
I was really angry yesterday when Coats and Rogers refused to answer questions. I wish there were a mechanism for them both to be held in contempt and jailed.
Today we will see the flip side. The witness will respond to questions about facts but probably not much else. This time it will be the questioners that dabble off into rabbit holes in an attempt to eat time and suirt ink into the arena.
The only positive thing that may come of it all is that Trump hears something he doesn’t like, tweetstorms about it, and basically ends up confessing to more shady shit.
amk
lol. beebs FP is all about twitler’s traitorism than about their own all important national elections.
rikyrah
@Corner Stone:
ICAM.
Why should they be trusted with anything if they won’t answer direct questions. They have no credibility on anything else from now on.
Cheryl Rofer
Corner Stone gets it right. This hearing, although it may be entertaining, will not be the end of Donald Trump, unless he tweets something damning. The Mueller investigation is more likely to turn something up.
Even if Trump does tweet something damning, it will be some time before the Republican Congress decide that they are likely to lose the next election if this goes on.
So it’s going to take some time, one way or another.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/7/17
Trump officials refuse to answer Senate questions about Trump
Rachel Maddow shows how top Trump intelligence officials refused to answer questions about Donald Trump trying to stop the Mike Flynn investigation, even though they had no legal justification for refusing to answer.
JPL
Take good notes guys, I’ll be back after ten thirty.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/7/17
Four key points in Comey’s opening statement to Senate Intel
Rachel Maddow reviews some of the key points in former FBI Director James Comey’s opening statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee before his testimony Thursday.
Chris
Well, here we go.
Chris
@Cheryl Rofer:
Yeah, I’m almost more interested in Trump’s tweetstorm than I am in anything Comey has to say.
Gonna take some time… well, yeah. But it’s worth it all the same.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/7/17
‘Watergate-level’: Sen Wyden on Trump actions in Comey testimony
Senator Ron Wyden, member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, calls James Comey’s description Donald Trump’s effort to quash the investigation into Mike Flynn “Watergate-level material.”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Cheryl Rofer: Yup, Mueller and time, a glacier, not a wildfire. But there are some wildcard, unpredictable factors. I wouldn’t bet the farm on Putin dropping a bomb from whatever he got hacking the GOP, but I wouldn’t bet much against it either. He wants chaos in our political system.
He’s referring to a poll that shows national party self-ID down from 42 to 38% for Rs, steady at 45% for Ds. One poll, gerrymandering, etc. But if we can stop trump, this is how it will happen.
germy
I’m already hearing and seeing the repub talking points
http://boingboing.net/2017/06/07/rnc-talking-points-comey.html
They’re repeating them verbatim all over the media.
They’re nothing if not disciplined.
Wapiti
@amk: methinks the two are not disconnected. The voters get to decide if they vote for the forces tearing the world apart, or vote for stability. Trump is not stability. Brexit is not stability. Holding one’s nose and voting for stability is what the French did.
rikyrah
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 6/7/17
Case for Trump ‘obstruction of justice’ strengthens
Nancy Gertner, former U.S. federal judge, talks with Rachel Maddow about whether the pressure Donald Trump exerted to end the FBI investigation into Mike Flynn was merely awkward or actually illegal.
ChrisB
Really hoping some Russian hookers show up to sit behind Comey.
hovercraft
@Corner Stone:
Jon Cornyn has already said he is very anxious to get some answers about Hillary Clinton! So I look forward to watching both sides engage in a very serious effort to get to the bottom of Russia’s interference in our election, and how and or if the Twitler campaign was involved.
LAO
Thanks Adam.
glory b
@Corner Stone: In any other proceeding, they would be held in contempt. I believe it was on All In on msnbc yesterday, a former federal prosecutor said she was surprised at how disrespectful Coates and Rodgers, and especially Rodgers were to the members.
They had no reason for refusing to answer, they just wouldn’t.
germy
@glory b:
Just didn’t feel right.
Cheryl Rofer
Here’s the CSPAN feed. All respect to Adam for digging up a feed every time something politically watchable happens, but I hate, hate, hate commentary.
Thoroughly Pizzled
@germy: It’s really impressive. How do they get these disseminated so fast? They’ve gotta have a newsletter.
misterpuff
Shitgibbon going to be PO’ed when Comey Hearings get higher ratings than The Apprentice.
You’re Fired x 100!
Cheryl Rofer
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Totally agree on the wildcard factor, which is why I’m watching.
Chris
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
But the best way to keep chaos, from his POV, is to keep Trump in power. Anything other than that is a step down. Democrats in power are not good for him, and while Republicans were willing to cover for his BFF in the White House, once he’s gone, they’re as likely as not to reassert the traditional Cold-War-ish line against Russia. They’re also less likely to engage in the kind of open warfare with their own intelligence and security services that Trump has been doing, which probably has been enough in and of itself to justify Putin’s investment.
From their point of view, the best possible outcome is to keep Trump right where he is.
Corner Stone
Comey is loving this. You can see him radiating there in righteousness.
Corner Stone
Why is MSNBC trying to say the FBI Director is in “The Hot Seat” ?
glory b
@germy: Maybe I missed this yesterday, but why was Obama going to fire Rodgers?
I saw that he didn’t disclose to his commanding officer (Obama) that he was quietly going to New York to meet with Trump. Does that matter (or would it in the to be yearned for alternate existence we used to have)?
LAO
Comey’s got his game face on!
rikyrah
GOP senators admonish Dem for persistent questioning
Associated Press
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee admonished California Sen. Kamala Harris, along with other Democrats, and asked her to be more respectful Wednesday as she pressed top intelligence chiefs testifying before the panel.
Harris was questioning Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, asking him if he would send a letter to Special Counsel Robert Mueller giving him complete independence in his probe into possible ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia.
The exchange was tense, with Harris interrupting Rosenstein as he started to say there wasn’t enough time to explain the answer. When she asked for a yes or no answer, he demurred, and she said, “either you are willing to do that or not.”
Republican Sen. John McCain first interjected, out of turn, with a plea to the committee chairman, Sen. Richard Burr: “Mr. Chairman, they should be allowed to answer the question.”
As the exchange between Harris and Rosenstein continued, Burr interjected and asked Harris to suspend.
Quinerly
@ChrisB:
Doesn’t look like you get your wish unless they are conservatively dressed male Russian hookers. Oh, wait, it would be irresponsible not to speculate!
Redshift
@Corner Stone:
There is, of course, but only a congressional majority can exercise it.
Cheryl Rofer
@Quinerly: Live boys or dead girls.
Alain the site fixer
I’m not doing anything to the site today, it if there’s a problem, please let me know Adam! I won’t be around the site much today or tomorrow.
D58826
oh god Burr is going down the Hillary e-mail rat hole
Chris
@D58826:
“For fuck’s sake, I threw the election to you people by violating every DOJ procedure on the topic, what the fuck more do you people want?”
Peale
@Quinerly: ah, so they cleaned out the Townhouse bar. But I thought that was in Manhattan. So Mr. Ps if it’s still in business.
Corner Stone
@Redshift: Right, a mechanism we could actually use, of course. It would be nice if members of the committee could say, “You have three choices 1)tell me executive privilege was invoked, 2)plead the 5th, or 3)be held in contempt and escorted to jail.”
Now answer my question.
Jeffro
GO WARNER, GO WARNER!!!
Quinerly
@Alain the site fixer:
Is it something we said?
The Moar You Know
Can’t wait for Benghazi’s rotting corpse to be hauled out and dumped in front of us again.
Peale
@D58826: yep. They’ve all told us what they plan to do. It’s kind of demoralizing that they’ll do it. I think though we need to just watch who in the media buys and repeats it…you know, supposedly objective reporters and the like. Then add their names to VDE’s Tumbrel list.
Redshift
@Cheryl Rofer: And especially with regard to Mueller, it’s important to keep in mind that whole only Congress can get rid of the president (and won’t), anyone else can be indicted. Which is compounded by 45*’s openly stated willingness to throw anyone under the bus to save his own skin, and apparent inability to understand that throwing every underling under the bus *doesn’t* help.
It’s a thin reed, but it’s something, I think.
LAO
@Jeffro: Warner isn’t backing down, this is brutal. lol
Corner Stone
@The Moar You Know: “Mr. Comey, do you like pizza? Do you like arcade games? Have you ever been to New Jersey?”
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@Corner Stone: Glad I’m not the only one who sees that. “Here’s my Integrity Face.”
germy
this site slow today, or is my ISP stepping on the brakes during this important testimony.
Quinerly
Meanwhile, the House is voting today to repeal Dodd Frank and Trump announced at least 11 scary Federal bench nominees yesterday.
Corner Stone
Warner seems a little peeved, actually.
Chris
@Peale:
It really is like living in Gotham City. Sure, there are laws against everything the mob does, but considering that they own or are allied with, if not every cop, attorney, judge, and city hall official in town, then certainly a deciding number of them, what the fuck can one do?
Cheryl Rofer
@Redshift: And those who feel those bus tires are likely to say something.
Iowa Old Lady
I had writer things to do this morning and just finished, I hope in time. I suppose it’s a waste of virtual ink to ask if the Republicans on the committee have shown any sign of caring about the president’s illegal activities. I hear they intend to finally get to the bottom of HRC’s emails.
Jeffro
@LAO: He’s connecting the dots quite nicely. Not that Rs will care…but independents and those just tuning in will be like, “Why are the Republicans talking about Hillary when the Russians hacked our country and had Mike Flynn in their pocket?”
Corner Stone
@germy: My pr0n seems to be streaming ok. So maybe just the site related traffic?
manyakitty
@Cheryl Rofer: I’m watching C-SPAN, too. WaPo had a clean link yesterday, too,.
Gin & Tonic
@Corner Stone: My wife has one of those in her car. Frankly great in the winter.
Corner Stone
What?! No Senator invited Trey Gowdy to ask the witness questions in their stead?!
Jeffro
@Quinerly: I don’t know how we stop the former, but the Senate should jam up every nomination from now until Judgement Day.
The Moar You Know
@Quinerly: huh, today of all days, what a shocker, it’s almost like the GOP isn’t worried or something like that.
LAO
Under oath! That’s fabulous.
Bill E Pilgrim
@germy: What testimony? The hearing is over. Your connection must be really slow.
hovercraft
Quinerly
Digging this opening statement.
Jeffro
COMEY DROPS THE HAMMER
JMG
Why does Trump, who treats subordinates like dirt and has no problem disposing of them, cling to Flynn and try to call Comey off him? The answer’s obvious. Flynn knows very bad stuff about Trump. Flynn’s also the person in the most legal jeopardy right now. This is just the beginning of the beginning.
Bill E Pilgrim
Everyone, including Comey, seems to be forgetting or at least skipping the fact that Trump’s deputy press secretary said right out loud that they fired him to bring an end to the Russia investigation. Just another piece of evidence but a damning one.
Corner Stone
He just said “LIES”. Score!
Gator90
@rikyrah: Burr, in that instance, was a prostitute working the corner of Racism and Sexism.
GregB
Calling Trump and his flunkies liars in the first 3 minutes.
Kapow!
LAO
Comey did not come to play today. This is much harsher than I anticipated.
Jeffro
OH OUCH…”those were lies”…
Bill E Pilgrim
He was pissed off. Is the upshot of his opening remarks.
D58826
Assume for the moment that Trump and his campaign are totally innocent of collusion with the Russians. The Russians still hacked/interfered with the electoral process. They may have altered voting records. There seems to be no reason to assume that they would not try and hack vote totals in the future. We have to be working overtime to be sure that our electoral process is protected from future Russian (Chinese or that 400 lb kid in his parents basement) hacking. And the GOP has no intention of doing that
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Corner Stone: maybe an after lunch surprise a la Perry Mason, with dramatic squirrel sound
manyakitty
@Corner Stone: Do you like watching gladiator movies?
The Ancient Randonneur
Comey was sporting some serious RBF before he took the oath. Game on.
LAO
Cheryl Rofer
Comey’s opening statement is devastating to Trump, but it also addresses the planned Republican undermining of his character and testimony. Plus a little catch in his voice as he bids goodbye to his FBI colleagues.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Rancid Beer Farts? He was drinking Bud light?
ETA: @manyakitty: thanks
Corner Stone
@Cheryl Rofer:
That little warble was nice. Comey seems ready to play today.
manyakitty
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Resting B*tch Face
Quinerly
@Cheryl Rofer:
I caught that little “catch.” Was a nice touch.
Corner Stone
Is Burr trying to sink Trump or is this going somewhere?
Iowa Old Lady
My FBI friend says they heard about his firing the same way he did, on the news. Then the SACs were called to a tele-meeting where they were asked not to talk to the press about it. They had to figure out for themselves how to explain things to the people in their various offices.
Chris
@D58826:
Piggybacking off of this:
Assuming that is true, and I’m not saying it’s not, the way he and every Republican in Congress have reacted to the investigation means that for anyone watching from overseas, he might as well have. The perception from everywhere abroad is that the Russians have most definitely compromised the U.S, because if they hadn’t, why would these people be working as hard as they are to obstruct the investigation? And they act accordingly.
Mahmoud Abbas already asked Putin to make Trump more pliable on Israel issues, I don’t think he’s even the only foreign leader who’s done something like that, and he certainly won’t be the last, while meanwhile, longstanding allies everywhere are distancing themselves from a U.S. they no longer see as reliable. Whether or not Trump is actually under Putin’s thumb, the international reaction has been largely the same as if he was, which means Putin’s getting his goals accomplished one way or another.
Quinerly
Are we all retired or do we all just work from home? I’ve been curious for awhile.?
Cheryl Rofer
Comey won’t say in open session if anything in Steele dossier is true.
Burr is proceeding with reasonable questions.
Adam L Silverman
@Corner Stone: There is a mechanism, but the GOP majority is not going to use it. Those Senator Burr did issue a statement yesterday about how what happened yesterday, or what he allowed to happen, was unacceptable and would not be tolerated in the future.
Chris
@Iowa Old Lady:
The one friend I have there is a fresh recruit, but according to her, Comey was well respected in the FBI, which means I seriously doubt if the Republicans are making any friends there.
Cheryl Rofer
Comey: Hundreds of entities attacked by Russian hacking.
Adam L Silverman
@Cheryl Rofer: I was looking for another PBS feed today, but I couldn’t find it. It is up now, so I’ll switch it out.
Adam L Silverman
Just a quick FYI: I just switched the live stream up top to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yry9PV3DNfw
Quinerly
@Adam L Silverman:
Do you have a link for that statement? I heard mention of it but have been unable to find it. I’m assuming it was a written statement. Thanks.
Corner Stone
Burr stayed pretty level for just about all those questions. They were fairly damaging to the WH.
Steeplejack
@amk:
I wish Burr—or anyone—would ask Comey whether Republican organizations were among the “hundreds” attacked by the Russians.
Corner Stone
Stop! Warner Time!
Iowa Old Lady
I have Trump’s twitter stream open but the last tweet is from yesterday saying he’s going to Ohio to meet with Obama Care “victims.” Maybe his staff is keeping him busy.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Quinerly: I’ve been retired all my life.
Adam L Silverman
@glory b: SecDef Carter and DNI Clapper had concluded he was ineffective and not a good fit to be DIRNSA, let alone dual hatted as Commander CYBERCOM.
Corner Stone
Comey has called Trump a liar at least three times just so far.
Quinerly
@Bill E Pilgrim:
?
Quinerly
Was that the third time Comey said, “lie?”
eric
OH MY: i was concerned that Trump would LIE about our conversation
Jeffro
“…knowing the nature of the person (Trump) and that he might lie about the meeting…”
Quinerly
@eric:
Should be played on endless loop…..in a perfect world.
Adam L Silverman
@Redshift: Actually the Deputy Watergate Prosecutor wrote an op-ed in WaPo yesterday explaining why he had made a strong legal argument that President Nixon could have and should have been prosecuted while in office as no one, not even the President, is presumed by the Constitution to be above the criminal law of the US and that he believes that the President should also be charged and tried for the same reasons:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/former-watergate-prosecutor-comey-lays-out-sufficient-evidence-for-an-obstruction-of-justice-case/2017/06/07/a12964a4-4be3-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html?utm_term=.032103c1b6bf
LAO
OMG! Not enough popcorn.
amk
looks like fucking comey finally found his fucking conscience.
amk
also. too. fuck burr, the partisan pos.
Cheryl Rofer
Comey used the word “lie,” but Maggie Haberman couldn’t bring herself to quote that.
Soprano2
Wow, he just said he thought Trump was a liar!! He has better powers of observation than any Republican who voted for the man. Also, it’s significant that he didn’t feel the need to write memos after any meeting with any other president.
Adam L Silverman
@LAO: What you’re seeing is the difference between the Democratic members who are largely not just attorneys but former prosecutors or intelligence officers and Senator Burr and the Republican members of the committee who are neither. Burr was in inside/indoor sales before he was elected to Congress in the mid 90s.
schrodingers_cat
@Cheryl Rofer: Bought and paid for, Vichy Times and their steno pool.
Corner Stone
@amk: What did Burr do wrong today?
I agree he’s a partisan pos but it seemed pretty reasonable from what I heard him say and ask.
The Moar You Know
@Iowa Old Lady: BBC reported this AM (and God only knows what their sources were, so take this with a huge chunk of salt) that there were three lawyers in the White House this morning sitting with Donald Trump and that he was not going to be allowed to tweet anything without their approval. I have my doubts but this would be hilarious IF true.
amk
@Cheryl Rofer: maggie, the tool, never disappoints.
Chris
@amk:
A bit fucking late for that. What a pity he didn’t grow it last October, then he might not be in this fucking trainwreck. To say nothing of the rest of us.
dexwood
@Quinerly:
Both! Good morning to you.
Brachiator
We’re learning how Trump is running the government like a business. The Mafia. Trump wanted Comey to kiss his ring, call him Godfather, promise his loyalty.
Chris
@Adam L Silverman:
Did not know that. Good for them.
Bill E Pilgrim
Okay so in the Comey vs Comey’s Statement from yesterday, Comey is making Comey’s Statement seem like the circumspect more reticent of the two.
This one today is taking no prisoners.
amk
@Corner Stone:
Really? After all this shit? Fuck him and his treasonous party.
Quinerly
@dexwood:
Good morning to you! How were John Prine and Mr. Costello? You have been missed!
GregB
Henry Rollins has a song about Trump.
Liar!
eclare
@Quinerly: I’m at the office, just following the blog. Depending on your comments!
schrodingers_cat
@Brachiator:What about all the brass that is currently in the cabinet, how compromised are they?
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Chris:
I predict; the mirco second Trump is out of office the Republicans will be screaming about how it was the left who was fixing elections with the Russians.
rikyrah
@JMG:
Flynn knows things. Flynn went with Kushner.
LAO
Come on Comey — throw Sessions under the bus.
Adam L Silverman
@Quinerly: No, just saw it reported. I’m not sure if Burr’s press secretary put it out or it was tweeted or an actual statement was released to the press.
Chris
@Brachiator:
Definitely a Mafia, but a particular kind of Mafia. I forget which mob movie it is where the narrator looks at one of the Wise Guys and says “this guy could fuck up a cup of coffee.”
Brachiator
Interesting. Bringing out the idea that Comey deliberately wrote a memo that would be unclassified.
Corner Stone
YEEEOOOUUUWWWCCCHHH!!
Warner just shot a flaming arrow at trump.
Adam L Silverman
@Quinerly: Drink!
The Moar You Know
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Sanders did his level best. I am very disappointed he’s not getting a grilling as well.
manyakitty
@Quinerly: I’m at work.
scav
@The Moar You Know: Those three lawyers prepared to sit with 24/7/52/4 minus a bit necause the pressure to show just who’s boss is simply accumulating.
Corner Stone
@amk: I thought that was a reasonable question that had to be asked.
Quinerly
@Adam L Silverman:
The reason I asked was I have a friend who refuses to understand what went on yesterday. Been trying to send him a few links to educate him.
dexwood
@Quinerly:
Don’t want to highjack the thread, but will say they were great. Saturday, we’ll be at a screening of The Big Lebowski at the Kimo theater where Jeff Bridges and T Bone Burnett will be in attendance. All part of a birthday package for the long-suffering Mrs. dexwood.
Brachiator
@Adam L Silverman: Is Marco Rubio a member of this committee? I heard someone claim that Rubio and another Republican (Cormyn?) met with Trump and other White House officials to craft an attack strategy. I don’t know if the pundit making this claim actually knew something or just trying to feed the gossip beast.
Chris
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
One particularly nasty possible outcome of all this is that the Russians eventually decide that the current GOP is simply too unstable to stay in power, and so they switch to targeting them in one of the near future election cycles. At which point, the entire political system suddenly cries out with outrage, the kind of mobilization that should have happened after 2016 actually happens, and Democrats take the fall, being considered traitors who were colluding with the Russians. (Whether or not they actually did, which I can’t imagine they would. They know exactly the kind of double standard scrutiny they’re under).
Adam L Silverman
@Cheryl Rofer: It makes her thumbs weep if she has to type it into twitter.
Corner Stone
@Bill E Pilgrim: I think you got that about right. After Comey read Comey’s Statement yesterday, Comey then showed Comey’s Statement the pee tape and the hooker receipts and Comey told Comey’s Statement to “Buckle up, Lil Buckaroo”.
Quinerly
@dexwood:
A few diversions on these threads are nice. I think many of us are on overload. My best to your lovely bride. Looking forward to February in Albuquerque!
germy
LGM comment:
MoxieM
@Corner Stone: agreed. “No legal basis”. WTF?
GregB
Senator Warner: “I would like to introduce two surprise witnesses. Masha Tinklelotskov and Katarina Peepeemattress.”
Cue dramatic music.
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman: Right on both counts – both should have gone/should go to jail.
The Moar You Know
@scav: That was a thought. Yeah, you can stop him right now, but tonight? Tomorrow? Next week? He’s gonna throw a fuckfit in public no matter how they try to contain it.
Adam L Silverman
@Corner Stone: He’s straddling the line of being a good Republican Senator and being one of the national security and intel leads for the President during the transition. Some of this is him trying to CYA and keep his tuchas out of Bob Mueller’s ringer.
dexwood
Take care, gotta get over to my son’s house. Fuck Trump!
Jeffro
@GregB: he has another one about Trump, too.
Adam L Silverman
@The Moar You Know: Unless they’re going to sit on him, I can’t imagine that’s going to work.
Full Metal Wingnut
@hovercraft: Good one Cornyn! Can’t let serious questions about the sitting president get in the way of squirting ink about someone who lost the election and has no political power. So bold! So courageous!
Chris
@The Moar You Know:
He really is a fucking child.
Nicole
Just wanted to pop in a thanks to all of you who are viewing and commenting. I’m working (and for me working is reading things aloud so I can’t have the video on in the background), but this thread is keeping me up on what’s happening in the hearing. You guys are the best.
Quinerly
@Adam L Silverman:
I am oddly craving a Gin Bloody. Don’t give me any ideas.
The Moar You Know
@germy: I’ll never understand why he did that. It didn’t just look bad, it was bad. He’s a lawyer, he knows how this shit works. Just fucking stupid.
LAO
I take the President at his word. lol.
Brachiator
@schrodingers_cat:
There’s a reason Trump surrounds himself with family and people who are loyalists. His shabby behavior is plain and blatant. To be fair, other presidents have demanded loyalty as well. But Trump is obsessive and clumsy about it. Everyone in his cabinet has to be sweating knowing that if the issue comes up, Trump will demand explicit assertions of personal loyalty.
Bill E Pilgrim
So the Republicans are really going to go with:
“So Mr Comey, concerning the words “Nice job you got here, be a shame if anything happened to it”, there’s nothing wrong with a genuine concern about someone keeping his job, is there?”
Adam L Silverman
@Chris: This is especially pronounced on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. Almost every Democratic member is a former prosecutor. Many with natsec prosecution experience like Congressman Schiff. The most senior former prosecutor among the GOP members is Congressman Gowdey who handled a lot of meth cases in his Federal district in South Carolina. Congressman Nunes is a rancher and vintner. And, based solely on empirical observation, dumb as a box of rocks.
mai naem mobile
@GregB: is Svetlana Urinestov calling in sick?
Gin & Tonic
@Adam L Silverman: It wouldn’t be a B-J thread without some asshole pedant pointing out that it’s “wringer” and not “ringer.”
Cheryl Rofer
@Adam L Silverman: lol
LAO
@Bill E Pilgrim: Sometimes it’s all you got. The fixation on the word “hope” is probably their only argument.
schrodingers_cat
@Brachiator: How do we know that he hasn’t done so yet?
Cheryl Rofer
Comey: “Lordy, I hope there are tapes.”
LAO
MomSense
Jesus, DiFi looks just like Lucy from Charlie Brown.
Quinerly
@mai naem mobile:
She has a UTI (ok, that was bad. I’m punchy)
LAO
LOLOLOLOLOL!
D58826
@Adam L Silverman: I think bringing up the e-mails was an effort to misdirect. The handling of the e-mails may be a legitimate issue but they had hearings on that last year and what Bill did or didnot say to the AG in Phoenix will not undermined the republic.
The first GOOPER in his time slot kept getting back to the word HOPE. He kept harping on the fact that Trump said ‘I hope’ rather than ‘I order’ as being exculpatory for POTUS. That fails the smacked butt test. When your boss says ‘I hope that you do something’ you certainly know that you have just gotten your marching orders.
Adam L Silverman
@Brachiator: Senators Rubio and Cotton are members. They had dinner with the President two nights ago. Senator Cotton is an attorney. Senator Rubio barely graduated from Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, FL.
And that’s not to knock SFCC – they’re actually one of the best community colleges in Florida. Proximity to UF – lot of the doctoral students teach at SFCC to make extra money. And a lot of the SFCC students are going there so they can move on to UF.
Jeffro
If nothing else, at least we’ve heard people say the words “Russia investigation” eighty gazillion times. Repetition helps!
Corner Stone
DiFi seems really very bad at this.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@LAO: I thought the “Lordy” was a nice touch. Homey, sincere, and effective.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes
Wat@Adam L Silverman:
I thought about that notion of presidential immunity from criminal indictment while in office this morning in the car.
My feeling is that it should more or less go unanswered ever. On one hand, no person should be above the law. On another, it does serve to protect the executive from potential rogue state or federal actors and grand juries who could get swept up with a regional fever and seriously cause a crisis.
Likewise, an obeisance congress can make a powerful statement that something doesn’t rise to the level of criminality by failing to remove.
Bruce K
I’m not watching due to blood pressure concerns (I’m following feeds during a slow spell at work), but I wonder if Comey’s treating this as a sort of a chance for redemption. After all, to a significant degree, it’s his own fault that the cheeto is now in the White House and had the opportunity to lean on him to obstruct justice. If he takes down Trump, does that make up for kneecapping Clinton?
MoxieM
Been mulling Burr’s opening statement where he said something along the lines of doing the investigation so they could “put this thing in a box and tuck it away.” That raised my hackles. Anybody else notice that little gem? what it signals, or just standard BS?
Amir Khalid
Ah, the old “I hope” dodge from Trump.
I’m with Comey on this. When a boss tells a subordinate, “I hope you will do X”, the subordinate,if he is at all competent, will hear “Do X; that’s an order.”
Adam L Silverman
@The Moar You Know: The issue is going to be whether they let him go to give his speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition meeting. There have to be concerned that he decides to go way off teleprompter and just vent.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo fka Edmund Dantes
@mai naem mobile:
Svetlana is unavailable for comment, as her remains are peacefully resting in a radioactive tailing pond.
Cheryl Rofer
Rubio is questioning now.
GregB
@LAO:
Oh my oh my.
Corner Stone
Either Comey is being just really honest or he’s not very smart after all. Or some combo.
Cheryl Rofer
Donald Trump Jr. is live-tweeting. I am not following him, but others are starting to respond to him. I wish they wouldn’t.
Adam L Silverman
@Gin & Tonic: Sinus infection. So even if I would still make that mistake while well, I’m pleading ill. Which I’m sure someone will be along to tell us is the correct word and not sick.
Chris
@Bruce K:
Possibly, but I doubt he thinks that way. Probably thinks that he did a masterful job of protecting the republic from a great danger last year, and must now protect it from another one.
Adam L Silverman
@D58826: That’s Senator Risch. He is a former attorney. He’s also very, very partisan.
LAO
Rubio talks to fast.
hovercraft
@LAO:
I find it sad that these morons don’t know how dumb and pathetic shit like that make them look.
Corner Stone
Rubio’s question does not make a whole lot of sense.
Corner Stone
Oh, yeah! Fightin’ Wyden on the clock!
celticdragonchick
Rubio phoned it in.
LAO
@celticdragonchick: Actually, he landed more hits that Risch.
Adam L Silverman
@LAO: Rubio is not a good public speaker. He gets nervous and he gets cotton mouth. He also sweats a lot. He clearly has an anxiety issue.
manyakitty
@celticdragonchick: He showed up. That’s a big step for him.
hovercraft
@Amir Khalid:
So does every normal sentient being. The defenders are down to splitting hairs as their defense. SAD!
pika
Anyone else getting a search-for-Russian-women ad right smack in the middle of Adam’s post?
Corner Stone
Jeff Sessions! Mr. Sessions! Your bus has arrived!!
Adam L Silverman
@celticdragonchick: OT: How you doing? Also, you’re going to have to email me the behind the private tag dirt on “The Major” thing from LGF. He popped up here briefly on Memorial Day. Fun and hijinks ensued.
manyakitty
Yeah, here we go. Sessions is a POS
germy
“Why didn’t you stand up to my dad??”
hovercraft
@Adam L Silverman:
Oh Please, OH PLEASE!! Let him go, let him vent, everyone knows that he’s at his best when you just let Twitler be Twitler, just ask Corey.
amk
gulpo fucking rubio is making it all about comey, not about the fucking twitler, who humiliated this thug during the primaries.
Quinerly
@pika:
Close. Ad for $100 off online mattress.
Calouste
@Cheryl Rofer: I guess that’s FBI phrasing for “we strongly suspect there are tapes”
hovercraft
@Adam L Silverman:
Impairment due to an illness or ailment.
Cheryl Rofer
Seems to have been more on Sessions earlier than anyone thought. Comey will only discuss it in closed session.
Brachiator
@schrodingers_cat:
I think that Trump has a short attention span and narrow field of political vision. I think he gets angry and demands loyalty when a specific situation comes up. But who knows. He also attracts people like Chris Christie, Newt Ginrich, Mayor Rudy, who seem to love being compliant little flunkies.
celticdragonchick
@Adam L Silverman: I’m good!
I don’t know anything about The Major though. I have take a break from a lot of political blogging because it was actually contributing to my stress and anxiety and the doc put me on blood pressure meds.
Corner Stone
Oh no. Querulous Collins now doing her moderate bit.
hovercraft
@pika:
Yes, the last few days I’ve been getting the Russian girls ads, and one day I got a Hot Asian girls ad.
amk
not that glenn is a tool hisself.
Mike in NC
Senator Collins is up. She might have concerns (drinking game!).
Adam L Silverman
@celticdragonchick: Glad to hear you’re well.
Okay. All I know is there was some to do, but it was all done behind the privacy tags. And, since I’m nosy, I figured I’d ask. If you ever find out, please let me know.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
Salacious!
Cheryl Rofer
Trump’s reaction to briefing on “salacious material” strong and personal. This was one of the times Comey told Trump they weren’t investigating him.
Marcopolo
@Corner Stone: She did not seem to be particularly focused or crisp. This is, alas, ageist but she’s the oldest member of the committee and it might just be time for her to allow someone w/ more energy & a fresh perspective to serve in that seat for CA. I’m hopeful there’s another person similar to Kamala Harris waiting in the wings.
manyakitty
45 was NOT under investigation as of May 9??
D58826
@LAO: thanks, I missed his name.
Chris T.
@MoxieM: When I saw that “no legal basis” thing yesterday, paired with some comment about it being “too embarrassing”, I wondered if perhaps Trump admitted that Putin does have the pee-tape.
Mike in NC
Historically, pledges of personal loyalty have been a big deal to fascist dictators and Republican politicians.
NorthLeft12
@MoxieM: Yeah, it sounds like his attitude is that this is an unpleasant and unnecessary job that he got stuck with, and despite his loud complaining will see it through and then forget about it for the next thirty years or so.
He sounds like a petulant child.
TenguPhule
Mr. Comey, show us on the doll where Mr. Trump covfefed you.
JPL
ugh.. I just got home in time, for Collins trying to blame Comey for not telling the president he was being inappropriate by wanting to discuss things by himself. .
schrodingers_cat
@Brachiator: So what does that say about the integrity of Generals Mattis, McMaster and Kelly that they have stood by their man, lying if they had to.
trollhattan
What I’m essentially getting from the Republicans is setting up the “Reasonable people can differ” defense of Trump’s intent wrt the patronage relationship feelers.
Nothing to see here move along, move along.
Corner Stone
So, two takeaways to this point, I guess about half way in:
1. The pee tape is real
2. Sessions is going to jail
TenguPhule
@schrodingers_cat:
That they’re all sad sacks of shit who forgot their oath is to the Constitution, not Trump?
Marcopolo
@LAO: He followed the R talking points to a T. That None of Trump’s actions were to directly ask Comey to put the kibosh on the Russia investigation.
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
Why do you think 2?
bupalos
This is all beyond depressing. The worst part is gradually realizing that this whole circus is working in their favor. Watch Republicancare sail through while everyone’s jerking off about Trump and hookers and impropriety.
If they get Obamacare killed, we’ll spend the next 10 years trying to get back to where we are now, and I really don’t know that will even be successful. Trump could admit he’s a secret agent, be impeached right now this very second, and that would still be true.
GregB
@Marcopolo:
I recently saw Pat Leahy in one of the hearings and I thought he’d had a stroke. My Dad thought he was hammered.
That said, yes, some of these octogenarians need to step aside. Ruth Bader Ginsberg not included.
Thoroughly Pizzled
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
MCCARTHYISM
? Martin
@Corner Stone: I’m good with both of those.
Frankensteinbeck
@manyakitty:
I believe that is prosecutor language for “We’re still working our way up the chain.”
schrodingers_cat
Comey’s testimony must have the R bosses worried, so right on cue we have R-trolls here to spread doom and gloom.
The Moar You Know
@Corner Stone: If we’d gotten just one of them I’d call this a good day. Does kind of look like both things are the case.
Brachiator
@schrodingers_cat:
I don’t know. I could dismiss them as scoundrels. I could guess that they think that they might be able to keep Trump from doing something stupid, and fear that Trump would appoint ignorant weasels as replacements if they stepped down.
JMG
@bupalos: Don’t be so sure. If the Dems have control of Congress and the White House, they will push through a major tax increase on the wealthy and increased social spending, maybe including Medicare for all, through reconciliation.
Corner Stone
@Steeplejack: Comey specifically said he didn’t go to his superiors after these meetings with Trump because he couldn’t trust them and there was classified intel indicating that Sessions would be forced to recuse himself. And that members of the committee have all seen that intel.
Sessions is cooked. Where he ends up is a question but I think he’s going to go down.
Cheryl Rofer
Every Comey statement about Russian interference in the election is totally firm. “Un-fake” “No doubt.” “From the highest levels of the Russian government.”
manyakitty
@Frankensteinbeck: I can accept that.
Bruce K
@Corner Stone: From your lips, er, keys to the auditory appendages of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I’m not exactly bursting with the seams with confidence on your second takeaway, though – DC seems to be too badly compromised at this point…
scav
@schrodingers_cat: well, Trump is the “jobs creator” and he’s getting the Russians to pay for the protective wall of sound and gloom.
Adam L Silverman
@Frankensteinbeck: Correct. The CI and criminal investigations are of the President’s campaign, the transition, his administration, his business/business dealings, and those of his son in law. While he may not specifically be under investigation, everything that he is either connected to or is connected to him is. I’m sure LAO will correct me if I’m wrong, but Comey is splitting a very fine legal hair.
manyakitty
@Cheryl Rofer: He’s not fooling around.
Marcopolo
@GregB: Yep, had the same thought when I last saw Leahy.
GregB
@Corner Stone:
May we see videos of Jeff Sessions monuments in Alabama being given torn down with all of the other Confederate ass bags.
Soprano2
Ugh, my stupid Senator Blunt is up now.
eric
help me out: Comey said (and i had not yet heard this) that Lynch told him to call the “investigation” a “matter” instead. This was a big deal to him at the time and when he explained the tarmac incident. Did we know that before today?
Montysano
@Corner Stone:
Please help me catch up. What was said that points to this?
LAO
@Adam L Silverman: I think that you are correct.
Quinerly
@Soprano2:
My stupid senator too. Double ugh.
Cheryl Rofer
@eric: I think so, but would want to check.
Adam L Silverman
@Corner Stone:
Xenos
@Adam L Silverman: I know someone who went on to a 4.0 average at UF after immigrating to the states and finishing their AA at SFCC. This was back when I lived NE 8th Ave and worked at HRS, in the days of Lawton Chiles. I suspect it has not changed much.
Sorry for the digression, everybody, I am sure you are not fascinated!
SatanicPanic
@bupalos: It’s working in their favor for now. If they can pass things on 50 votes we will be able to as well.
Marcopolo
@JMG: I can see the D’s taking back the House in 2018. Not sure when they take back the Senate, though. Our best chance was in 2016 and we know how that turned out.
Cheryl Rofer
different-church-lady
WaPo.com is covering the hearing. NYT.com is covering the TV show.
Corner Stone
Blunt is stupid.
Steeplejack
@Corner Stone:
Got it. I heard him say Sessions would recuse, didn’t get the “have to” part.
I’m at Sighthound Hall trying to follow along while entertaining a one-year-old nephew. Multitasking.
Barbara
Blunt is not impressive. He seems to have wanted to take Comey to task about not reporting to the AG but being corrected that he did report to the acting AG and not the AG whom he correctly surmised would be recusing himself.
Adam L Silverman
@Xenos: Right, not slagging SFCC.
SatanicPanic
I think the “he said hope, it wasn’t an order” thing isn’t going to fool anyone who isn’t already on the Trump train. People aren’t that stupid.
jonas
@Cheryl Rofer:
This. As long as GOP congresscritters sense their base is sticking with Trump, they’re going to stonewall on this shit until the end of time. Our only hope is getting our side to turn out in a mid-cycle election and bring a lot of disaffected non-voters to the polls with them and flip the House and/or Senate.
SiubhanDuinne
“Like feeding seagulls at the beach” LOL!
Amir Khalid
Does anyone know the name of Comey’s good friend the Columbia Lw School professor?
Barbara
He would rather have had dinner with his wife. The only funny moment so far.
Soprano2
Boy, he’s establishing that Trump is a liar, isn’t he? I wonder if the NY Times will dare say that.
schrodingers_cat
@Brachiator: Their reputation as men of integrity is surely taking a beating. Of the 3, Kelly has been the worst in my opinion.
SiubhanDuinne
I really like Angus King.
Tom65
Diaper Don’s (Don Jr) twitter feed, for shits and grins:
https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr
Jeffro
@Marcopolo: Their parties and their staffs will keep them propped up until it’s just about “Weekend at Bernie’s” time. I saw it happen with Bill Roth a while back.
Elizabelle
@Amir Khalid: Don’t know. Is it Benjamin Wittes?
Mike in DC
I hope Sen. Harris uses some of her time to make her Republican colleagues look as bad as they are.
germy
“Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?”
“I hope you would rid me of this meddlesome priest.”
LAO
“Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” I’ve been waiting almost 2 hours for this.
? Martin
@Corner Stone: So Blunt isn’t very sharp?
Soprano2
@germy: That will be one of the press’ quotable moments for sure!
Elizabelle
@SiubhanDuinne: Me too. Independent, so ain’t one of those estrogen-soaked Democrats.
He’s done great. Getting that bank on record as “whoa, we can’t talk about THAT in public.”
Thoroughly Pizzled
@Elizabelle: It’s not him, they actually asked if it was him and Comey denied it.
bystander
Susan Collins makes me want to reach for a cream pie.
LAO
@LAO: Meddlesome priest, Dammit!
Soprano2
@? Martin: No. This has been yet another edition of SATSQ. LOL
Corner Stone
@Soprano2:
This whole hearing seems to me to be to establish that Trump is a fucking liar. On the record.
The R’s thought it was to establish that Trump personally was never under investigation. But Comey came to testify to other matters. So far Comey is ahead on the scoreboard.
Barbara
@bystander: Her voice is not pleasant and she sounds so dismissive and condescending when she speaks.
patroclus
Politically, this is going terribly for Trump – being called a liar by the former FBI director multiple times is very damaging. And having Sessions described as compromised by the Russians is terrible for Trump as well.
Legally, my view is that the let Flynn go stuff is a smoking gun on obstruction of justice. But the Republicans aren’t going to treat it that way, so it won’t have the effect that it should have. (It’s analogous to John Dean’s original testimony in Watergate). They’ll have to be more such evidence to be able to prove that.
schrodingers_cat
@bystander: I can’t stand her whiny voice.
LAO
Keep your prayers to yourself. I already hate this senator.
Marcopolo
@Barbara: This is why Blunt won by only 3% last year in a state Trump won by about 20%. Really wish Kander had pulled that out. He & his entire brood are pretty much political hacks & lobbyists.
Cheryl Rofer
Comey won’t say anything about the Russian VEB in open session. Not good for Jared.
amk
@Brachiator:
what a load of crap.
Jeffro
There seems to be an advanced level of ‘signaling’ going on this morning…the good guys are letting the bad guys know that they know:
1) Jeff Sessions is dirty as all hell with the Russians
2) We know about Russian banks and what they’ve been providing to…candidates? The Trump Org? Both?
3) We know about widespread Russian hacking into our election at multiple levels and multiple states…
What else?
eric
What should be clear is that Comey expected to be fired, may have wanted to be fired (after the first Trump meeting), and THUS, planned for his firing. He was the LAST person Trump should have fired.
Corner Stone
@? Martin: He seems quite dull, actually. Definitely not the good kind of blunt.
amk
LAO
GregB
Angus King is the right combination of smart, folksy and incisive.
Comey really thinks Trump is a lying sack of shit.
Adam L Silverman
Oooopsie!
different-church-lady
@Corner Stone:
Trump’s entire campaign firmly established that Trump is a liar.
MomSense
@Elizabelle:
He’s been great throughout this mess. I call his office so often the staffers recognize my voice. May have to call again today to just say thank you. Sometimes we just commiserate on this mess.
Corner Stone
@Barbara:
Her mannerisms always seem to me to be a bobblehead come to life. Like the effort of speaking is about to make her neck snap. Like she’s never sure if she’s going to be able to finish her sentence.
Just One More Canuck
@Adam L Silverman: Upper body injury
Amir Khalid
@Elizabelle:
No, it’s not Wittes. Wikipedia says Wittes is a Senior Fellow at Brookings.
bystander
@Barbara: ..and she keeps asking, why didn’t you respond the way I am now hypothesizing? and because she’d look great wiping a cream pie off her face.
eric
@Adam L Silverman: I do the law thingy for a living and there is NO FUCKING WAY we would ever allow the marketing fucking person to handle inquiries on an investigation involving the President of the United States. Holy bugfuck stupid in the first instance.
SiubhanDuinne
@Barbara:
I believe she has spasmodic dysphonia (Katharine Hepburn, Robert Kennedy Jr., Dianne Rehm, and many others). It’s disconcerting to listen to, and I’m not in any way a fan of Susan Collins, but the way she speaks is a medical condition, not a moral failing.
Soprano2
Boy, the Republicans are certainly trying to make it seem like people knowing Trump doesn’t like the Russia investigation is the very same thing as saying to the FBI direction “I hope you can let it go”. Good Lord……I keep thinking how they would view this situation if it were Hillary Clinton who had said something like that to the FBI director.
Brachiator
@schrodingers_cat:
Yep.
germy
After all this testimony, Fox News will run with “She asked him to call it a ‘matter’ not an ‘investigation’!!”
Brachiator
Oooh. Becket reference.
Barbara
@bystander: She is such a fraud. It’s why I hate her the most. I hate the others, like Cruz, but Cruz is not dishonest. Her dishonesty makes her in my opinion the single most reprehensible person in the Senate. Portman is a close second, but he doesn’t exude the “concern” that she does to, essentially, lie to her constituents about what she’s really about.
MCA1
@SatanicPanic: No, they’re not.
But they are that lazy and determined not to be challenged on what they know, or be forced to regret their vote. Thus, millions and millions of Americans will not hear today’s testimony, nor will they read a transcript of it, instead turning to Fox News or CNN to get a summary and some hot takes that reaffirm what they want to think, that this is all a big nothingburger. And the GOP senators are doing their damnedest to give Sean Hannity all the soundbytes he needs to wail on and on about how Comey himself said the President didn’t unequivocally tell him he’d be canned if he didn’t squash the Flynn investigation. It’s of a piece with the seemingly pathological focus on “the leakers” and whether or not hard proof of “collusion” has yet been found. Republicans are feeding the storylines that are in turn spat out to the ignorant, knowing that they’ll never be forced to address the preposterousness of their underlying claims – that leaking is worse than treason, and that lack of a smoking gun is the same as definitive determination of innocence.
bystander
@Cheryl Rofer: Besides the suitability of smacking Susan Collins with a cream pie to underscore her clownishness, the other realization I’m coming to is, Jared’s going to get it, Jared’s going to get it.
Barbara
@SiubhanDuinne: I didn’t know that. I won’t mention her voice again.
bupalos
@JMG: No, I’m pretty sure. Do the numbers and tell me how we get a governing majority that can reinstitute something like the ACA, that can reverse the attempt to frog-boil medicaid. Show me the likely 20 senator flip we’d need, where’s that coming from, Oklahoma?
They’ve been setting this up structurally for DECADES and the reason they’re ready to go ahead and pull the trigger on something with like 30% support is that it’s a watershed event that will then have a ton of structural defense behind it and will move in slow motion and no one will even remember what it was that made the world suck. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m saying it won’t be easy, it will take up the better part of a lot of people’s lives getting it done. This idea that people will be mad and all of a sudden a wave will sweep it all away is very, very wishful thinking to me. And the obvious fact that we’re more and more easily distracted by shiny objects like the clown show that is Trump- who is nothing more or less than a Republican suicide bomber that will be gone in a blink- makes me even more pessimistic.
CALL YOUR SENATOR. THROW A ?@#!ing TANTRUM. Then feel free to watch Trump-porn.
Peale
@Corner Stone: I’m still not getting this “Well Trump Wasn’t under Investigation” exoneration line? What does it exonerate him from? Is it worse obstruction if you’re doing it for yourself than doing it on behalf of someone else?
SatanicPanic
@amk: I do not get Rubio. I can forgive Rubio for not coming up with a good retort in the moment at the debates when Trump called him “Little Marco”, but if I were Rubio I’d be sticking it to him every chance I got, even if it did mean my Senate career. How do you even show your face in public after being belittled and then turning around and not doing anything about it? I mean, if I were running against him in Florida my ads would be “Trump called him Little Marco and Little Marco responded by supporting Trump, Rubio is a pathetic man with no balls”.
Jeffro
“They’re coming after America…that’s what this was about…”
Chris
@Barbara:
That’s generally my view of “moderate” (God, I hate that word and the fact that it’s applied to them) Republicans.
SatanicPanic
@MCA1: I should have been clear- I’m not worried about the Trumpers, they’re a lost cause. I’m talking about everyone else.
Jeffro
It is time for Democrats to openly reach out to independents, non-voters, and principled conservatives and make a stand: call out the Vichy Republicans for what they are.
March For Shame!!!
raven
@SatanicPanic: He’s s fucking punk, what do you expect?
bystander
@Barbara: Oh, but Collins is the sensible, bridge building moderate.
Adam L Silverman
celticdragonchick
@eric:
Jesus….
manyakitty
WTF, Manchin? Who cares if HRC would have fired him? It doesn’t matter!
SatanicPanic
@raven: I know, but man, just sad to see someone with no limits. He’s George McFly before Marty goes back in time.
germy
Cotton spits out the word “your friend”
He signed the loyalty oath. And no cotton in his mouth, unlike rubio
amk
Is mr mueller watching mr comey?
bupalos
political damage. yes, what we need is political damage to Trump, you know, tarnish that sterling reputation. Maybe someone can record him bragging about sexually assaulting women. Then the Republicans will be foiled!
Mike in DC
@bystander:
I do think we’re looking at one or two major staff departures in the next 2-3 months.
Peale
@Adam L Silverman: Good for her. As a marketing person myself, let the PR department handle that. This isn’t a business development issue.
Quinerly
Who looks more like a sociopath…Tom Cotton or Jared Kushner?
The Moar You Know
@Adam L Silverman: Yeah, that’s not a vacation, that’s a “fuck you, I’m not cleaning that up.”
Adam L Silverman
Just put a fresh testimony live feed open thread up.
amk
@SatanicPanic: marco is an a$$ki$$er. $A$Q.
bemused
@SatanicPanic:
Little Marco did manage to show up to poison pill ACA with “no taxpayer bailout” for health insurance companies.
ThresherK
@Barbara: I somehow knew that everyone was talking about Susan Collins, being as bi(partisan) curious as John McCain.
(I too didn’t know she had a medical condition situation affecting her voice, and I’ll not say anything bad her speaking. I really didn’t listen to her for minutes at a time before these hearings.)
However, like with Charles Krauthammer, there are plenty of other reasons to loathe her without “going there” about her health.
Adam L Silverman
@eric: This firm, and this lawyer, handles the President’s private and business litigation. The senior partner running this, who is the President’s personal attorney, is known for being a bulldog and having a similar personality to the President’s. He has never done this type of case. And every other big/experienced law firm in DC that has folks that have have now all turned down coming in as supporting counsel.
Cheryl Rofer
There was a question upthread about this.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne: Yep.
bupalos
@Quinerly: Kusher looks more like the sociopath. Cotton is more likely to push the deaths and ruined lives into 8 digits instead of 6 or 7.
Adam L Silverman
@bupalos: Correct.
amk
@Cheryl Rofer: and bill o’racist has latched on to that and he is tweeting some nonsense.
Cheryl Rofer
Cotton seems like he is trying to lead Comey into improper comments. He should know those questions can’t be answered in open session.
Amir Khalid
We know now who the Columbia Law School prof is:
manyakitty
Kick ass and take names, Sen. Harris!
Adam L Silverman
@SatanicPanic: Given that Senator Rubio isn’t up for reelection now for five more years, this is especially spineless. Not that that is all that surprising.
MCA1
@Peale: It’s carrying water. Drumpf himself, and the WH noise machine especially, are laser focused on his supposed exoneration based on the fact that there’s not a separate file folder entitled “Investigation into Donald Trump’s Personal Collusion with Putin” sitting on top of the FBI Director’s desk. It’s total obfuscation, since of course his campaign, his businesses, and every close associate or campaign manager he’s been tied to is directly under investigation and so he’s tangentially included and they’ll roll up to him eventually, anyway. But it’s the big lie they want to repeat enough that it muddies the water in people’s minds. And in Agent Orange’s “mind” of unfathomably deep pathological narcissism, that fact really does matter.
D58826
What is so frustrating about this hearing is how much they can’t take about in open session. I realize that we need security and you can’t talk about ongoing investigations but there is so many holes in all of this.
And down the Clinton rabbit hole with Croynan
celticdragonchick
15 years from now they will still be demanding investigations on Hillary.
D58826
@celticdragonchick: No by then it will be investigating Chelsea and her kids.
Cheryl Rofer
@D58826: But some of the things that can’t be said reveal some things. Comey’s not being willing to say ANYTHING about VEB says that Jared and Flynn have a BIG problem.
Mike J
@Jeffro:
That’s like a march for tails. They can’t display what they don’t have.
rikyrah
Comey Testimony: “I leaked my memos in hopes of a special prosecutor” https://t.co/3CByQXNi7z
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 8, 2017
celticdragonchick
OFFS McCain….
BretH
McCain is completely lost here. “Doddering” is a perfectly accurate description.
Cheryl Rofer
McCain is very confused and asking questions Comey can’t figure out, nor can anyone on my Twitter feed.
He seems to be implying that the Clinton emails imply she was colluding with the Russians in hacking the election.
Cheryl Rofer
People are speculating that McCain has had a stroke.
glory b
@Adam L Silverman: Thanks.
Cheryl Rofer
And it’s over. Whew. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the closed session, but I think that even there, Comey will not answer a number of the questions.
celticdragonchick
McCain utterly lost. He looked real bad.
Amir Khalid
The final whistle has been blown. I guess we’ll all have to watch for the next few days to see who is damaged by Comey’s testimony, and how badly.
TriassicSands
McCain’s questioning was really embarrassing. He’s losing it mentally.
He seems to be wrestling with senility.
danielx
@Quinerly:
I choose door #3, both of them.