As you know, our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. Especially, those investigations that involve classified matters. But, in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so, as Justice Department policies recognize. This is one of those circumstances. I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counter-intelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.
Comey confirms F.B.I. investigation into Russian election interference. Mr. Comey said that it was unusual for the F.B.I. to confirm or deny the existence of any investigations, but that in unusual circumstances when it is in the public interest, the bureau will sometimes discuss such matters. “This is one of those circumstances,” he said.
F.B.I. director says there’s “no information” to support Trump wiretapping charge. Mr. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee, “We have no information to support” President Trump’s assertion on Twitter that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. “We have no information to support those tweets,” Mr. Comey said, repeating moments later, “All I can tell you is that we have no information that supports them.”
This hearing has been quite enlightening about the connections of the Trumpanzees and Russia. All of these things are coincidence? Hell no. ve been listening to the hearings all day on NPR and I believe they are quite damning to Trump. First, its clear they have been investigating him and his campaign since July. Second, it would appear they are building a lengthy report about their involvement with the Russians. Third, it seems they are laying the ground work for his impeachment. My guess is the Repubs already see the writing on the wall and that is why they went to lengths to shield Pence from former NSA chief Flynn.
WASHINGTON ― Let’s step back for a minute and consider again what we saw Monday in a hearing room of the U.S. House.
The director of the FBI, with the director of the National Security Agency agreeing at his side, in effect called the president of the United States a liar ― and, oh, by the way, the president’s 2016 campaign indeed is under investigation for allegedly having secretly teamed up with Russia to win the election.
After two months of Donald J. Trump’s presidency and more than a year of his campaign, our political senses are so dulled by tumult that we can barely recognize history when we see it. Make no mistake. Monday’s hearing was all but unprecedented.
Not since a White House aide named Alexander Butterfield told the Watergate committee in 1973 that President Richard Nixon had bugged his own Oval Office has an investigative hearing made it so clear that a presidency was in serious legal jeopardy.
Now we know for sure that, while no one “tapped” Trump’s phones, his campaign circle is in the gunsights of the FBI. The issue is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose interference in the 2016 election is now an accepted fact, tried to rig the outcome with the knowledge or collusion of Team Trump.
Foreign countries have meddled in U.S. politics from the founding of the republic. At the dawn of the 19th century, France and Britain fought what amounted to a proxy war between U.S. allies of the two countries. France and Britain aided opposite sites in the Civil War. German interests spread propaganda here to try to keep America from fighting in World War I and World War II. And of course, the Soviet Union infested the State Department and other portions of the U.S. government during the Cold War.
But it is highly unlikely that a foreign government ever has been under investigation for direct ties to and direct ― and successful ― efforts to aid a presidential candidate, especially one now serving as president, and who has expressed such interest in better relations with the government under investigation.
While Democrats probed FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Michael Rogers for evidence of links between Trump and Russia, Republicans sought to change the conversation by asking about leaks pertaining to Trump and Russia. Comey insisted he was concerned about the leaks, but seemed more eager to ominously deny comment on where the unauthorized disclosures were coming from.
If Team Trump is found to be complicit in any way, leading figures in the campaign and in the White House would indeed become targets of law enforcement. The White House and its minions will howl about “FAKE NEWS” ― the president did so via Twitter Monday morning ― but even Fox was covering the House hearing.
Which, in turn, means this story is just beginning. Here’s why:
“The Community.” That’s the reverent term of art that Rogers and Comey used Monday to describe the alphabet soup of agencies that handle national security and investigations of breaches. As Rogers and Comey described it, the entire “community” regards Russia as perhaps the leading global “adversary” of the U.S. What the two men did not say ― but clearly believe ― is that the allegations about the campaign could lead to deeper questions about Trump’s global game plan ― and whether that plan, presuming he has one, is itself a threat to national security. “The Community” is not going to give in or give up.
Wikileaks. The Community seethes at the mention of WikiLeaks, which Rogers and Comey said Russian hackers had used as a conduit for making compromising Democratic emails public. The Community wants to nail WikiLeaks, or a least make an example of forces who use it in this fashion.
Ukraine. Putin’s invasion of Crimea, and his longtime strong-arming of Ukraine politics, is now coming with a price as what’s left of Ukrainian nationalism fights a rear-guard action ― not in Kiev so much as in Washington. It is more than possible that Putin has been too cute by half, because independent Ukrainian investigators have dug into the record of Trump associates such as former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and are feeding the results to the American media and American agencies. Can Putin shut them down altogether? The more attention this gets in the U.S., the harder that will be.
FARA. It’s the Foreign Agent Registration Act, and judging from the opaque denials from Comey, it seems clear that the FBI is investigating violations of it by Manafort and by Michael Flynn, Trump’s former campaign adviser and, briefly, until he was ousted for lying about his Russia ties, national security adviser. Manafort worked with pro-Putin Ukrainians; Flynn took money from Russian television, effectively an arm of the Putin regime. White House spokesman Sean Spicer claimed Monday that Manafort had played a “limited” role in the campaign. That is a flat-out lie. Manafort ran the campaign from the spring of 2016 ― to the extent anyone could actually run it ― until after the GOP convention.
The Squeeze. If and when FBI agents get Manafort or Flynn in their vise, they will climb up the chain by turning targets into witnesses. What do Manafort and Flynn know about, say, Trump and his dealings with Russia? Probably a lot. And that it where things could go next, depending on what the FBI really has.
GOP. Republican leaders had the Russia story, and they are not eager to push the line that it is a good thing to be in bed with Putin. You haven’t ― and won’t ― see Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) getting in the way of the FBI freight train. They tend to agree that Russia is an enemy.
Comey. In the 2016, Comey may well have helped Trump by announcing that he had revived an investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private emails. Having zigged in one direction, he is now zagging in the other, after the fact. He has more than six years left in his term, and is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. He may be an umpire following one bad call with another, but he is not about to leave the field of play. And Comey made it clear Monday that he was speaking out with the approval of the Department of Justice – which means Attorney General Jeff Sessions. History buffs will hear the echoes of Watergate. Nixon sealed his own doom by demanding that Justice fire the man investigating him.
So Comey confirms that the Obama Justice Department, using the FBI, was in fact conducting a covert operation on the opposing party's Presidential campaign since last summer?
Poor little Trumpkin snowflakes don't like the "treason" word.
Meanwhile, WTF, Comey? He throws the election to a Russian Traitor - by going public with the Weiner laptop news - which turned out to be nada, nothing, carry on - and THEN goes public with Trump being a traitor AFTER the election?
There, indeed, was an FBI wiretap involving Russians at Trump Tower.
But it was not placed at the behest of Barack Obama and the target was not the Trump campaign of 2016. For two years ending in 2013, the FBI had a court-approved warrant to eavesdrop on a sophisticated Russian organized crime money laundering network that operated out of unit 63A in Trump Tower.
The FBI investigation led to a federal grand jury indictment of more than 30 people, including one of the world’s most notorious Russian mafia bosses, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov. Known as the “Little Taiwanese,” Tokhtakhounov was the only target to slip away, and he remains a fugitive from American justice.
I love watching the Republicans in Congress tying themselves in knots trying to defend Trump. Can’t wait until he throws the Republicans under the bus. Scorpion going to be a scorpion. It’s just a matter of time.
Nate Silver and gang do a pretty good job of weighing the smoke vs fire on this Russia thing. It's one of the most balanced discussions I've read outside of Tiabbi's take in Rolling Stone last week.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: charmskooldropout
Try CNN
Try CNN
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sigmund
Haha I assume by the time
Haha I assume by the time Comey starts to talk Fox will dump out into 2 hours of free Ivanka Trump perfume infomercials.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________
>>Try CNN good one
>>Try CNN
good one
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
Comey:
Comey:
As you know, our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations. Especially, those investigations that involve classified matters. But, in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so, as Justice Department policies recognize. This is one of those circumstances. I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counter-intelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-39328507?ocid=socialflow_...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sigmund
Unless you are a multi
Unless you are a multi millionaire I can't imagine how a Trump supporter could stand behind this lying POS
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dave
Comey confirms F.B.I.
Comey confirms F.B.I. investigation into Russian election interference. Mr. Comey said that it was unusual for the F.B.I. to confirm or deny the existence of any investigations, but that in unusual circumstances when it is in the public interest, the bureau will sometimes discuss such matters. “This is one of those circumstances,” he said.
F.B.I. director says there’s “no information” to support Trump wiretapping charge. Mr. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee, “We have no information to support” President Trump’s assertion on Twitter that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. “We have no information to support those tweets,” Mr. Comey said, repeating moments later, “All I can tell you is that we have no information that supports them.”
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: charmskooldropout
I would think that if it was
I would think that if it was done, the FBI would have done it. Doubt they would admit that. I also doubt it was done.
carry on
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Saban McSabear
This hearing has been quite
This hearing has been quite enlightening about the connections of the Trumpanzees and Russia. All of these things are coincidence? Hell no. ve been listening to the hearings all day on NPR and I believe they are quite damning to Trump. First, its clear they have been investigating him and his campaign since July. Second, it would appear they are building a lengthy report about their involvement with the Russians. Third, it seems they are laying the ground work for his impeachment. My guess is the Repubs already see the writing on the wall and that is why they went to lengths to shield Pence from former NSA chief Flynn.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
a peak into these politicized
a peak into these politicized hearings underscores the need for an independent investigation...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sigmund
My 4 word summary: Lock Him
My 4 word summary: Lock Him Up! Bwahaha
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
This is treason to me as
This is treason to me as Patriot's fan. Tar and feather Comey since he is a Commi...
FBI Director James Comey compares his hatred of Patriots to Russia and Hillary Clinton
"If I'm honest with myself, the reason I don't like the Patriots is they represent sustained excellence."
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2017/03/20/fbi-direct...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
The Trump-Russia Story Has
The Trump-Russia Story Has Only Just Begun (To Explode)
Not since Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal has an investigative hearing made it so clear that a presidency was in serious legal peril.
By Howard Fineman Updated 38 minutes ago
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-russia-comey_us_58d01dd6e4b0be...
WASHINGTON ― Let’s step back for a minute and consider again what we saw Monday in a hearing room of the U.S. House.
The director of the FBI, with the director of the National Security Agency agreeing at his side, in effect called the president of the United States a liar ― and, oh, by the way, the president’s 2016 campaign indeed is under investigation for allegedly having secretly teamed up with Russia to win the election.
After two months of Donald J. Trump’s presidency and more than a year of his campaign, our political senses are so dulled by tumult that we can barely recognize history when we see it. Make no mistake. Monday’s hearing was all but unprecedented.
Not since a White House aide named Alexander Butterfield told the Watergate committee in 1973 that President Richard Nixon had bugged his own Oval Office has an investigative hearing made it so clear that a presidency was in serious legal jeopardy.
Now we know for sure that, while no one “tapped” Trump’s phones, his campaign circle is in the gunsights of the FBI. The issue is whether Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose interference in the 2016 election is now an accepted fact, tried to rig the outcome with the knowledge or collusion of Team Trump.
Foreign countries have meddled in U.S. politics from the founding of the republic. At the dawn of the 19th century, France and Britain fought what amounted to a proxy war between U.S. allies of the two countries. France and Britain aided opposite sites in the Civil War. German interests spread propaganda here to try to keep America from fighting in World War I and World War II. And of course, the Soviet Union infested the State Department and other portions of the U.S. government during the Cold War.
But it is highly unlikely that a foreign government ever has been under investigation for direct ties to and direct ― and successful ― efforts to aid a presidential candidate, especially one now serving as president, and who has expressed such interest in better relations with the government under investigation.
While Democrats probed FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Michael Rogers for evidence of links between Trump and Russia, Republicans sought to change the conversation by asking about leaks pertaining to Trump and Russia. Comey insisted he was concerned about the leaks, but seemed more eager to ominously deny comment on where the unauthorized disclosures were coming from.
If Team Trump is found to be complicit in any way, leading figures in the campaign and in the White House would indeed become targets of law enforcement. The White House and its minions will howl about “FAKE NEWS” ― the president did so via Twitter Monday morning ― but even Fox was covering the House hearing.
Which, in turn, means this story is just beginning. Here’s why:
“The Community.” That’s the reverent term of art that Rogers and Comey used Monday to describe the alphabet soup of agencies that handle national security and investigations of breaches. As Rogers and Comey described it, the entire “community” regards Russia as perhaps the leading global “adversary” of the U.S. What the two men did not say ― but clearly believe ― is that the allegations about the campaign could lead to deeper questions about Trump’s global game plan ― and whether that plan, presuming he has one, is itself a threat to national security. “The Community” is not going to give in or give up.
Wikileaks. The Community seethes at the mention of WikiLeaks, which Rogers and Comey said Russian hackers had used as a conduit for making compromising Democratic emails public. The Community wants to nail WikiLeaks, or a least make an example of forces who use it in this fashion.
Ukraine. Putin’s invasion of Crimea, and his longtime strong-arming of Ukraine politics, is now coming with a price as what’s left of Ukrainian nationalism fights a rear-guard action ― not in Kiev so much as in Washington. It is more than possible that Putin has been too cute by half, because independent Ukrainian investigators have dug into the record of Trump associates such as former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and are feeding the results to the American media and American agencies. Can Putin shut them down altogether? The more attention this gets in the U.S., the harder that will be.
FARA. It’s the Foreign Agent Registration Act, and judging from the opaque denials from Comey, it seems clear that the FBI is investigating violations of it by Manafort and by Michael Flynn, Trump’s former campaign adviser and, briefly, until he was ousted for lying about his Russia ties, national security adviser. Manafort worked with pro-Putin Ukrainians; Flynn took money from Russian television, effectively an arm of the Putin regime. White House spokesman Sean Spicer claimed Monday that Manafort had played a “limited” role in the campaign. That is a flat-out lie. Manafort ran the campaign from the spring of 2016 ― to the extent anyone could actually run it ― until after the GOP convention.
The Squeeze. If and when FBI agents get Manafort or Flynn in their vise, they will climb up the chain by turning targets into witnesses. What do Manafort and Flynn know about, say, Trump and his dealings with Russia? Probably a lot. And that it where things could go next, depending on what the FBI really has.
GOP. Republican leaders had the Russia story, and they are not eager to push the line that it is a good thing to be in bed with Putin. You haven’t ― and won’t ― see Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) getting in the way of the FBI freight train. They tend to agree that Russia is an enemy.
Comey. In the 2016, Comey may well have helped Trump by announcing that he had revived an investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private emails. Having zigged in one direction, he is now zagging in the other, after the fact. He has more than six years left in his term, and is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. He may be an umpire following one bad call with another, but he is not about to leave the field of play. And Comey made it clear Monday that he was speaking out with the approval of the Department of Justice – which means Attorney General Jeff Sessions. History buffs will hear the echoes of Watergate. Nixon sealed his own doom by demanding that Justice fire the man investigating him.
video (link)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: smiley
I'm as ready as everyone to
I'm as ready as everyone to see the proof, but that Fineman article is pretty terrible.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Old Fart Message Board
Yea, that article is a poorly
Yea, that article is a poorly written piece of poop,
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
So Comey confirms that the
So Comey confirms that the Obama Justice Department, using the FBI, was in fact conducting a covert operation on the opposing party's Presidential campaign since last summer?
Thank you James Comey.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
No, the justice department
No, the justice department and the FBI have been engaged in a counterintelligence and criminal investigation into Russia and the Trump campaign.
The same justice department and FBI were also investigating Hillary Clinton.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nevermind
It's been the Trump Justice
It's been the Trump Justice Department since January 21, Thom. Try to keep up, would ya?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: good at drinking water
Poor little Trumpkin
Poor little Trumpkin snowflakes don't like the "treason" word.
Meanwhile, WTF, Comey? He throws the election to a Russian Traitor - by going public with the Weiner laptop news - which turned out to be nada, nothing, carry on - and THEN goes public with Trump being a traitor AFTER the election?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: charmskooldropout
So should I like Comey now?
So should I like Comey now?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: The Sound of Steam and Caffeine
It turns out there was an
It turns out there was an operation at Trump Tower because the Russian mafia was laundering money there!
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story-fbi-wiretap-russians-trump-tower/story?id...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: The Sound of Steam and Caffeine
... and Manafort allegedly
... and Manafort allegedly was involved!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-documents-say-trump-aide-hid-pa...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
Sounds of a guilty man...
Sounds of a guilty man...
Morning Joe, Paul Manafort On The Russians {Long} 3-2-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOlrvPM_sbg
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: The Sound of Steam and Caffeine
Another link to the Global
Another link to the Global Laudromat: the bank that lent Trump $300m!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/deutsche-bank-that-lent-30...
We have been had. When does the impeachment start?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
Manafort clip on morning joe
Manafort clip on morning joe very telling...guilty!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: That’s Nancy with the laughin’ face
Let's hope Manafort sings...
Let's hope Manafort sings
is a promise of a pardon enough to keep him silent?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
That why Trump goes to Mar-A
That why Trump goes to Mar-A-Lago every weekend to get direction from the Florida Russian oligarchs living nearby.
Sing our blues away...Paul
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
I love watching the
I love watching the Republicans in Congress tying themselves in knots trying to defend Trump. Can’t wait until he throws the Republicans under the bus. Scorpion going to be a scorpion. It’s just a matter of time.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: The Sound of Steam and Caffeine
That would explain the lack
O'Dan: That would explain the lack of golfing on the golf weekends we are financing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/us/trump-golf-florida.html?_r=0
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Oaksterdam Dan
Zooey Nasdarovje!
Zooey Nasdarovje!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Without a net
>> Let's hope Manafort sings
Looks like he started years back...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Without a net
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: smiley
https://fivethirtyeight.com
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-much-of-the-trump-russia-story-...
Nate Silver and gang do a pretty good job of weighing the smoke vs fire on this Russia thing. It's one of the most balanced discussions I've read outside of Tiabbi's take in Rolling Stone last week.
They make good points on both sides of the issue.