Comey emphatically stated that no one including Trump asked him to stop investigating.

[ucrdem]

He also said he was aware of massive cyber-intrusion into the DNC and DCCC by the summer of 2015. But Hillary's email was obviously more important.

So basically a) he's mad about getting fired and b) let's talk about that Tarmac moment, baby!

[jehop61]

1. Chill

He just called the Pres a liar

[leftynyc]

2. Are you being

deliberately disingenuous or just sloppy? He wasn't asked to stop investigation into russia meddling in election. He ABSOLUTELY DID ask him to back off Flynn.

[ucrdem]

5. He just admitted again that Trump did NOT direct him to stop the investigation.

"That's not what he said." "Correct."

[still_one]

33. That was in the context about the "Russian investigation". However, accoring to Comey, Trump did

ask him to let the Flynn investigation go.

Those are two different issues.

[ucrdem]

35. The conversation I quoted there was about Flynn.

The senator was pinning him down as to whether he was explicitly directed to drop the Flynn investigation and said he wasn't.

[still_one]

36. Kamilila Harris just reiterated Comey's statement that Trump asked him to let the Flynn

investigation go", and Comey did NOT refute that.

Letting the investigation go, is asking him to DROP the investigation of Flynn

This from CNN:

"Comey said that Trump asked him to drop FBI investigations into Flynn centering on his calls with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition, which eventually led to his dismissal as national security adviser after it emerged he had lied about the conversations to Vice President Mike Pence.
Interactive: The many paths from Trump to Russia
He wrote that Trump said: "'I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go."
"I replied only that 'he is a good guy.'" Comey wrote, describing a private meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on February 14, then added: "I did not say I would 'let this go.'"
The exchange took place after a meeting between Trump and senior intelligence and homeland security officials, after which the President asked to speak to the FBI Director alone.
Comey said in his testimony that he understood the President to be requesting that he drop the investigation into Flynn, who had resigned the day before. But he says he did not understand Trump to be referring to the wider Russia investigation."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/07/politics/james-comey-testimony-released/index.html

[ucrdem]

41. She did a good job, but we basically knew this already.

He perceived that Trump wanted him to drop the Flynn investigation but he'd have to be pretty thick not to.

[C_U_L8R]

3. And implied part of the Steel Dossier is true

but classified

[ucrdem]

7. Yes, he's implied lots of things, as did Trump, but the words were not spoken, and that's the point

that's been made repeatedly and will continue to be made.

[Persisted]

4. This thread will not age well. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. I think he's going to leave all legal interpretations up to Mueller.

He's just testifying as to the words he was told, and the proper individuals will determine.

We have what Trump told Comey, and we have what Trump told Lester Holt, and what he told the Russians. And there could be far more as the investigation continues.

[ucrdem]

8. "I agree he's a good guy"

[cwydro]

26. At least he admitted that he was "cowardly".

He sure is. What a scum sucking suck-up.

Coney is NOT our hero.

[drray23]

9. thats not what he said.

if you had listened carefully, you would have seen it was related to the russian investigation about the russians hacking the election. Trump did ask him to stop the investigation on Flynn and Comey is absolutely confirming that.

[ucrdem]

10. That is what he said. I wrote it as he said it. I'll check the transcript when it's available.

The point is that Comey is not going to say anything particularly different than what he's been saying for four years, except to add that he's mad about getting fired without notice.

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. And sadly it doesnt matter what Comey says, unpatriotic, law breaking criminals

most of whom are bought and paid for by Putin, and I do mean dozens if not over 100 current GOP House members and Senators will never do the right thing no matter what trump is guilty of.

Right now the house is doing away with Dodd Frank and the Senate is killing Obamacare.

They are trying to DESTROY you and me.

[ucrdem]

12. As for Flynn, he said that was his impression, but Trump never actually SAID that.

Good luck making that stick to anything.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. I guess firing him doesn't count.

[ucrdem]

16. He was fired for his mishandling of the email investigation.

That was the official reason and I read the memo and agreed with 99% of it.

[regnaD kciN]

31. You agree Trump fired Comey because he was unfair to HRC???

If you say so...

[ucrdem]

34. I agree with the reasons provided.

Motivation is another thing but the official reason i.e. Rosenstein's memo was entirely compelling. He absolutely should have been fired for those reasons.

[Squinch]

46. And I'm the Queen of France. You may call me "Your Majesty."

[WinkyDink]

14. He is FURIOUS about being fired. That is why he began with a message to his

colleagues, a completely out of place moment, IMO.

[ucrdem]

18. Yes, that's what he wants to talk about.

I sympathize, but it's not going to change a damn thing. He also stated emphatically that there was no Russian manipulation of votes. So basically this is Hillary's email redux, or will be shortly.

[hamsterjill]

44. Agreed.

Particularly, the portion of his statement where he stated that he had not been able to "say goodbye" to his fellow FBI employees.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. But he also stated

that when Drumpf told him "I hope you... blah blah", he assumed that this is what Drumpf "wanted done" and was basically "an order".

[ucrdem]

17. Yes, that was his perception. But apparently he didn't tell Trump that was his perception

and he admits Trump never actually said it.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. Blunt is going over that now

But I expect this is why he documented everything in case his "perception" might have been incorrect. But as an investigator (by training) he documents the setting, conversations, and other facts in case it would be useful for potential future criminal investigations.

[ucrdem]

21. Apparently he also told Trump that he wasn't a target of investigation.

And admits today that he wasn't. Also that he didn't report any of this questionable interaction to the AG. So this is basically what I thought it would be, which is not much.

[BumRushDaShow]

23. But then he seemed to come back to say

that he wasn't being investigated for the "salacious dossier material" and also claimed why it wasn't reported to the AG (a "team" decision due to Sessions about to recuse).

He is sortof all over the place - he does the emphatic statements and then comes back around and undoes them more subtly.

[ucrdem]

25. Thought I just heard someone pin him down on that and he said he wasn't.

i.e. that Trump wasn't under investigation period, but I could be wrong.

[BumRushDaShow]

28. He keeps repeating that

but then will come back and leave hints that he might be - one statement for example - "because his campaign was under investigation and since he was the head, then....".

He's been doing this the whole time - come out very aggressive and then come back around later and equivocate on smaller details that can lead to a different conclusion from his initial statements.

[ucrdem]

37. He just admitted again to Cornyn that there was no investigation

but that he didn't want to say so publicly in case there might be one down the road.

[BumRushDaShow]

38. Like I said

he keeps going back and forth. He's doing an amazing dance.

He'll make what appears to be a "definitive" statement and then he'll come back and blow holes in that statement, leaving open the possibility regardless.

[WinkyDink]

20. He should have told the POTUS, "I think you are pressuring me, Sir"?!

[ucrdem]

22. Yes, and explained that it was inappropriate.

Apparently he had 9 opportunities to point that out.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. He didn't research how ruthlessly Drumpf operates.

That was probably his mistake. Drumpf was never a politician and doesn't follow politician "rules", he uses "mob boss" rules. Comey assumed he was a politician and let it go until he found himself suddenly fired.

[underpants]

27. Short. He's laying out the investigation

This is BRUTAL

[ucrdem]

29. Now he's going on about Russia. Why didn't he do this when he was "investigating" Huma's laptop?

He basically closed down the Russia investigation in the first 10 minutes when he said there was no Russian manipulation of votes. The cyber-intrusions would have been nice to hear about two years ago.

[still_one]

30. Wrong. Trump Asked Comey For 'Loyalty,' and Wanted Comey To 'Let' the Flynn Investigation go".

However, Trump did not ask Comey to stop the Russian investigation.

[Beaverhausen]

32. Well, when you fire someone they stop doing the job/investigating

Are you missing the point? Trump said he was relieved about Russia after firing Comey.

[cwydro]

39. You're only getting flamed because you're speaking truth.

[ucrdem]

40. Thanks cwydro ..

I know it's not what many want to hear, but hanging hopes on Comey is really a bad idea. He's mad that he was fired, but he's not going to say anything that will damage anyone in the GOP, and if that means lying he'll lie. That's just who he is.

[cwydro]

42. Exactly.

Too many here believe in magic.

This guy is the epitome of a "swamp" dweller.

[Egnever]

43. What a strange take away.

[ucrdem]

45. Fortunately we were mostly spared the tarmac replays

but what did we learn that we didn't know? That Russia didn't directly manipulate any votes? That Comey knew for years they were stealing cyberdata and that the email investigation was worthless but repeatedly went public with Hillary's email anyway? That he leaked his own memos to the NYT?