McCain explains confusing Comey questions: Maybe going forward I shouldnt stay up late

[question everything]

Source: Yahoo

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., released a statement Thursday afternoon acknowledging that his questioning of former FBI Director James Comey “went over people’s heads” and that he shouldn’t have stayed up late the night before watching a baseball game.

McCain, the final senator to question Comey at a much-anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, used his seven minutes to pursue a meandering line of questioning blaming Comey for having a “double standard” in how he treated Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. McCain also rehashed his investigation into her use of a private email server. McCain appeared to blame Comey for reaching a conclusion on the closed investigation into Clinton and not the open Russia investigation.

“You’re gonna have to help me out here,” the Arizona lawmaker said to Comey. “I think it’s hard to reconcile, in one case you reach a complete conclusion, and on the other side you have not. I think that’s a double standard there, to tell you the truth.”

“I’m a little confused, senator,” Comey said at one point.

McCain’s focus on Clinton was surprising given he’s one of the most outspoken Senate Republicans on the need for a full investigation into the Russia allegations — he’s called for the formation of a special select committee on the issue and said the scandal has reached the level of Watergate and Iran Contra in scope.

In his statement, McCain admitted he “missed an opportunity” to ask about the central question of the hearing — whether President Trump improperly intervened in the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the election.

“I get the sense from Twitter that my line of questioning today went over people’s heads,” McCain said in a statement. “Maybe going forward I shouldn’t stay up late watching the Diamondbacks’ night games.”


Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/mccain-explains-confusing-comey-questions-maybe-going-forward-shouldnt-stay-late-193355317.html

[MontanaMama]

1. Uh does anybody else here believe

that McCain's excuse is lame and disrespectful? He had a fucking job to do today and he screwed it up from top to bottom because he was not disciplined enough to go to bed when he should have. This is inexcusable. Nothing went over anybody's head, John, you failed to ask even one meaningful question when Americans were counting on you.

[Lulu KC]

5. Indeed

Just as lame as Ryan making excuses for you-know-who. Where are the grown-ups?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. I don't believe the excuse, period. I think there's something wrong

With him.

[Bradical79]

17. I agree

Though the excuse of missing his bedtime because he wanted to watch baseball makes me think there's something wrong with him anyway. This was an extremely important national broadcast of an intelligence comittee interview of James Comey, and concerning possible crimes comitted by our president. Saying "There was something wrong with me, I'm getting checked out by a doctor" would have been better than one of our most experienced politicians making a fool of himself because he stayed up late watching tv.

[Heddi]

20. People with dementia/alzheimer's disease often find "excuses" for their behaviour

I'm an RN -- as a caveat.

I'm also the family member of several people who have had progressive dementia/alzheimer's disease. When not a sudden onset (meaning, from stroke or other brain injury), people will find convenient 'excuses' as to why they are answering improperly or doing something wrong. Currently my mother-in-law's husband is experiencing signs of dementia. Of course she doesn't see it because she lives with him every day, but as an outsider (and one who is clinically trained in the signs/symptoms), it's crystal clear. He doesn't use his hearing aids and that's his excuse for answering questions completely improperly -- he didn't hear the question. Or he speaks in a low, mumbling voice and that's his excuse for answering things improperly. Or he's "only joking" when he goes into the garage for a gallon of milk, or "I was just testing you" when you ask him for a pen and he walks out to the car and sits in the passenger seat for 10 minutes.

Mom is like "oh that's just Stan!!!" and won't listen to multiple family members who urge him to get tested (the scary part is that he drives....ugh).

He also does the very common "why don't you tell me" when you ask him a question -- Hey Stan, what's today's date? "Oh, you know what the date is. You tell me what it is." --- Hey Stan, what model car do you have? "Oh, why don't you guess and tell me."

very classic signs, and the first thign I thought of when I watched McCain yesterday. He struck me as someone who may have dementia or alzheimer's disease. His rambling, nonsensical and non-linear questions/statements were very reminiscent of someone who has that kind of issue

[karynnj]

23. Thanks for your explanation and hugs for what has to be a tough personal situation

With McCain, it also opens a question of how much that McCain "says" is really his staff versus him. Watching Senate hearings, it was always interesting to see the different abilities of the Senators and Congressmen. However, my observation was that there were far bigger differences in their followup questions - that depended on the the response to the initial question.

At the Comey hearing, McCain's initial question at least made sense - though Comey's response was obvious before he even said it. McCain was not, in that question, implying that HRC had ties with Russia to disrupt the election. He was simply asking why in one case, Comey was willing to publicly say there was not enough evidence - and not in the other. I assume that ALL of us listening, knew the obvious answer. With Clinton, it was at the end of a long investigation and at the beginning of any investigation that could involve Trump.

“In the case of Hillary Clinton, you made the statement that there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring a suit against her, although it had been very careless in their behavior, but you did reach a conclusion in that case that it was not necessary to further pursue her,” McCain's line of questioning began. “Yet at the same time, in the case of Mr. [Trump], you said that there was not enough information to make a conclusion. Tell me the difference between your conclusion as far as former secretary Clinton is concerned, and Mr. Trump.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/08/sen-john-mccains-bizarre-questioning-of-comey/?utm_term=.98e4950b8e42

McCain's question was not out of line with that of many other Republicans in that it attempted to create a distraction that fits the RW narrative. It also creates a false platform to claim that Trump is being treated worse than Clinton. It is in the various followups where he completely loses any coherence. In other cases, could his staff have helped him hide his diminished faculties?

This is a very sad end of career for someone with a roller coaster career - where the media has always been eager to forgive things that others would never be allowed to get past - like being one of the Keating 5.

[Heddi]

25. Very smart people, in my professional experience

are very good at "hiding" signs of diminishing mental capacity. It would not surprise me at all of staff have helped him through his struggles. I see it often with family and friends. They cover for the person, provide excuses and work arounds and it's almost a form of enabling, like giving an alcoholic a ride to the liquor store or giving a heroin addict $20 for "groceries," knowing full well they will use it for drugs.

What I have found (and I'm not doing a Fristian diagnosis-by-television, just sharing my professional knowledge with what I observed yesterday), is that people, especially very smart people who have a diagnosis of dementia or presumed alzheimers (since alzheimers can only be diagnosed at autopsy) will get bogged down and confused in very long or complex conversations, tasks, TV shows, etc. They can have a conversation that is logical, reasoned, and coherent about a variety of things. But if you have them listen to a 15 minute story read aloud, and then asked questions about it, they will become confused. If you ask them to read aloud a two or three paragraph story and then answer questions, they will not have any understanding of what they read.

STan, my mother in law's husband, was a Chemist. WOrked in the field for many years. He can have a topical conversation about travel or restaurants just fine, but if the conversation gets any "deeper" than that, he begins talking in circles, not making any sense, saying things that have nothing to do with the previous sentence, talking about completely unrelated topics or issues. Not just someone going off topic, but basically talking about axel grease in a conversation about restaurants, or the importance of putting underlay beneath wood floors when discussing political issues.

That was what I got when watching McCain. He had cogent thoughts that he became completely confused on when he spoke at length. His questions didn't have much to do with COmey's answers, or the questions he had posed beforehand, imo.

[karynnj]

27. Thanks again

It makes me think of the movie Still Alice. That must be so hard on your mother.

[LuckyLib]

32. Your professional opinion is important and well stated. And well written.

I hope you have a forum where you can put this together for distribution to others. It's clear, sensitive, and would help people put together what they experience with someone but can't define and see family keep making excuses for. Thanks!

[question everything]

34. And this is why we need to wonder about Whiny Donny, too.

Yes, he is 10 years younger than McCain but, as you stated, no one knows when the first signs of dementia start showing. It was clear that Reagan already was suffering from Alzheimer's by the time he left office.

(And, not be blamed for ageism, this is one more reason to look for younger candidates for 2020. Hillary, Sanders, Biden - enough.)

[Heddi]

35. I had an uncle who had early-onset dementia

that was diagnosed as Alzheimers upon autopsy. He started showing early signs when he was in his mid 50's and it had progressed to the point that he was living in a nursing home with 24 hour care, unable to even feed himself or speak by the time he was in his mid 60's, and he died before he was 70. It was a very rapid progression from being a fit, intellectual, carpenter to being unable to perform even the most basic functions of life. He died because his body basically forgot how to breathe.

[stevil]

10. To me

it was an excuse for a bad performance. He got talking points from somewhere and garbled them. Maybe, "bring Hillary into the conversation" He fucked up the delivery and accomplished nothing.

[pnwmom]

15. Maybe it was some substance or other. I've seen people meander like that

on medication or alcohol.

[brush]

30. Nah, the sighs of dementia are pretty obvious if you watched McCain's questioning of Comey.

It's sad. He needs to step down.

[JHB]

29. Quite the opposite...

He had a job to do, in terms of Republican deflect & CYA, and did it.

If it had been an honest mistake he would have been (ok, _maybe_ would have been) less disingenuous in his "explanation".

I think it was deliberate, fodder for the Republican base.

[elmac]

2. tRump must have told all the repugs to mention Clinton

or he would have his buddy putin leak their sex tapes. By the time they got to mccain he was probably having a hard time thinking up a new BS question that hadn't been asked.

[stevil]

11. I had a feeling

This came from Trump, delivered down the as a party line and executed horribly by McCain.

[nycbos]

3. So I tied an onion to my belt which was the style at the time.

[sharedvalues]

4. McCain's _staff_ explains confusing Comey questions

It is a released statement. McCain may have edited it, but he wasn't the only one writing that statement.

[orangecrush]

6. McCain

Conducted himself honorably when a backer made racist remarks about Obama during his campaign.

I wish he would retire and spare himself more embarrassing incidents like this.

[MontanaMama]

7. Yes he did.

However, the stakes have never been this high. He needs to step up or get the hell out of the way. Anything less is unacceptable.

[pablo_marmol]

9. Not buying it.

Both of my parents had dementia, and he was showing all of the signs -- the confusion and anxiety were unmistakable.

As such, he had no ability to "stand up".

[YOHABLO]

12. Why doesn't he just retire. Go watch fucking baseball McCain.

[bora13]

13. dr. feelgood i presume?

he may have the same dr. as t-rump.

he has the best health of any senator ever.

[Lokilooney]

14. Maybe he should be

"Spending more time with his family"

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny!

Nothing you said went over anybody's head. Nothing.

Perhaps the problem was that YOU were in over YOUR head.

[malthaussen]

18. In other words,he was too tired to do his job?

Most employers I know would fire someone who offered that excuse. And you know what? Baseball games are optional, it's not like he was exhausted from helping shore up the levee or something.

-- Mal

[Nitram]

19. Basically, McCain fumbled through a bogus attempt to suggest that Clinton should be under...

investigation for her part in colluding with the Russians in their attempt to help Trump win the election. That's clear as day, isn't it?

[karynnj]

24. I think he started with a staff prepared question that he had not reviewed beforehand

The first question he asked was an easy question for Comey to answer, but it was at least not completely bizarre. Like many Republicans, his staff may have thought that any time speaking about Clinton was better for Trump than when they spoke of Trump. However, the obvious answer here HURTS Trump, because it emphasizes that we are only at the beginning of any investigation of the Trump team.

Read just the first question:

“In the case of Hillary Clinton, you made the statement that there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring a suit against her, although it had been very careless in their behavior, but you did reach a conclusion in that case that it was not necessary to further pursue her,” McCain's line of questioning began. “Yet at the same time, in the case of Mr. [Trump], you said that there was not enough information to make a conclusion. Tell me the difference between your conclusion as far as former secretary Clinton is concerned, and Mr. Trump.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/08/sen-john-mccains-bizarre-questioning-of-comey/?utm_term=.98e4950b8e42

The only quibble I would have with the question is that taken literally, "yet at the same time" ignores that it would have been beyond weird to have spoken about a potential case against Trump at all in June of last year.

When Comey gives the answer ANY of us likely would have said knowing a fraction of what Comey did - that in June 2105 they were at the end of an exhaustive investigation and even on the day he was fired, it would have been extremely premature to say something similar about Trump.

It was then that McCain - on his own - trying to follow up went completely into very strange comments.

[snooper2]

21. Yeah right dude, your brain isn't up for the task go retire to a fucking lake

[Rebl2]

22. I thought

he was having a mini stroke the way he was fumbling around trying to get his point across. Then trying to put the blame on others not understanding because it's over our heads-really Senator!

[Lotusflower70]

26. Nice try

But I seriously doubt it was because he stayed up late. I think there is a health concern. Comey was incredibly compassionate while guiding McCain. But this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

[LOL Lib]

28. What a bullshit excuse...

I try not to deride McCain simply because of his POW experience. I have profound sympathy for what he must have endured. BUT! The geezer is a US senator and should take is old ass to bed to prep for such an important event. His excuse is sophomoric, disrespectful, and embarrassing if true. More likely that he is cognitively impaired.

[Rollo]

31. After seeing McCain's foggy mental state, I figure we dodged a bullet with Obama's 2008 win...

And look who would have been next in line... Sarah Palin...!

[yellowcanine]

33. Not stay up late and maybe some days he should just stay in bed.