F.B.I. Official Wrote Secret Memo Fearing Trump Got a Cover Story for Comey Firing

[herding cats]

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — The former acting F.B.I. director, Andrew G. McCabe, wrote a confidential memo last spring recounting a conversation that offered significant behind-the-scenes details on the firing of Mr. McCabe’s predecessor, James B. Comey, according to several people familiar with the discussion.

<>

In the document, whose contents have not been previously reported, Mr. McCabe described a conversation at the Justice Department with the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, in the chaotic days last May after Mr. Comey’s abrupt firing. Mr. Rosenstein played a key role in the dismissal, writing a memo that rebuked Mr. Comey over his handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton.

But in the meeting at the Justice Department, Mr. Rosenstein added a new detail: He said the president had originally asked him to reference Russia in his memo, the people familiar with the conversation said. Mr. Rosenstein did not elaborate on what Mr. Trump had wanted him to say.

To Mr. McCabe, that seemed like possible evidence that Mr. Comey’s firing was actually related to the F.B.I.’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, and that Mr. Rosenstein helped provide a cover story by writing about the Clinton investigation.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/us/politics/rosenstein-trump-comey-firing-mccabe-memo.html#click=https://t.co/GkCSAkKJgj

[DURHAM D]

1. We have always known that Rosenstein (and Sessions) wrote the

memo to help fire Comey. Didn't we all assume at the time that Trump wanted Sessions and Rosenstein to know it was really about Russia? I guess the McCabe memo is a good thing but it does not seem like a big deal.

[Hortensis]

3. We believed we knew Rosenstein followed orders to provide

a valid excuse for firing Comey, and the one Rosenstein provided was Comey's actions related to the politically motivated email investigation, and in an election year. The reports from the OIG and internal FBI investigations into Comey's activities have never been released, but that Rosenstein gave this reason is a big clue to what is in them.

That was huge, but was buried by the press, including the NYT which itself colluded with the FBI to protect Trump (October 31, 2016 article, 9 days before the election).

I really don't remember hearing back then, though, that Trump, idiot that he is, wanted Rosenstein to reference Russia in his excuse to fire, even though Trump, idiot that he is, immediately blew his own cover by telling the world he really fired Comey to shut down the Russia investigation.

Of course, being a Democrat with an invalid Republican government, I was far more interested in the VALID reason Comey was fired, and that's where my attention was.

[Honeycombe8]

4. Yes. I believe it was reported that Trump had asked (ordered) them to write memos....

to recommend firing Comey. That's how I remember it.

Rosenstein's memo, however, didn't "recommend" firing Comey, but stated reasons that could be used for firing him. Someone else wrote a memo...was it Sessions? Or....???? I forget who wrote the other memo, but it was Rosenstein's that was the big one.

[Honeycombe8]

5. I found the source. Yes, Trump had told Rosenstein to write a memo, & Rosenstein knew Trump

was going to fire Comey.

In an unusual closed-door briefing with the full Senate, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein offered a few new details about a frenetic nine days that have thrown the White House into crisis, beginning with Comey’s firing and climaxing in Rosenstein’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as a special counsel. ***

At Trump's request, Rosenstein last week wrote a letter that laid out the case for Comey's firing, focused on what Rosenstein said was Comey's improper handling of the 2016 Hillary Clinton email investigation. Initially, the White House claimed Trump fired Comey based on Rosenstein's recommendation, though Trump later said he planned on removing the FBI director regardless.

Though some have suggested Rosenstein was used by the White House as a pawn to justify Comey's firing, senators said Rosenstein told them Thursday he was aware of Trump's plans. “He knew that Comey was going to be removed prior to him writing his memo,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told reporters after emerging from the session. “He knew the day before,” said Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. “On May 8 he learned.”

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-politics-rosenstein-senate-20170518-story.html

[yallerdawg]

6. The Dotard was fixated on one thing:

One person who was briefed on Mr. Rosenstein’s conversation with the president said Mr. Trump had simply wanted Mr. Rosenstein to mention that he was not personally under investigation in the Russia inquiry. Mr. Rosenstein said it was unnecessary and did not include such a reference. Mr. Trump ultimately said it himself when announcing the firing.

My biggest regret and sense of loss regarding all this is that Obama didn't shut down Comey regarding Hillary that summer, and fire him after his obviously partisan shenanigans in October!

[Honeycombe8]

12. See, I don't think Comey was being partisan.

There are two things Comey did. The first was announcing end of Clinton investigation and that he wasn't recommending criminal charges. The second was the October surprise, that he was re-opening it.

I think he got carried away with his importance and ego, like so many in high govt offices do, apparently. Or maybe he was cracking under pressure. Who knows.

He's a Repub, but his wife is very much a Democrat. He worked for both Repubs and Democrats. He didn't have a horse in the race.

If Obama had fired him on his way out office, his reputation as a President would've been damaged, since it would have been viewed as payback for damaging Hillary.

If Trump was going to fire him for that, he should have fired him right away. But he didn't want to do that, since Comey's October surprise helped him. He mistakenly thought Comey was on Team Trump.

It was only when Comey wouldn't pledge his loyalty that Comey became an issue for Trump.

Comey had an otherwise exemplary history in the govt. I'm not sure what came over him regarding the Clinton investigation. But he sure made the wrong calls.

Rosenstein didn't find fault with the October surprise. It was the earlier press conference announcing end of Clinton investigation.

[Ligyron]

2. Comey went way outside his lane with his official statements concerning Hillary.

He deserved to be fired but we all know the real reason Trump wanted him gone. So it will turn out to be a good thing in the long run I believe. Punished Comey and the resulting investigation may well be Trump and perhaps even the GOP's demise.

[Yupster]

7. Trump's answer will be

Why did you fire Comey.

Because I thought he was doing a lousy job.

[politicaljunkie41910]

9. Can "We the People" take the same stance, and fire the president? We think he's doing a lousy job.

[Yupster]

11. No but our elected representatives can

They can impeach him for any reason at all or no reason at all.

[displacedtexan]

8. Rachel is discussing this now. EOM

[riversedge]

10. CNN: Andrew McCabe turned over his memo on Comey's firing to Robert Mueller

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/30/politics/andrew-mccabe-rod-rosenstein-memo/index.html


Andrew McCabe turned over his memo on Comey's firing to Robert Mueller
CNN Digital Expansion 2017

By Laura Jarrett, CNN

Updated 9:31 PM ET, Wed May 30, 2018
NYT: McCabe wrote secret memo detailing Comey firing







(CNN)Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has turned over a memo he drafted related to the firing of his former boss, FBI Director James Comey, to the special counsel's office, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The document, first reported by The New York Times, details McCabe's impressions of a meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein where the subject of Comey's firing came up after he had been dismissed, according to the source.


In the meeting, Rosenstein said President Donald Trump had initially asked him to reference the Russia investigation. Rosenstein ultimately authored a controversial memo outlining the ways Comey had flouted Justice Department protocols leading up to the 2016 election but did not mention the Russia probe.



The source confirmed to CNN that McCabe's memo recounting this meeting with Rosenstein, as well as an early draft of Trump's letter firing Comey, has been turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller. What exactly Trump's draft letter says and when it was turned over remain unclear.

The President and his allies have pointed to Rosenstein's memo in the past, questioning why he has not stepped aside from overseeing Mueller's investigation given his role in the firing of Comey.


But CNN reported in April that Rosenstein has consulted with the career ethics adviser at the Justice Department about this issue and continues to oversee the probe.................