Comey's defense is that he was Incompetent AND Negligent

"Former FBI Director James Comey makes a long-awaited appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday to answer questions regarding the FBI’s actions in the early stages of the Russia investigation.

The committee, under Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has long scrutinized the FBI's decisionmaking in the early days of the probe, including inaccuracies in court filings used to obtain warrants to monitor former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and the FBI’s reliance on British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s dossier, which had been debunked by Steele’s own sub-source during an FBI interview.

Comey, for his part, has claimed his bureau "did not intentionally commit wrongdoing" but did admit "real sloppiness" from some FBI employees."  Foxnews

-----------

I sacrificed for you all and watched two hours of this hearing this morning while still suffering from the effects of too much drink needed last night to get me through the awfulness of the debate.  It was like two little boys screaming at each other in the school yard.  "My daddy can beat up your daddy!"  etc.  SWMBO thinks Trump may have lost the election last night because women will react very badly to Trump acting out what they try to train their children not to do.  I dunno.

But at 1000 I dutifully tuned my "record player" (joe reference) to CSPAN-3.  Comey claims that he knew little of "Crossfire Hurricane," the FBI run clandestine campaign against Trump and all his vassals and works.  This, in spite of his having been Director of the FBI while it was carried out.  "I knew nussing, nussing" was his basic response to just about every question.  Graham, the chairman of the judiciary committee got lathered up about that and laughed at the idea, laughed openly.  He and Comey used to be pals.  When Graham was not busy with John McCain, he may have been fascinated by Comey's Brobdignagian physique.  pl

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/live-updates-james-comey-testifies-russia-investigation-fbi

Comments

[BillWade]

I watched the debate for all of 15 minutes and decided then it wasn't worth my time. Watched "Ratched" on netflix instead (interesting but not for the faint of heart). Went back to the debate and watched the end, not much had changed, Wallace should be banned forever from doing debates.

[j. casey]

Funniest debate description I've seen: "96 minutes of shouts, insults, interruptions, stray thoughts, and loose babble. It was like witnessing an argument about an arcane procedural rule during a senior bingo night at a nursing home in purgatory. It was vicious, tasteless, witless, and (surprisingly, alas) painfully unfunny."

[Fred]

Thanks for bearing this burden. Last night was a sad affair, though Chris Wallace's CNN audition seemed to come off without a hitch. Sadly not one mention of hydroxychloroquine.

"That's my understanding from the Horowitz report". "I don't remember" but according to the Horowitz report..."
Senator Graham: "Why is Clinesmith facing criminal indictment"
Comey "I only know what I've read in the public record."
So just as Mueller didn't supervise the Special Council team Comey didn't actually supervise the FBI.

Senator Graham: "Does the FBI Director have any responsibility to make sure the facts are right when they are given to the court?"
Comey:
He might want to lawyer up. You should listen to what he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=763&v=spKHw3IFUVc&feature=emb_logo

Thank you Barak Obama for fundamentally transforming America. I'm sure Biden's best mass incarcerator, Kamala, will straighten out the FBI.

[Bobo]

Watching Comey tells all future Directors that "I do not know" is not the correct answer, which he also knows. I'm sure he has become more detested by the rank and file as time has gone on. Just hoping the Committee keeps moving down the chain till they find an honest G-Man. McCabe is next.
The Debate proved one thing.....Chris Wallace is just a dribble of his old man bring a Woman in. Biden looked rough but was on his game and had every insult written down on his pad ready to go even the "inshallah" one which no one picked up on. Wonder how many pills that took. Donald was pissed giving more than he got. The outcome...Trump was strong while Biden was weak.....but what is scary is Biden will not say BLM or Antifa are bad, Police are good and he is going to shut down this country....guess Hunter will pick up more spoils.
47 months versus 47 years is a great line for Trump.

[walrus]

My assumption is that Comey and all the rest of the conspirators are silently praying that they won’t be charged before election day and that Biden wins.

In fact Comey and the sleepers in the FBIR, DOJ, etc. have a huge personal vested interest in ensuring that Trump does NOT win since the first action by a Biden Administration will be to bury the entire Russiagate and Clinton server investigations under twenty feet of concrete.

This is, I think, the first election when both sides of politics are really in mortal fear of what the other will do to the loser supporters if they win. This is a third world fear.

[fakebot]

I listened into hearing for the most part. I thought Lindsay Graham did well and made some powerful point that needed to said. The fact is they buried what DNI Ratcliffe had revealed yesterday and it's very obvious that two sets of standards exists, one for Democrats and one for Trump.

Corey Booker tried turning it into a hearing about white supremacy, as did other Democrats. Comey welcomed that inference. The contempt they have for Trump and his supporters could not have been more thinly veiled. There are riots and buildings burning, but Trump and the white supremacists are who threaten the republic. Does that make us caught in between "moderate rebels"?

Trump made some great arguments during the debate; however, he didn't allow Biden to speak and that overshadowed everything. I thought he did well initially to get under Biden's skin and try to trip him up, but he couldn't stop himself from going overboard.

I saw a lot of suggestions that Biden came across more presidential, but I thought Biden looked powerless and ineffectual. He looked more like he was running for the vice-presidency again, not the presidency. There's no doubt that Biden would be drowned out by AOC and all the other crazies in his party, that a Biden presidency would totally cave in to the radical left.

[Nancy K]

I agree with your wife, Trump's behavior was reminiscent of the school yard bully and no mother wants her children to be subject to that kind of behavior or to exhibit it. Biden may have been disruptive also but he did not seem thuggish.
My 96 year old mother however enjoyed the debate and watched the entire thing. She thought Trump was out of control but hilarious. She has already sent in her absentee ballot and voted for Biden so the debate did not influence her at all.

[turcopolier]

NancyK

How do you know who she voted for? Did you "help" her? I was just called by a woman from the Dem Party of Alexandria who offered to come "help" me with my vote.

[Eric Newhill]

The only point that mattered in the Charlie Foxtrot that was the "debate" was when Biden disavowed the Left's favorite radical policies and Trump knew he had him where he wanted him ("You just lost the Left"). Trump supporters will still vote for him. Biden is now going to lose the Bernie Bros and Squadies (30% to 40% of democrats these days?) and a lot of fence sitters were just turned off and will be less motivated to vote. Trump wins.

But yeah, I imbibed a little more than I planned to just to get through the thing. A little under the weather today myself.

[turcopolier]

All

Larry Johnson wrote this on 24 May, 2019

"April was the turning point where the foundation for attacking Trump was being laid. The law firm, Perkins Coie, hired Fusion GPS on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Andy McMarthy reported on the details of this arrangement in October 2017:

The Clinton campaign and the DNC retained the law firm of Perkins Coie; in turn, one of its partners, Marc E. Elias, retained Fusion GPS. We don’t know how much Fusion GPS was paid, but the Clinton campaign and the DNC paid $9.1 million to Perkins Coie during the 2016 campaign (i.e., between mid-2015 and late 2016).

Fusion GPS then “hired” FBI Informant Christopher Steele in May 2016. More about that later."

[turcopolier]

NancyK

You and my wife may be right about this but I watched the video of two of Joe's whistle stops today. At each there were less than 20 people. I don't get it, obviously.

[turcopolier]

nancyK

Are you saying that women function on emotion rather than reason?

[JM Gavin]

Joe Biden's major liability is his oft-demonstrated inability to string sentences together in a paragraph without being creepy, offensive, dishonest, or just plain befuddled. Biden is lousy with a teleprompter, and either a nightmare or a godsend off-the-cuff (depending on your political orientation).

Why in the name of all that's holy did Trump not just let Biden talk??? (Yes, that is a rhetorical question.)

Comey will get away with it. So will all of the others, save a sacrificial nobody or two. I wonder if Kevin Clinesmith knew he was playing the role of Ensign Expendable, the sap that always went with Kirk, Spock, and Bones to survey a new planet's surface.

JMG

[eakens]

Trump dropped a nice little tidbit of having "them all on tape". What did he mean by that. perhaps that is why he is debating like he doesn't care

[Laura Wilson]

turcopolier...most people will tell you how they vote. At least most of the people I know do...no shame, no problem. Why wouldn't nancyK's mom tell her? A secret ballot only means know one other than you gets to know/say who you vote for...sharing is ok. And I totally agree with your wife and I know many mothers who did not allow their children to watch the debate which on the West Coast means the moms and dads did not watch it live!

[Deap]

Trump started measured and on point. Biden immediately went off the rails with his response that unloaded three huge whoppers of lies. Wallace did not reign Biden in and bring him back to the topic.

Trump saw what was up and that was the last of his "cooperation" with the Wallace Rules. Don't blame him one bit.

C'mon man, how does anyone sane claim 100 million people with pre-existing conditions will lose their health insurance if Trump puts Amy Coney Barrrett on the Supreme Court. There are only 300 million in the entire country.

Totally whacked - as in all "family squabble" , he started it first and that was clearly Biden at the very outside. Go back and watch the first exchange. No embarrassment for Trump - it was all on Biden's failed detour into crazy land - and Wallace letting this happen. The die was cast.

Don't let the rest of the endless cage match divert you from what Trump had to do and he did it - not turn this into a 2 against one Romney-Obama-Crowley event. Trump is the leader of the free world - there was no way to win letting Biden and a TV moderator run all over him.

Trump swaggered and never missed a beat - turn off the sound and see who in fact was the clear winner - like it or not, but getting pissy about "blame" at this point if lame. Bravo Trump. "Women in the suburbs" need to get our of their garden party mentality and start playing for real. Real life is at stake with this election; not who "plays nice" which is kindergarten stuff.

Biden's three huge whoppers that Trump was supposed to just let go when Wallace did not allow Trump to rebut Biden's attack?

If Trump is allowed to put Barrret on the Supreme Court, according to Biden:
1. 100 million with pre-existing condition will lose their Obamacare
2. Millions will lose their Obamacare - since they chose to no longer sign up
3. Roe vs Wade will be over turned

That wasn't the question Joe, but that was your party line answer. So no, Biden can't complain when Trump fought back .....hard. The question was why is your position against Trump choosing RBG replacement illegal.

Trump got to present his case, with dignity, why it was legal. Biden went off on a wild hare and that was the end of civility for the night.

[Deap]

Not sure why the good ladies of the suburbs want to take Biden's side. Good analysis of his "torrent of lies" last night:
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/09/30/carney-biden-spent-first-debate-flooding-america-torrent-lies/

Biden came prepared to repeat and repeat lies that had absolutely no sounding in fact, had been widely debunked with actual transcripts and documents, yet Biden insisted on repeating them yet again. No reason to demand Trump is super-human and ignore this calculated and rehearsed tactic. And if counter-punching this total Biden nonsense loses the election for Trump in the suburbs, then it is their bitter harvest on their laps.

Do I wish it had been a real debate, a cordial exchange, and continued in the measured tones Trump started with. Of course, it was sh*t show - nothing can cover that up. But Biden dragged it into the gutter, Wallace lost control and Trump swaggered out of the garbage dump- kudos for Trump.

[blue peacock]

Is incompetence a defense in making false statements to a federal court?

It would appear that Comey, Rosenstein, Yates, Boente should be charged for signing under penalty of perjury false FISA applications. Why haven't they?

It would appear that Clapper and Brennan should also be charged for perjury, for lying under oath in congressional testimony. Isn't that what Roger Stone was convicted of and Michael Flynn pled guilty to?

Aren't these simple cases?

[elaine]

OK Sports fans, here's my after the game comments. BTW, I watched the "debate" alone & totally sober. It was a hoot! Hilariously funny. CNN called it "A hot mess in a dumpster fire" & that cracked me up as well. It was juvenile & flashed me back to my freshman year in high school. Maybe the next time they could wear shock collars & be refereed by Jerry Springer.

Sorry, I just can't give it a serious critique. It was juvenile fun. SNL & The Cartoon President will amp it up & provide me with more needed laughs hopefully.

Although I'm enough of a greenie I approved of Biden's concern for the decimation of the rain forests & truly believe they are
the lungs of the planet & want their rampant destruction to cease.

[Fred]

Walrus,

".. both sides of politics are really in mortal fear of what the other will do to the loser supporters if they win."

Just what fear do 60 million non-politician Biden supporting citizens have of Trump's supporters doing to them if Trump wins? Are the concentration camps going to start filling up with jews (I'm look'n @ you Ivanka) like they said in 2017? Will there be a pogrom against people in Minneapolis or Portland or Seattle? Pray tell us, we would all like to know.

I certainly know that the elected officials face actual criminal investigations, so do corrupt "career professionals at CIA/DOJ/FBI/CDC/NIH/etc. China faces more sanction so corporations and oligarchs dependant upon them are going to lose out in public policy decisions, and yes, the H1B visa holders, the student visa holders, the DACA (remember them, their parents came here for all that systemic racism we hear so much about from the left - led by BLM and the 1619 project), are going to be told to go home. The teacher's unions are going to be in a Covid induced hangover when Trump pushes for school vouchers nationally. The universities are going to be in trouble, starting with the self-declared systemicly racist Princeton University, over use of federal funds at multiple levels - fraudulent use and mismanagement - which in 47 years of service Joe didn't seem to get around to addressing.

"This is a third world fear."
Does Australia fear a US invasion? That's funny, could you point to the foreign war Trump started? Perhaps you should fear your own government, it is the one taking away your freedoms.

[AK]

I'm not so sure this debate will have had much effect on Trump's standing with suburban women. It was already low, so there's not much to lose there. However, my wife is one such who finds Trump's demeanor thoroughly off-putting, but she also has eyes and ears and can see plain as day that Biden is a tool for those
(the Democratic party) who seek to burn everything to the ground and create a world in which her husband and her son will be vilified for the very characteristics that she loves most in both of us (that's in addition, of course, to the original sin of our inherently evil pasty white skin). She will vote for Trump based on this concern and pretty much only on this concern. Biden did nothing last night to dispel this notion in anyone who sees it. In fact, he solidified it as far as she's concerned.

One interesting takeaway from this morning's "autopsy reports" was that Telemundo's poll of Spanish-speaking viewers had Trump winning the debate by a large margin (something in the neighborhood of 66% to 34%). The other viewer polls seem to more or less mirror the national polling average, meaning you were pretty much rooting for one guy or the other and you saw what you wanted to see and judged the whole farce accordingly. Does this suggest something about Trump's standing with Latino voters in general? Maybe. I've long contended that Trump could easily lose this election and still garner more of the black and Latino vote than any Republican candidate in history. That would simply be a gross indictment of him as a candidate and his campaign's strategic ineptitude.

Ben Shapiro has been saying for months that this fiasco would simply be a shouting match between Chewbacca and the Swedish chef from the Muppets. That's about as accurate a take as I've seen on it. I also left the room about 15 minutes in. I didn't have enough whisky on hand.

[Deap]

We all remember what the Democrats did during the Barr hearing, right? Now take that same Democrat clown show and add Trump who pushed back to make it an even fight.

Not pretty, but necessary. When one side lies repeatedly and intentionally (Biden) and the other side calls out the lies (Trump) what else can you expect? It was a freak show. Biden is getting no traction now lying about it because some of us did what the whole darn thing.

One assumes Harris will use the same play book against Pence, who does not have Trump's instincts and swagger. Pence will just let Harris sefl-implode. Which Trump could have done more of last night because Biden made no sense.

[Deap]

Best line was Trump telling Biden I was elected to a four years term; not a 3.5 year term. My job does not stop on election day.

Constitution grants the power to nominate to the President and the power to advise and consent to the duly elected Senate. Trump explained this clearly and calmly. There is no mention those powers cease to exist on election day, or a month before election day which was Biden's demand. Biden went nuts in response.

Do yourself a favor if you don't want to watch the full thing - just watch the first set of questions about the process of filling a SCOTUS vacancy. How did each side answer that very first question - fair questions for both sides. So how did Biden go off the rails?

What should Wallace have done at that very first question to reign Biden back in.

[fakebot]

Comey has this smug air of elitism that makes anyone want to cut him down to size. That garbage he was paid write, now showing on TV, you'd think he was Sir Thomas More and his show was an adaption of A Man For All Seasons. What an ass.

[TV]

Trump's biggest problem- he doesn't when to shut up.
He's always answering unasked questions.