Thread: Trump Appears Unlikely to Hinder Comey’s Testimony About Russia Inquiry

Trump Appears Unlikely to Hinder Comey’s Testimony About Russia Inquiry

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
JUNE 2, 2017

WASHINGTON — President Trump does not plan to invoke executive privilege to try to prevent James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, from providing potentially damaging testimony to Congress on statements the president made about an investigation into his former national security adviser, two senior administration officials said Friday.

Mr. Trump could still move to block the testimony next week, given his history of changing his mind at the last minute about major decisions. But legal experts have said that Mr. Trump has a weak case to invoke executive privilege because he has publicly addressed his conversations with Mr. Comey, and any such move could carry serious political risks.

One of the administration officials said Friday evening that Mr. Trump wanted Mr. Comey to testify because the president had nothing to hide and wanted Mr. Comey’s statements to be publicly aired. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a decision that had not been announced.

A White House spokesman did not respond to a message seeking comment. Earlier on Friday, the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, would not say what Mr. Trump planned to do.

“The date for the hearing was just set,” Mr. Spicer said. “I haven’t spoken to counsel yet; I don’t know how they’ll respond.”

Mr. Comey, who was fired by Mr. Trump last month, has been called to testify Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into how the Russian government meddled in the presidential election and whether Mr. Trump’s associates colluded with the Russians.

On Friday evening, House Democrats sent a letter to the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, saying there was no case for the president to exert the privilege on Mr. Comey.

Invoking executive privilege can be a politically treacherous move, recalling past scandals like Watergate, in which President Richard M. Nixon asserted the power in efforts to block congressional investigations. President Barack Obama used the legal authority once, during congressional inquiries after weapons ended up in the possession of Mexican gun cartels.

Presidents have often moved to keep their records and other communications with senior officials private until they leave office, on the theory that confidentiality is crucial to their ability to receive unvarnished advice on sensitive matters. But seeking a restraining order barring testimony by Mr. Comey, who is now a private citizen, would be unprecedented.

Mr. Comey is expected to testify about several conversations he had with the president, including one in which Mr. Trump encouraged him to stop investigating his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, according to a memo by Mr. Comey. In another conversation during a one-on-one dinner at the White House, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to pledge his loyalty, and Mr. Comey declined to do so, according to Mr. Comey’s associates.

Mr. Comey, according to people close to him, recorded his discussions with Mr. Trump in memos he wrote shortly after each interaction.

Democrats have said that Mr. Trump’s conversations with Mr. Comey show that the president was trying to obstruct the F.B.I.’s investigation into Mr. Flynn, who is under scrutiny for calls he had with the Russian ambassador and for work he did for a firm that had ties to the Turkish government.

Legal experts have said that Mr. Trump’s tweets about Mr. Comey would damage any claim of executive privilege.

“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Mr. Trump said in one post, shortly after The New York Times reported the request for the loyalty pledge.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/u...ey-russia.html

Mr. Comey is expected to testify about several conversations he had with the president, including one in which Mr. Trump encouraged him to stop investigating his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, according to a memo by Mr. Comey. In another conversation during a one-on-one dinner at the White House, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to pledge his loyalty, and Mr. Comey declined to do so, according to Mr. Comey’s associates.

This will be very interesting to see how Comey addresses this, because if Trump asked him to go easy or let it go on Flynn, I have no problem with that at all. To this day, I don't understand why Flynn is under investigation by anyone for anything. I was even sorry to see him fired but I understand why Trump asked him to resign because at the time, Trump is trying establish his new administration and couldn't tolerate any more bad press over the Pence/Flynn conflict that Flynn was drawing because he kept talking to reporters when he should have just said "no comment" or not taken the call in the first place. But there's no crime in any of that.

It's a definite Witch Hunt on Flynn and I don't understand the motives behind this by those involved.

And if Trump asked Comey to go easy or let it go or even asked him to drop the investigation altogether, that is certainly within the powers of the President in his prosecutorial discretion. Comey reports to the President and the President is the Man-In-Charge of it all, the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, the DOD ... all of it, lock, stock and barrel. He's the Boss. After all, Comey let it go for Hillary, so why not Flynn?

As to the loyalty pledge, I'm not buying into that. Trump wouldn't have used that approach or asked it that way, but if he did broach the issue of loyalty in some fashion, it would not only be proper and appropriate but necessary in my view for any President to require loyalty to him for his own safety and the well-being of his Administration on behalf of the American people. We're seeing first-hand the damage to our country of disloyalty, in the form of leaks, national security risks, media complications, mixed stories, illegal spying and who knows what else due to disloyalty and dishonor, all of which threaten the well-being of our country and the domestic tranquility to which we're entitled under our Constitution.

There is a reason why our laws prohibit running political campaigns at government expense. People need to remember that through this whole ordeal. DemoQuacks are running a government paid political campaign against President Trump. They were running one during the election, and they are still running one. Congress needs to stop it not perpetuate it. There are no crimes by the Trumps, no legitimate basis to even suspect there are crimes.

Yet, day after day the political campaign news is "TRUMP TIES TO RUSSIA" for purely political purposes, based on opposition research being funded and fostered at government expense. If I walked into the local police department and reported a neighbor who I thought may have "TIES TO RUSSIA" and demanded an investigation, what would happen? I would be laughed out of the station house or hauled off for a psychological evaluation.

One of the administration officials said Friday evening that Mr. Trump wanted Mr. Comey to testify because the president had nothing to hide and wanted Mr. Comey’s statements to be publicly aired. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a decision that had not been announced.

I hope this is true!! Comey ain't right, and the more Creepy Comey talks the more people who will know that.

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