The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that fired FBI Director James Comey’s prepared testimony “confirms a host of troubling allegations concerning the President’s conduct.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee, before which Comey will testify Thursday, released Comey’s written opening statement to the committee Wednesday.
Among other things, Comey confirms in the statement that Trump pressured him in a one-on-one meeting to drop the federal investigation into ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and that Trump asked him for his “loyalty.”
Trump also asked Comey if he wanted to keep his job, despite previously telling Comey that he wanted him to stay in the position. Comey said that exchange seemed to be, “at least in part, an effort to have me ask for my job and create some sort of patronage relationship.”
Comey also said Trump had “asked what we could do to ‘lift the cloud,’” referring to the federal investigation into his campaign’s possible collusion with Russia.
Read Schiff’s response to Comey’s statement below:
“Former FBI Director Comey’s written testimony confirms a host of troubling allegations concerning the President’s conduct. Two stand out: The President sought to obtain a pledge of loyalty from the Director of the FBI during a conversation that centered on whether the Director would be able to keep his job. And second, the President effectively asked the Director to drop the investigation of his former National Security Advisor. Congress must now determine whether the Director’s refusal to do either – or any other motivation to interfere with or obstruct any part of the Russia investigation – led ultimately to Comey’s firing.
“Director Comey was right to be concerned that the President was trying to form a patronage relationship with him, in which the Director would guarantee loyalty in exchange for job security. Had the Director agreed to do so would have been antithetical to the independence of his agency; that he did not, does not mitigate the unethical nature of the President’s request. The fact that this request, and the subsequent effort to have the Director drop the Flynn case, were made after the President excused everyone else from the room, strongly indicates that the President was more than aware of the illegitimacy of such demands.
“Finally, it is not the Director’s job to lift the cloud of suspicion over the President’s conduct or that of his associates. The request by the President to do so – not unlike the allegations of analogous requests to Directors Rogers and Coats – represents yet another improper effort to coerce the intelligence agencies to do public relations for the White House and to undermine the independence and integrity of the intelligence community.”
Even this doesn’t work for Trump. Everyone under the bus!
Sis Boom Bah, Ra, Ra, Ra, Go Deep State.
So far the government professionals are doing a great job stopping a Trump subversion of the government from galvanizing. Schiff is doing a great job protecting the Constitution and the public.
Nixon, Articles of Impeachment
Article I - Obstruction of Justice:
In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States, and to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed and impeded the administration of justice, in that:
On June 17, 1972 and prior thereto, agents of the Committee for the re-election of the President Committed unlawful entry of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington , District of Columbia, for the purpose of securing political intelligence. Subsequent thereto, Richard M. Nixon , using the powers of his high office, engaged personally and through his subordinates and agents in a course of conduct or plan designed to delay, impede, and obstruct the investigation of such unlawful entry; to cover up, conceal and protect those responsible; and to conceal the existence and scope of other unlawful covert activities.
The means used to implement this course of conduct or plan included one or more of the following:
4. Interfering or endeavoring to interfere with the conduct of investigations by the Department of Justice of the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force, and Congressional Committees.
6. Endeavoring to misuse the Central Intelligence Agency, an agency of the United States.
8. Making or causing to be made false or misleading public statements for the purpose of deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a thorough and complete investigation had been conducted with respect to allegations of misconduct on the part of personnel of the executive branch of the United States and personnel of the Committee for the re-election of the President, and that there was no involvement of such personnel in such misconduct: Or
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.
Article II - Abuse of Power
Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the Constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice in the conduct of lawful inquiries, of contravening the law of governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposes of these agencies.
Ah, the classic Roger Ailes Stratagem…