Is this credible that President Obama blocked Comey from going public on Russian interference?

[still_one]

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/comey-tried-to-reveal-russian-plot-before-election-obama-administration-officials-blocked/

[drray23]

1. Probably.

I bet they were concerned about the appearance of trying to influence the elections. They insisted that it should be a joint bipartisan statement and mc connel et al refused to do so. That is one instance where they should have gone ahead anyway.

[still_one]

3. In retrospect that was a huge mistake

[lapucelle]

27. A deliberately vague op-ed is not the same

as an announcement from the FBI director.

"The op-ed would not have mentioned whether the FBI was investigating Donald Trump campaign workers or others close to him for links to the Russian interference in the election, a second source with knowledge of the request tells Newsweek."

And then there's this:

The other national security leaders didn’t like the idea, and White House officials thought the announcement should be a coordinated message backed by multiple agencies, the source says. “An op-ed doesn’t have the same stature, it comes from one person.”

Maybe Comey was pitching the op-ed idea because he didn't want the formal announcement that the White House preferred.

[still_one]

28. of course

[lapucelle]

30. Not really.

Raw Story's headline is sensational and misleading given the actual details of the story because it casts the Obama White House as obstructionist and serves to ennoble Comey as the fierce protector of the public's right to know.

Not everyone reads past a headline, and now the right wing media has a very useful soundbite from a left-leaning source.

[still_one]

31. I was agreeing with your assessment

[lapucelle]

32. Sorry, then. I took it to mean mean "that's obvious"

in a dismissive way, and I think we have to be careful with a story that's framed a particular way in a headline when the details tell a more nuanced story.

[still_one]

33. I should made it clearer

[jmg257]

2. Apparently - Newsweek.com in linked tweets...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8869039

[still_one]

4. Thanks. Not thrilled about it though

[jmg257]

6. Not sure what difference it would've made - Russia interfernce wasn't 'trump collusion' at the time.

Would have been good to be aware of, but to what extent may not have been understood at the time..especially with Hillary the expected winner (and trump bitching about a fix).

[LisaM]

10. Anything would have made a difference in this election.

Unfortunately, everything lined up to harm Hillary. It's so freaking unfair. I just want to explode sometimes.

[jmg257]

13. Understood. Yet another weird footnote.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. I think they were aware of collusion at the time.

[bettyellen]

26. When you look at the "sources" other quotes it's clear they hate Obama....

[lapucelle]

29. The story says that

The other national security leaders didn’t like the idea, and White House officials thought the announcement should be a coordinated message backed by multiple agencies, the source says. “An op-ed doesn’t have the same stature, it comes from one person.”

It may be that Comey vetoed a formal announcement and then offered up the idea of a vague, broad op-ed as an alternative.

[bettyellen]

34. Yeah- it's retold in a slanted way because misdirection works ....

I see evidence it works everywhere I look

[enough]

5. Seems plausible, especially given that this was being talked about at the time. NT

[ProudLib72]

7. This is interesting isn't it?

Comey wanted to be transparent but was not allowed to, so he gets blamed for covering up. When he is allowed to with the Clinton emails, he gets nailed for being partisan. Seems like the best solution is to continue to be as secretive as possible and not tell anyone anything.

[LisaL]

8. Who allowed him to be transparent with Clinton emails? Last I heard he was advised not to

inform congress about emails.

[ProudLib72]

12. I think I read into this more than was there

It was this part of the article that made me think he had some sort of green light from somewhere:

“This raises a lot of questions,” says Jarad Geldner, a senior adviser for the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, which filed a complaint with the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility over Comey’s disclosures about the Clinton investigation. “That raises the question of why Comey or DOJ [Department of Justice] or the White House felt that it was okay to hold that [July] press conference on Hillary Clinton’s emails, but not to go public with this.”

But you're right, he was advised not to inform congress.

[Gabi Hayes]

15. exactly! I posted the same thing on another thread devoted to this topic

dunno if the rules applied differently to what he could say WRT this mess, but he should have shut it with email BS

he's had it in for her since whitewater

and I posted a thread back in october or so, saying obama should've fired him the day after the election, regardless of who won

[rzemanfl]

18. In my never ending "Comey is really Efrem Zimbalist, Jr." fantasy, the Clinton emails were

part of a sting gone wrong. Trying to get the Russians who pretended to be an underage girl to message someone somehow and be intercepted. Done in the belief Hillary would win anyhow. Not that I necessarily believe my far-fetched theory, but these days the unbelievable is truer than anything coming out of the White House or Capitol Hill.

[roamer65]

9. Russian meddling and Trump/Russia collusion are two very separate topics.

We pretty much expect Pootie to try to meddle by himself, but outright collusion with Agent Orange is a completely different criminal matter.

[Blanks]

11. Obama talked about it in his end of year presser. eom

[Control-Z]

14. I call bullshit.

This part makes it obvious to me:

"But the source with knowledge of Comey’s request says the director wanted the Russian interference made public earlier and it was a sluggish White House that denied Comey and delayed the announcement. “The White House shut it down, [/b ]" that source says. “ They did their usual—nothing.” Both sources spoke to Newsweek on the condition of anonymity..."

Because we all know the Obama administration was a do nothing adminustration.

I could be wrong.

If that meeting happened it didn't go down the way the "sources" say.

[Boomerproud]

21. The sources sound like they have their own agenda.

I'm not sure they are being 100% truthful.

[triron]

16. If true really pisses me off about Obama.

Of course I have no idea where he was coming from. But something seems strange in Denmark so to speak.

[Jarqui]

17. If there was a concern that it jeopardized

Americans in some other way, I can seem Obama doing it in a heartbeat if that side of the concern was compelling.

[rzemanfl]

19. Excellent point. n/t

[William769]

20. I heard awhile ago that President Obama wanted hs Administration to stay out of all things Trump.

For fear of making it look like he was favoring Hillary. hindsight is 2020.

[still_one]

22. Hindsight of course is easy, but the way the republicans treated him for 8 years, and the outrageous

blocking they did of Garland, I wish he would have not relied on his view that people are basically good for this one

You are right William, 2020

[lunamagica]

35. But he was favoring Hillary! Dien't he and Michelle campainned (very strongly) for her?

campaigned

[milestogo]

37. That kind of favoring is ok but influencing the election process itself is not.

[doc03]

23. I read that months ago somewhere, Obama didn't want to be accused of

interfering in the election and at the time they figured Hillary was going to win anyway.

[still_one]

24. That is what some other posters have said. Thanks

[JI7]

36. i think he did feel this way but he was not wrong in his feelings

because you have to consider how the media would report on it.

they would not report the story about russian/trump connection.

they would report it and make the story about Obama leaking this to help hillary.

and that for sure would NOT have helped hillary .

[nikibatts]

41. Yes. And just think if he had released the info. Still no guarantee HRC would have won since the

Russian attack was so deep and the fake news so abundant.

[m-lekktor]

42. I remember reading the same thing and I think it was here at DU. nt

[EffieBlack]

38. I also call bullshit on this

Comey had no problem doing whatever he damned well pleased in the Clinton matter. Loretta Lynch warned him not to sent the explosive letter to Congress days before the election, but he ignored her and did it anyway. So I don't buy that he wanted to revel the Russian plot but was stopped by some unnamed Obama people. Had he really wanted to do it, he'd have done it, just as he took other steps over the objections of his superiors in the administration.

This is just an attempt to make Comey look noble. I don't buy it.

[JI7]

39. exactly, this is about him covering his ass

also i read somewhere he suggested some shit about an op ed. but with the emails he had a press conferences .

[EffieBlack]

40. Bingo

[BuddyCa]

43. yes very credible

there was a similar story about the White House deciding not to reveal some information about Russia hacking, because McConnell threatened to accuse him of partisanship.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/11/obama-and-congress-knew-about-russian-hacking-and-they-did-nothing.html