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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhen Comey sent that letter to Chaffetz, it was CLASSIFIED. At least *Private*
Last edited Fri May 12, 2017, 12:45 PM - Edit history (2)
Comey did not *release* that letter. Chaffetz did.
AND in order to do it, he had to unmark the classified setting *just* like that motherfucker accused HRC of doing.
This is because he is a fucking criminal who committed treason.
I don't think Comey is perfect, but his hat is more white than black, I believe (and I came to that conclusion very begrudgingly)
***I can't find the first piece where it talked about this being classified information, so I added "At least *Private*" to the title, because I didn't bookmark the first piece.
Phoenix61
(16,993 posts)Comey is not the bad guy he has been portrayed to be. Chaffetz is definitely the worm he appears to be.
brush
(53,740 posts)Everyone seems to be forgetting that he was investigating trump all along and never revealed it, but readily revealed a re-opening of the bs Hillary email investigation without even delving into the "new" emails first to see if there was anything to them and just two weeks before the election in a blatant violation of the Hatch Act.
He is definitely the bad guy we thought, the one who installed trump, so let's not get soft on him now because he got canned.
His chance to redeem himself went out the window when he was fired from the collusion investigation by the unstable joke he installed in the White House.
What, are memories fading now or something?
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)I think Chaffetz got caught in the IG for DOJ investigation into Comey's actions regarding that letter and his actions in July. The IG investigation is ongoing per Maddow's show on 5/9 and also another reason why Trump looks like a fool firing Comey.
Anyway, I think (this is just my opinion) Chaffetz made a deal over releasing that letter which was to immediately announce that he was not seeking reelection. One major clue that it was probably due to this was Chaffetz's own strange request to the IG that they investigate Comey's firing. That letter was floating around on Twitter but I'm sure you can find it on his website as well.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Comey isn't all of a sudden Mr Honorable just because he got fired; he still did outrageous things.that comprised our election, caved under FBI Repub pressure ..not only did he break many rules...he didn't meet the, any fool would know, standard.
Chaffetz is trying to get out before he is implicated, but trying to appear less of the RW partisan that he was in inappropriately going after Hillary on and on forever, while refusing to go after DT. He knows the shit will probably hit the fan, so if he can mitigate his extreme position, then leave, it will give him something to point back to.."I wanted to investigate why Comey was fired."
However, should they have fired the leader of the Russian Trump investigation as he is getting closer and closer to DT? Hell no. Obstruction of Justice. Greatly compromizes the investigation.
Should Mike Pence, who had to recuse himself regarding anything Russian, because he perjured himself re that subject have participated in the firing? Hell no
Should Pence be hiring a replacement for Comey, who will be pursuing that investigation? Again, the any fool would know, standard, says, no way.
Do the Trumpsters care? Most aren't following the details. Fox interviews the Repub Senators, who claim all of this is sour grapes because Dems didn't win.
Dems are obstructing, blah, blah, and the Trumpsters believe it.
All in all DT is the worst, and mentally sick, Sessions and Chaffetz would sell their grandmother to get digs at the Dems or Hillary.
I believe Elijah Cummings, Comey caved to pressure of the RWers in the FBI, and Comgress, and he was afraid of pissing off the Repubs and becoming a target himself. Nonetheless, he was moving forward, in spite of DTs pressure.
I hope the tieds turn, but when you do the math, it looks bad. 5-4 Sup Crt already, Sen, House, Cabinet, Ececutive branch, states, more fed judges confirmed. Almost all of the investigators have a petsonal interest in propping up DT.
Still, we.have to hope for a few lights we can expand.
.
These town halls are impt.
Public pressure and the press. Stay active, exert pressure and praise.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)trump thinks its about his personal fun in Russia and the free stuff he traded back and forth for favors. Republicans don't give a shit about those shenanigans.
Republicans don't want their parties Russian collisions and hacking's of Americas democracy exposed.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Me.
(35,454 posts)Are you referring to the Oct. letter. If and even so, I don't think that letter should've been sent without a more, complete investigation and a better adherence to DOJ guidelines
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,392 posts)and absolutely NOTHING came of it. There would have been no harm done by waiting until after the election to send Chaffetz that letter- if Comey was even "mildly nauseous" at the thought of swinging the election one way or another. If he felt it proper to hold off on announcing or even hinting at investigating the Trump campaign, then, surely, he could have held off on sending that letter to Chaffetz.
Me.
(35,454 posts)To my mind he was absolutely fired because of the Russian investigation but there is a big whiff of karma in this too.
Mellomugwump
(93 posts)Even if it wasn't classified, I had come to the conclusion a while ago that he thought Hillary was going to be President, and didn't want it coming out when she was President that there was potential "new evidence" that came up before the election, and then her critics would try to de-legitimize her. But it backfired. I really don't think he wanted Chump to be President. He just messed up.
DURHAM D
(32,606 posts)because Chaffetz had previously released classified info.
StevieM
(10,500 posts)uponit7771
(90,301 posts)I don't get people here defending Comey's behavior in regard to Hillary last year ...
onenote
(42,581 posts)The pdf of the letter as published doesn't anywhere indicate that it is or was a classified communication. There is no reason to think Comey, who sent the letter to the Chairs and ranking members of eight House and Senate committees, didn't expect it to become public. In fact, his letter to the FBI explaining why he'd sent the letter to Congress stated that "I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record." Clearly he anticipated, expected and indeed wanted the letter to be made public.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)During last weeks hearing, Comey also claimed that political considerations didnt impact his decision to send the letter to Congress. On this point, he insisted, I sent the letter to Congress, by the way. People forget this; I didnt make a public announcement. I sent a private letter to the chairs and the rankings of the oversight committees. He also claimed that it makes him mildly nauseous to think the decision had some impact on the election, though hed still have done it the same.
https://thinkprogress.org/comey-misled-everybody-about-clintons-emails-again-9e4310bbf3cb
onenote
(42,581 posts)And his actions at the time and subsequently indicate he wanted the information to get to the public as a "supplement" to his public testimony in July.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)I thought his actions were deplorable too, and I don't agree with them too, but he could have held a presser if he wanted a supplement. He didn't. He sent a private letter.
onenote
(42,581 posts)He could have indicated that it was confidential or "for your eyes only" or any number of things that would have indicated he did not intend for it to be publicly disseminated.
His characterization of the letter as "private" is self-serving bullshit on his part.
He testified in a public hearing. Now he was supplementing that public testimony by sending a letter to Congress. He didn't do it that way because he wanted to keep the information "private." He did it that way because he was trying to protect himself from the criticism he got when he held a presser regarding the Clinton investigation in July (before testifying a couple of days letter).
Comey is not so naïve as to think a letter sent to eight Congressional committee chairs and eight ranking members is in any way a "private" correspondence, no matter what he said later on in a sad attempt to justify what he did.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)and you know it matters. Not that Ken (Porno) Starr's protege gets a free pass...but he didn't do something I thought he did.
And there's devil in those details.
onenote
(42,581 posts)He knew it would be made public. He wanted it to be made public. He thought it was important it be made public. He never once to my knowledge complained about it being made public until his recent self-serving testimony in which he characterized as "private" a letter he himself described as necessary to prevent the American public from being misled.
No one who sends a letter to sixteen committee chairs and ranking members saying that it was intended to keep the "committees" informed expects that letter to be anything but public.
Sorry. While Chaffetz may have been the one to make it public, he was doing exactly what Comey expected someone to do.
brush
(53,740 posts)He knew exactly what he was doing.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/5/3/1658478/-Comey-s-excuse-for-sending-his-letter-to-the-Senate-was-all-about-affecting-the-election
And on top of that, he never said a peep about his parallel investigation of trump going on since July 2016.
No excuse for his actions whatsoever.
brush
(53,740 posts)Duh!
And do ya really think he thought that letter wouldn't be leaked?
I have to think that someone with his years of experience in Washington would know better than that.
He's not that naive.
StevieM
(10,500 posts)LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)Samantha
(9,314 posts)who was investigating Weiner. The NY prosecutor contacted Comey and said he had emails acquired during his Weiner investigation, some of which pertained to Comey's DC investigation, and he would be forwarding them to him (Comey). The prosecutor told Comey a little time later when nothing had happened, that if he (Comey) did not act soon, the NY prosecutor would call a press conference in NY and reveal the information and start making arrests.
This issue at hand was child sex trafficking. The prosecutor said he as a father was so upset by the contents of what he found he wanted action taken immediately.
And that is why about two weeks later Comey called a press conference and announced the arrest of something like 200 pimps and the rescue of something like 80 children (see video below for specific numbers). There is a video online showing this announcement, as well as a number of agents standing behind Comey who had been all over the Country pursuing this roundup.
Comey had no choice but to announce he had received new information on the Clinton email investigation. When he testified under oath to Congress, at the conclusion of that testimony, he told Congress if anything new developed he would let them know. Comey wrote this announcement in a letter, and the letter was given to Chafettz, who I believe leaked it. If Comey had not lived up to his promise to Congress, he could have been held in contempt for violating a promise he made under oath.
While the timing of the NY prosecutor's actions was an event running when tensions where high over the election, it is understandable why some would jump to the conclusion this was a political maneuver. But in all fairness to Comey and the public, people should keep up with the facts in matters before making assertions such as the ones which have been made.
http://investmentwatchblog.com/10-days-after-recovering-anthony-weiners-computer-the-fbi-busts-sex-trafficking-ring-rescuing-82-children-and-arresting-239-pimps/
and there is this as well:
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/10/31/ethics-complaint-filed-rep-jason-chaffez-releasing-comey-clinton-email-letter.html
The Democratic Coalition Against Trump filed a complaint against Representative Jason Chaffetz on Monday morning with the Office of Congressional Ethics for his role in releasing information provided to him by FBI Director James Comey.
Representative Chaffetz, in an ill-planned partisan attempt, released information that compromised the integrity of the FBI, when he irresponsibly tweeted out that the case investigating Secretary Clintons emails had been reopened, when in fact it had not been. Members of Congress are elected to make our country a safer, better place- not to use their power to work with leaders such as Comey in a partisan fashion. I hope that both are held accountable for their actions, said Scott Dworkin, Senior Advisor to the Democratic Coalition Against Trump.(bold emphasis added)
Sam
brush
(53,740 posts)He could've easily assigned someone to find that out before sending the letter.
Come on!
Comey's not some naive, straight arrow who immediately, without hesitation, sits down and writes a letter to Congress because of a promise he made, without checking out the validity of a tip.
He's a seasoned, experienced veteran who would know to use the Bureau's vast resources to not just chk out the validity of the tip but to also put the fear of God and possible prosecution in rogue leakers in his own organization to not violated the Hatch Act, which is another reason to indicate he knew exactly what he was doing.
He knew better than to interfere two weeks before an election but he wrote the letter anyway. despite his vast experience which would've also told him that the Oct. letter would not stop with Congress. and would thus violate the law. He knew Chaffetz or somebody would do the dirty work for him and cover his own a_ _ at the same time.
Like I said, he's not that naive.
Samantha
(9,314 posts)They came off Weiner's laptop and had to do with another specific subject.
When one makes a promise under oath to Congress, he or she better be prepared to live up to those promises or face contempt charges.
This wasn't a tip; the information came from the NY prosecutor in charge of the matter.
No, Comey is not naive, and he is well respected for his integrity.
Did you happen to check out the links?
Sam
brush
(53,740 posts)Last edited Fri May 12, 2017, 04:20 PM - Edit history (3)
very quickly that the "new" emails were not damaging to Clinton so he could've held off on writing the letter until he was sure.
Why is there now such a push to make Comey the good guy in all this?
He's responsible for trump being in office and his only chance at redemption was completing the collusion investigation and now that's gone because he was blindsided by the a-hole he's responsible for giving that much power to.
He's, unfortunately now, as much as we all wanted him to finish up and nail trump, a tragic and pathetic figure hoisted with his own petard.
Or should I say, petards, because he not only got canned by the a-hole he installed, he also didn't reveal when he sprung the new Clinton investigation on the nation, that he had also been investigating the a-hole who fired him since July.
Something his apologists seem to have forgotten.
Samantha
(9,314 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)was intended for public consumption.
There were a lot of factors that swung the election, but Comeys last nail was fatal. He may not have known that would be the end note, given the pressure and lost perspective within the agency, but he was not naive.
I think as the DT connections were becoming more defined, he may have hoped to salvage his "honorable "
reputation by his scoop on DT. Point being, yes, he brought down the election for the Dems, but then he brought down a Repub Prez. The only good thing about his firing is that he was denied the chance to change his legacy...and it is not "honorable. "
Unfortunately, I doubt anyone who DT/Sessions (who of course is in violation of ethics rules for violating his recusal, but those in power couldn't care any less) appoints will get to the bottom of the DT Russian reality, nor will anyone appoint a special prosecutor. Anyone appointed will tacitly take a loyalty oath, and get rid of the problem. CYAs will be handed out to all.
We are fucked for the next 3 1/2 years, at least, and decades longer with the long term damage DT is causing.
We are already the most RW civilized Western country, and now now we are going to be Extreme RW.
genxlib
(5,518 posts)There have been a lot of speculation about Comey motives.
I think they felt like they needed to see what was in those emails.
However, I don't think it was clear they had enough evidence to warrant a subpoena to look at them.
The letter made it public that they existed and there was a sudden public outcry and a demand for resolution.
Bam, subpoena.
Otherwise, they would have just looked at them and cleared them. They were running out of time to make something happen before the election and they made something happen. I am not sure it was the intended consequence but from a purely investigative timeline, they got access and made the clearance before the election.
I think it was a means to get it open and shut quickly. Otherwise, they were afraid of being accused of a coverup
I think all the public perception and harm to the reputation that came with it was collateral damage.
Just an opinion.
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)I understand, at the time of the release of the letter, that Democrats were fuming. They had good reason to.
Now that the facts are coming in, we can see that Comey got played. He was scapegoated.
Off-topic, but somewhat pertinent: it was Flynn that told SoS Clinton that a video was the basis of the Benghazi uprising. Flynn.
So many set-ups, so much obfuscation, so many dirty tricks.
Thanks for keeping America woke.
onenote
(42,581 posts)It was sent to eight Republicans and eight Democrats. Yes Chaffetz alerted the media to it, but it wasn't marked classified and there is no indication that any of the Democrats receiving the letter (or any other Democrats) publicly called out Chaffetz for leaking a "classified" letter. Nor has Comey ever even hinted that he didn't expect or want the letter to become public. Indeed, the indications, both at the time and subsequently, was that he wanted the American public to know about this information, which he characterized as a "supplement" to his non-classified, public testimony in July 2016.
One can regard Trump's firing of Comey as an outrageous abuse of power without excusing Comey for his past actions.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)but Chaffetz released that letter...and that part if pretty fucking important.
Hekate
(90,552 posts)gaaaaaah
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)He is also is thick with the Russians.
Hekate
(90,552 posts)Thanks
nycbos
(6,034 posts)He made some very poor choices in 2016 but I don't doubt he is a patriot.
What is your source on this material.
LaydeeBug
(10,291 posts)money, it made things make a lot more sense...Benghazi (Flynnghazi) and the email. I think Hairdo Gowdy took money from them too, and then BOOM...investigations left and right. <<<----that was the gist of the piece I didn't bookmark. It was that if Chaffetz is/was a target, then SEEING if he would release that letter could have been part of it. Here is Comey saying he sent a private letter, but I can't seem to find the first piece.
https://thinkprogress.org/comey-misled-everybody-about-clintons-emails-again-9e4310bbf3cb
Ellipsis
(9,124 posts)elleng
(130,728 posts)Comey did not *release* that letter. Chaffetz did.
H2O Man
(73,506 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,567 posts)is such a patriot that he got out of his hospital bed after foot surgery and wheeled himself into Congress to vote to repeal the ACA. I think the surgery was needed to remove his foot from his mouth. I'm taking up a collection to send him some flowers (with live hornets inside of course).
Turbineguy
(37,291 posts)It does not admonish against publication. But it does refer to a previous briefing. If the previous briefing was classified, then any information contained in the letter would fall under that same umbrella, I would think.
onenote
(42,581 posts)The idea that Comey didn't expect, anticipate and indeed intend for his letter to eight Committee Chairs and eight ranking Committee members to become public is ludicrous.
He tried long after the fact to characterize it as a "private" letter. But he knows full well that a letter sent to sixteen members of the House and Senate that isn't marked confidential, isn't marked for your eyes only, contains no suggestion that the letter and information provided therein should be closely held isn't going to be treated as a "private" communication anymore than the countless other letters that are sent to members of Congress.
It is pretty telling that almost contemporaneously with his sending that letter, he wrote to the FBI staff (a letter he released to the public) explaining that one of the reasons he sent the letter because "I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record." Obviously he viewed the information he put in the letter as public.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)To all:
This morning I sent a letter to Congress in connection with the Secretary Clinton email investigation. Yesterday, the investigative team briefed me on their recommendation with respect to seeking access to emails that have recently been found in an unrelated case. Because those emails appear to be pertinent to our investigation, I agreed that we should take appropriate steps to obtain and review them.
Of course, we dont ordinarily tell Congress about ongoing investigations, but here I feel an obligation to do so given that I testified repeatedly in recent months that our investigation was completed. I also think it would be misleading to the American people were we not to supplement the record. At the same time, however, given that we dont know the significance of this newly discovered collection of emails, I dont want to create a misleading impression. In trying to strike that balance, in a brief letter and in the middle of an election season, there is significant risk of being misunderstood, but I wanted you to hear directly from me about it.
Jim Comey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/28/read-the-letter-comey-sent-to-fbi-employees-explaining-his-controversial-decision-on-the-clinton-email-investigation/?utm_term=.b1d71e16a044
There's no mistaking a hit job and the Oct 28 letter was a hit job. Good one too.
mcar
(42,278 posts)I cannot figure why he'd resign otherwise.
onenote
(42,581 posts)Maybe he'll step down before January 2019, but for now that's all he's said he's going to do.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)Can you link to your sources?
FWIW there is a world of difference between something that is actually legally classified for national security purposes and something marked as private or sentive in a law enforcement setting.
Very few federal law enforcement investigations and the facts around them are actually classified. They may be kept confidential to the agency or by a court order, but that isn't the same. Only when an investigation involves matters or materials that are actually classified so any documents relating to it become classified, and then only to the degree needed to protect the already classified information.
In this case I see absolutely nothing in the letter that would have warranted it being classified, so I'm curious of the sources claiming it was.
Kingofalldems
(38,422 posts)I was on the jury. Couldn't believe it.
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)and is widely perceived to have been the October surprise that cost Clinton the election:
Washington, D. C. 20535
October 28, 2016
Honorable Richard M. Burr
Chairman
Select Committee on intelligence
Honorable Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
Honorable Richard Shelby
Chainnan
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
Honorable Ron Johnson
Chairman
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Honorable Devin Nunes
Chairman
Pennanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Honorable Robert Goodlatte
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
Honorable John Culberson
Chainnan
Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
Honorable Jason Chaffetz
Chainnan
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Dear Messrs Chairmen:
In previous congressional testimony, l referred to the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had completed its investigation of former Secretary Clinton's personal email server. Due to recent developments, I am writing to supplement my previous testimony.
In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.
Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant, and I cannot predict how long it will take us to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony.
Sincerely yours,
James B. Comey
Director
Honorable Dianne Feinstein
Vice Chairman
Select Committee on Intelligence
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Honorable Patrick J. Leahy
Ranking Member
Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Honorable Barbara Mikulski
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Honorable Thomas R. Carper
Ranking Member
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Honorable Adam B. Schiff
Ranking Member
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Honorable John Coyers, Jr.
Ranking Member
Committee on the Judiciary
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Honorable Michael Honda
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/full-text-fbi-letter-announcing-new-clinton-review-230463
Raster
(20,998 posts)...EXACTLY What did Rep. Chickenshit* know, When did he know it, AND WHO TOLD HIM?!?
Any way you shake it or bake it, Comey was wrong saying ANYTHING to Rep. Chickenshit OR ANYONE IN CONGRESS... he did an "on the down-low" to Rep. Chickenshit* who just jumped at the chance to get some extra political mileage out of his Clinton persecution... and was willing to break the law to do so.
I believe Rep. Chickenshit* had a private "heads-up" that more Clinton fuel for the fire would soon be flung onto the flames. And I'll say it now: ol' Rudy Ghouliani probably did the advance leaking.
onenote
(42,581 posts)Comey's letter wasn't sent to Chaffetz on the "low down." It was sent to eight committee chairs (all Republicans) and eight ranking members (all Democrats). It wasn't marked classified, confidential, private, for your eyes only nor was there any other indication in the letter that it was not meant for public consumption. Indeed, Comey made it clear the letter was intended to supplement his public testimony and thus the logical conclusion was that the letter itself could and should be made available to the public. That's consistent with Comey's nearly simultaneous letter to the FBI staff in which he explained that the letter to Congress was sent because it was important that the American public not be misled about the then current state of the Clinton investigation.
Yes, Chaffetz was the first to go public about the letter, but it was never intended to be kept secret and there is no reason at all to think Chaffetz' actions with respect to the letter have anything to do with his announcement that he's not going to run for reelection to Congress in 2018.
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)Comey's widely distributed Oct. 28 letter was neither classified nor private. It was sent to 16 members of both chambers of Congress. It was misleading and grotesquely inappropriate and in testimony before Congress shortly before he was fired Comey said he didn't regret it.
p.s. what was that you were saying about Deza?
StevieM
(10,500 posts)They didn't just nudge a close race in one direction as opposed to the other. They turned a decisive win into a narrow loss.
brush
(53,740 posts)ran to Congress blabbing about "new" emails before even checking them out.
He's been around DC a very long time and knew those letters would be leaked.
He let the leakers cover his a_ _ and some here are extolling him as being a good guy because he is not the one who actually leaked the letter.
Nah! He knew someone would leak, and he also knows what the Hatch Act is.
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)A later investigation found that more than 45 people within the Secret Service had taken a look at his protected personnel file. Referring to the file, then-Assistant Director Edward Lowery emailed another director that March, saying, "Some information that he might find embarrassing needs to get out. Just to be fair."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/jason-chaffetz-oversight-chairman-retiring-congress-trump
What did they find in his personnel file, I wonder????