2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumCNN: Time for FBI Director Comey to resign
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/28/opinions/fbi-director-comey-should-resign-opinion-callan/index.htmlDonald Trump's oft-repeated claim that the FBI's investigation of "Crooked Hillary" and the presidential election itself were and are "rigged," seems to have thrown FBI Director James Comey into a state of panic. In foolishly making a public announcement that the bureau is reviewing newly discovered emails related to Hillary Clinton's personal server, he has inserted himself yet again into the presidential campaign.
The FBI virtually never announces the commencement or termination of ongoing criminal investigations. Such inquiries are often conducted in relative secrecy, enabling a more efficient investigation.
It is not unusual for investigations in so-called "white collar" cases to go on for years, luring the target into an unfounded belief that he or she is in the clear. Then the hammer falls. A grand jury indictment is announced by the Department of Justice and the handcuffs are swiftly employed.
The old, sensible FBI rule book apparently has been thrown on the trash heap this year. While undoubtedly attempting to be open and "transparent," to protect the reputation of the FBI, the FBI director has tossed a Molotov cocktail into the presidential race.
Dem2
(8,168 posts)He should realize the massive mistake he's made and either completely put this to bed now or resign. He fucked up bad this time.
MyNameIsKhan
(2,205 posts)How can we say our elections are fair ? this man made US democracy mockery infront of entire world.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)Dem2
(8,168 posts)Now, he could be "convinced" to resign under the condition that he not talk.
If he talks, he gets prosecuted.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)He just broke precedent again.
Chief Executives fire subordinates for insubordination. Making a mockery of the independent status of the FBI through his actions, Comey should be terminated now.
Dem2
(8,168 posts)he should be terminated for incompetence and political manipulation
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)made the second time easier apparently.
Joe941
(2,848 posts)cilla4progress
(24,725 posts)media whore.
Rocknrule
(5,697 posts)*holds up fingers and thumb in the shape of a phone*
Comey: Trump, I'm free January 20, call me!
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Raster
(20,998 posts)...live boy or dead girl?
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)He just did what the rest of the alt-right mob would do if they had his power.
Stop Hillary Clinton from becoming President at all cost!
He has now politicized the FBI in a terrible manner. Twice actually.
underthematrix
(5,811 posts)but yeah he seems Republican.
I think Comey did this because Trump has something on him
ooky
(8,922 posts)and has instead become yet another pawn for partisan politics like most the rest of our government institutions. He has stepped way outside the line over and over now. Time for him to go. This is disheartening for our country.
calimary
(81,209 posts)Writing this, on "the morning after" - waking up to hear that Attorney General Loretta Lynch & company were not pleased by this release. President Obama should ask for his resignation. You can't have a rogue FBI chief deciding on his own that covering his ass is the overriding policy determining his actions, or going against the AG's preference. He really should resign. She said not to? And he went ahead with it anyway? He needs to be gone. Because the next question, if he stays, would be - when would he just go ahead and help himself to this kind of activity again? And how often?
ooky
(8,922 posts)House, her first official act as POTUS on day 1 should be to fire him - her detractors be damned. Her detractors will be there anyway, as always. Today I will go and place my votes for Hillary Clinton, Deborah Ross, and Roy Cooper.
calimary
(81,209 posts)Last edited Tue Nov 1, 2016, 07:57 PM - Edit history (1)
If I were incoming, as the chief executive, I WOULD make it a priority to surround myself with MY people. People who share MY view, MY agenda, people who are flowing along in the same current as I am. No contrarians who are there to throw monkey-wrenches into things. No saboteurs. NOT EVEN those who sit back, in arrogance (as I've personally WITNESSED as a professional in the working world) and CLAIM they're just being a "Devil's advocate". All they're doing is shaking their dicks around hoping to show off how big they think they are. Pardon the crudeness, but in my own personal experience, such individuals have ALWAYS been male. Folks like these view themselves, with some smugness, as "disruptors."
Keep in mind, too, those "disruptor" types only want to disrupt. They NEVER have the next step. They NEVER have any solutions. They NEVER go to "I want to disrupt - because we need to fix this or we need to change that". They just wanna disrupt. Tear it all up. And once they got their way, they'd be outta here. They just want to wreak havoc, and then maybe watch the hysteria and mess and wreckage afterwards like spectators in the Roman Colosseum games. With no involvement, no personal stake, no interest in helping or contributing. Nothing. They just like to stir shit up for the sheer fun of stirring shit up.
I would not want to have one of those in my department. Especially since I HAVE had one of those in my department, and it was FUCKING MISERABLE! And there really were no positive results from it, except for me. I got the hell outta there and into a new job AWAY from there, out of range of any further bomb-throwing from some self-flattering "back-bencher" (look back to the rise of Newt Gingrich, for example, and how he swaggered around as a newly arrived "cub" Congressman, determined to make a name for himself - AS a disruptor - "I'M a BACK-BENCH BOMB-THROWER!" he'd boast. Yep, those were his very words).
The "bomb-thrower" in my case did indeed get my job after I left, as she'd schemed to accomplish, but then it became one of those inevitable "be careful what you wish for, because you might get it" type things. She had NO IDEA what was in store for her as acting news director. She had NO IDEA the shit she was going to have to deal with. Departmental problems, INTER-departmental problems, staffing complications, ego-juggling, boring management staff meetings that only consisted of different department heads trying to massage their reason for being to the general manager seated at the head of the conference table, the memos, the budgetary constraints, the employment hassles and headaches, that one staffer handling morning news who routinely called in sick late Sunday night and you had to scramble to cover the Monday morning shift at the last minute, the staffers who didn't get along and had to be dealt with strategically and psychologically, loads of personality conflicts and seniority issues, all that shit. This little girl, fairly new in town, with basically ONE earlier job at ONE other station on her resume, had never been in management before. Had NO clue. And of course, didn't think she needed one (after all, she was blonde with big blue eyes and long legs and always very short skirts). So she was totally unprepared. And that was only in one avenue (out of many). AND it didn't help the ratings, didn't help the morning show, didn't create some magic within the station, and didn't stop the catty comments in one of the newspaper columns that singled her out for mispronunciations and factual errors. ME they called a "respected journalist." They described her as a "sidekick news-reader." Meanwhile, as she was in way over her head, struggling to juggle all that, I landed yet another job where, bewilderingly enough, once you made permanent, you became like a tenured teacher and you COULD NOT be fired. In broadcasting, no less!
No. I think Comey has to go. If Hillary wins, there's no way she can trust him. I don't see how she could feel comfortable with someone like him on her staff. Someone who has VERY probably violated the Hatch Act and BROKEN THE LAW. Just in general, he would be viewed as a rogue agent. As the hapless CON Kevin McCarthy once said at the very dawn of this campaign season, making up a new word as he went - "untrustable." And if she didn't feel that way, I'd bet many on her staff would feel that way. It's a bad way to get started. The bad blood would have to be purged. Because he's TOTALLY compromised now. There are multiple reasons why NO ONE on either side would feel totally comfortable trusting him. If, Heaven forbid, Trump were to win, even he - OR his staff - would not trust Comey, either. Because the underlying concern would be - "how soon does he pull one of these on US? (After all, remember last July?)"
ooky
(8,922 posts)During my career I also had one of those disrupting employees working in my department. During that time I got to interact more with HR than I ever hoped for, lucky me. As a manager it was highly unpleasant, frustrating, and counterproductive, but fortunately my other employees had my back. So I won, and she was the one to hit the pavement. So I am empathetic to your points having experienced it myself. Hillary can point to this aspect of management when she fires Comey in her first official act as President and say "its nothing personal" (ha ha) but she can't risk someone with a record of breaking protocol in such a critical position. Its also a great way for sending a message about the virtues of loyalty in a team environment, as well as her middle finger to the Republican hit squad and right wing media, rubbing in their faces that she won another round.
calimary
(81,209 posts)When I was interviewed for the next big job (the one in which you made permanent status if you survived the probation period), they actually asked me - "okay, we know all the things you're good at. We see your resume, we've researched you, we know what you've done. So, let me ask you - what are you NOT good at?" I got a sudden inspiration, that was, happily enough, the truth and nothing but the truth: "Office politics. I'm a better observer OF them than I am a participant IN them." The interviewer laughed out loud. He chucked and said "I like that!" And I was hired.
ffr
(22,668 posts)Come clean with what you say you have and who is behind strong-arming you to go public 11 days before a presidential election!
spooky3
(34,435 posts)Thanks for posting!
Blue Idaho
(5,045 posts)Makes him unfit for office.
ffr
(22,668 posts)Took me a whole 2 minutes to cut-n-paste.
If nothing else, they get an earful from me.
Akamai
(1,779 posts)He has violated the norms of prosecutorial behavior. If he did this to cover his butt, that is no excuse at all.
George II
(67,782 posts)duffyduff
(3,251 posts)He is a partisan hack and was involved in the bogus Whitewater investigation in the 1990s.
Puzzler
(2,505 posts)-P
Xipe Totec
(43,889 posts)His tender... juicy... resignation...
James48
(4,435 posts)The letter was sent to the Congressional Committees that he previously testified before. Thus letter simply clarifies that there are other emails that the FBI can and should look at- nothing more.
Whoever leaked it should have known better, and the news oeganiAtikvs should have been more careful in how they report it-
That said, I support the FBI Directors proper action to keep Congressional members informed. That is his duty.
Demsrule86
(68,543 posts)Comey is a partisan and this was done to influence the election...he is a disgrace. I hope this will end the BS bipartisan appointments. Comey should never have been put in charge of the FBI...and he is incompetent. How many terrorists have slipped through is fingers...including the Boston bomber and the Orlando shooter. His latest fiasco is allowing the Bundy terrorists to walk. He is an uber-partisan and a disgrace.
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)This was precisely Comey's intention with that letter.
DLCWIdem
(1,580 posts)The FBI is supposed to be separate from politics. And the director is supposed to follow the protocol of the Agency in question. He substituted his own protocol for the agencies. Furthermore, if it was important because of the election why isn't important to inform on Trump investigation with the Russians.
randome
(34,845 posts)[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]