Anyone else notice how fired up the political reporters are about this Comey story?

[WilliamPitt]

I've been reading everything I can find on his Tuesday testimony, and damn if every report I read seems more jazzed than the one before.

The political beat writers love this story, folks. I think we may have something here.

Froomkin, as usual, crystallizes the essence:

High Drama -- and High Crimes?

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; 1:04 PM

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey's gripping testimony yesterday about his high-speed race to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital bedside -- and the ensuing standoff with senior White House aides over the administration's warrantless wiretapping program -- may turn out to be the political-scandal equivalent of the tune nobody can get out of their heads.

It might not stack up as the most momentous of the accusations against the Bush White House. But it features a compelling narrative, an irreproachable witness and a serious charge of wrongdoing. At heart, Comey's tale is about a White House that refused to stand down even when its own Justice Department determined that what it was doing was illegal.

Here is the transcript of Comey's testimony. Here is the video. Read it or watch it -- and I dare you to tell me this story is going away anytime soon.

(snip)

As for who was behind all this, let's be blunt: Nobody who knows the players can seriously believe that Gonzales and Card were acting on their own. Neither has ever been known for his original thinking. When they served at the White House -- and in Gonzales's case, even after he left to become attorney general -- their role was to be loyal soldiers.

So who was telling them what to do? It doesn't take a whole lot of guesswork. The warrantless spying program -- like virtually all of the Bush era measures that have pushed executive power well past historic boundaries -- was born in Vice President Dick Cheney's office. Cheney and David S. Addington, who is now his chief of staff, were its champions.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html?hpid=topnews

Milbank: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501890.html

[meegbear]

1. Salon's War Room is reporting it differently ...

One more question about James Comey's extraordinary testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday: If Comey is wrong -- if Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales didn't try to take advantage of a desperately ill and disoriented John Ashcroft to get authorization for a warrantless wiretap program the Justice Department had already rejected; if FBI Director Robert Mueller wasn't so worried about what Card and Gonzales were doing that he didn't order his agents to keep them from removing Comey from Ashcroft's hospital room -- then why isn't anyone denying Comey's account today?

As the New York Times reported this morning, spokesmen for Ashcroft, Mueller and the Department of Justice have all declined to comment on Comey's accusations, and Card didn't respond to a reporter's inquiries about them.

At the White House today, Tony Snow said that Comey had given "his side of what transpired that day." But if there's some other "side" of the story, Snow didn't give any hint as to what it might be. And really, why should he even bother? As Media Matters notes, the mainstream media thinks so little of this story that CBS and ABC didn't even mention Comey's testimony during their evening newscasts Tuesday night. (my emphasis)

As for Gonzales? A reporter asked Chuck Schumer today whether the Senate Judiciary Committee will be inviting the attorney general to testify about what he remembers of the hospital visit. Schumer's perfectly reasonable response: "Well, that's something that we'll have to consider. But given his past testimony -- (the) 'I don't knows,' his evasive answers, to put it even charitably -- it's something we'd have to consider, but I'm not sure it would produce anything more."

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/?last_story=/politics/war_room/2007/05/16/comey/

[wordpix]

4. HUGE story even if the dummies/* cronies at CBS & ABC don't cover it. BushCheney are falling

[meegbear]

5. I totally agree ...

I wish it would get the coverage like those shitheads gave to Anna Nicole when she died.

[malaise]

6. Anderson Cooper had a decent section on

this last night.

[meegbear]

9. Hardball covered it too ...

I just hope Will is right and they fucking run with it.

[sinkingfeeling]

17. Posted in wrong place. Sorry.

[lisa58]

2. It took them long enough...

...but even Chris Matthews is going to cover it tonight.

[rasputin1952]

8. With Tweety's record, and his penchant for cutting off

statements before complete, who knows where it wiind up? WhenI watched Tweety, I got very little info, it was all about "gotch ya" as opposed to anything of substance...:(

[lisa58]

10. That's true...

...but he loves drama and this story has plenty - he might do it justice.

[rasputin1952]

23. We can hope...I just pray he keeps his mouth shut long

enough to get to the story. It bothers me how he just interupts people, so I figure it should REALLY bother those that are trying to keep a sentence/answer going...:eyes:

[Stuckinthebush]

3. Because it is sexy

The whole thing reads like a movie plot.

[spanone]

K & R

[Justice]

7. You must watch the video of his testimony, it is truly unbelievable

I thought to myself after watching that video, you know, before this thing is over Nancy Pelosi could be President (2nd in line of succession after VP).

then the person I was with said, you know after reading Comey's testimony I understand why Gonzales can never resign. If Gonzales resigned, a new AG would have to be confirmed. Bush could never get a "bushie" confirmed. In fact, the only person Congress would confirm is someone who (credibly) promises to uphold the laws of this country, which means they would have to investigate the president and all that has happened. Gonzales is the only person standing between Bush and an all out investigation.

[Hawkowl]

44. Impeach Gonzo

That is a very good point you're making. Maybe that is why the dems and the media seem to have a terrier like hold on Gonzo. If they can take him out, the next AG will be unable to shield shrub. Indeed, he would be compelled to investigate and bring up charges.

It reminds me of a chess game where we have finally disposed with enough pawns and now are threatening the powerful pieces protecting the king.

[PassingFair]

11. If the Republicans ran Comey for President...

he would WIN.

No CONTEST.

[mod mom]

24. Republican leadership endorse a man of integrity & principle?

:rofl:

[PassingFair]

25. Just think of all the independents and democrats who'd vote for him.

Not so funny.

[mod mom]

27. I'm not laughing at Comey of couse, but my guess is Repuke leadership wants

a puppet they can control-think w and Raygun. I don't see that in Comey.

[Missy Vixen]

28. I'd prefer him as Attorney General

Maybe all of us could sleep at night.

Julie

[PassingFair]

31. I wonder what the pukeys think about him...

Hero or traitor?

[Missy Vixen]

37. Oh, they hate him

They hate his buddy Patrick, they probably can't stand Mr. Goldsmith, who left to teach at Harvard. They passed over Mr. Philbin, another guy in the room that night, for a promotion as a result of this.

Let's face it. Someone posted late last night that he believes the US Attorney purge happened specifically to rid the government of anyone who wasn't siding with Gonzales. I submit that the first two purged were John Ashcroft and James Comey.

Who knew that John Ashcroft would actually come out of this one somewhat rehabilitated?

Julie

[PassingFair]

40. Do you think that Ashcroft will be asked to testify? nt

[Missy Vixen]

41. I must have to adjust the fit of my tinfoil hat today

but frankly, I think Mr. Ashcroft is probably afraid for his safety.

Julie

[KharmaTrain]

12. The Power Of Being Able To Investigate

Dig On This...

One year ago, Russ Feingold pushed for an ammendment to withdraw US forces from Iraq and there wasn't a single other Senator that dared to sign onto co-sponsor. Yesterday, 29 voted to end this incursion. Progress moves slow, but it's progress. Hopefully in 6 months or (hopefully not) a year from now, that number will swell even higher.

A year ago, DeLay had just resigned, we couldn't even get an ethics investigation into his trangressions or that of a confirmed child molestor. We had to hold hearings about false intelligence and lying about getting into this occupation in the basement of the capitol and mikes were shut off in hearings when the questions got too close for comfort. Again...this was just a year ago.

Ain't it something we haven't heard much about the lawsuit against the NY Times for their initial reporting of the wiretapping story and the original reports about Gonzo's midnight visit to Ashcroft's hospital room. The worm has turn thanks to our hard work last year getting a Democratic majority elected and the ability to start peeling away the layers of corruption on the booooosh regime onion.

The thing that's confusing to me here is if the program Comey describes Gonzo was trying to push is the same or a different one than what the Times reported. Others are asking the same questions...including various Senators. That's the next layer of the onion that will be peeled.

Many here are impatient...and I can truly understand...that there isn't more being done to beat down the boooosh regime and his GOOP proxies and enablers. Just look back at where we've come and have a little faith. A lot of investigating to this point has been done under the cover of dark and the current investigations are running into major stonewalling...but it's just a delaying tactic as the truth will come out and enough will be exposed to keep the criminal justice system investigating the last 7 years for many years to come.

The history this regime has written will be the low point in American history that we will one day say we helped turn around and vanquish.

Cheers...

:toast:

[Blackhatjack]

13. The Failure To Deny is Damning -- Anyone think they would let a lie like this go unchallenged?

Comey by all accounts is as non-political as you can get for a career employee at the DOJ.

They have nothing to hold over Comey's head.

Therefore the best they can do is try to insinuate that his account is wrong, but certainly NOT DENY the truth of what he said.

If any part of what Comey has testified to under oath is untrue you would expect calls for his indictment for perjury to be ringing out across the land.

And yet we hear --- Nothing???

[Vinnie From Indy]

14. Folks reading The Indianapolis Star wouldn't even know about Comey

The paper has ZERO articles about Comey's testimony in todays paper.

[shraby]

15. The reporters have looked at the story

and can see a movie coming out when this is over and they want to be featured in it as someone highly involved in getting to the bottom of the mess and bringing relevant facts to the fore, ala Woodward and Bernstein...we may see some actual investigative reporting real soon.

[Oilwellian]

16. Glen Greenwald has written some great stuff on this latest scandal.

President Bush ordered the NSA to engage in warrantless eavesdropping back in October 2001. The incidents which Comey described yesterday -- whereby the DOJ refused to certify the program's legality -- occurred in March, 2004, two-and-a-half years later. Since the NSA was spying on Americans outside of FISA the entire time, what prompted the DOJ suddenly to "reexamine" the legality of the program after all that time?

Comey then made clear that he and Ashcroft met, determined that the NSA program lacked legal authority, and agreed "on a course of action," one whereby the DOJ would refuse to certify the legality of the NSA program. Yet even once Ashcroft and Comey made clear that the program had no legal basis (i.e., was against the law), the President ordered it to continue anyway. As Comey said: "The program was reauthorized without us and without a signature from the Department of Justice attesting as to its legality."

Amazingly, the President's own political appointees -- the two top Justice Department officials, including one (Ashcroft) who was known for his "aggressive" use of law enforcement powers in the name of fighting terrorism and at the expense of civil liberties -- were so convinced of its illegality that they refused to certify it and were preparing, along with numerous other top DOJ officials, to resign en masse once they learned that the program would continue notwithstanding the President's knowledge that it was illegal.

The overarching point here, as always, is that it is simply crystal clear that the President consciously and deliberately violated the law and committed multiple felonies by eavesdropping on Americans in violation of the law.

Greenwald also wrote:

There is one other aspect of Comey's testimony worth highlighting. This is part of what he said when describing the scene in Ashcroft's hospital room:

I tried to see if I could help him get oriented. As I said, it wasn't clear that I had succeeded. I went out in the hallway.

Spoke to Director Mueller by phone. He was on his way. I handed the phone to the head of the security detail and Director Mueller instructed the FBI agents present not to allow me to be removed from the room under any circumstances.

Comey repeatedly stated that it appeared that Ashcroft was not even oriented to his surroundings. Compare that to Tony Snow's disgustingly dismissive defense yesterday of the behavior of Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales: "Trying to take advantage of a sick man -- because he had an appendectomy, his brain didn't work?"

But more revealingly, just consider what it says about this administration. Not only did Comey think that he had to rush to the hospital room to protect Ashcroft from having a conniving Card and Gonzales manipulate his severe illness and confusion by coercing his signature on a document -- behavior that is seen only in the worst cases of deceitful, conniving relatives coercing a sick and confused person to sign a new will -- but the administration's own FBI Director thought it was necessary to instruct his FBI agents not to allow Comey to be removed from the room.

Comey and Mueller were clearly both operating on the premise that Card and Gonzales were basically thugs. Indeed, Comey said that when Card ordred him to the White House, Comey refused to meet with Card without a witness being present, and that Card refused to allow Comey's summoned witness (Solicitor General Ted Olson) even to enter Card's office. These are the most trusted intimates of the White House -- the ones who are politically sympathetic to them and know them best -- and they prepared for, defended themselves against, the most extreme acts of corruption and thuggery from the President's Chief of Staff and his then-legal counsel (and current Attorney General of the United States).

Does this sound in any way like the behavior of a government operating under the rule of law, which believes that it had legal authority to spy on Americans without the warrants required for three decades by law? How can we possibly permit our government to engage in this behavior, to spy on us in deliberate violation of the laws which we enacted democratically precisely in order to limit how they can spy on us, and to literally commit felonies at will, knowing that they are breaking the law?

How is this not a major scandal on the level of the greatest presidential corruption and lawbreaking scandals in our country's history? Why is this only a one-day story that will focus on the hospital drama but not on what it reveals about the bulging and unparalleled corruption of this administration and the complete erosion of the rule of law in our country? And, as I've asked many times before, if we passively allow the President to simply break the law with impunity in how the government spies on our conversations, what don't we allow?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/16/nsa_comey/index.html

[Missy Vixen]

35. Au contraire, Mr. Snow

>"Trying to take advantage of a sick man -- because he had an appendectomy, his brain didn't work?"<

Someone needs to update Mr. Snow as to Mr. Ashcroft's condition as he lay in that hospital bed. Mr. Ashcroft had evidently had a gallbladder removal that went south and caused pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is VERY painful and VERY deadly. (It contributed to my mother's death; we were told at that time that it was fatal 95% of the time.) Mr. Ashcroft had already been in intensive care for six days before Gonzales and Card decided to pay their little late-night visit to his room.

It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic that Snow continues to be so invested in protecting the thugs that perpetrated this almost unbelievable stunt that he won't even be truthful about Mr. Ashcroft's diagnosis. In the meantime, James Comey and the others in that room that night (Mr. Goldsmith, Mr. Philbin, Mr. Mueller and it sounds like several more,) are heroes and patriots.

Julie

[lonestarnot]

18. The Jig is UP you bastards!

[sinkingfeeling]

19. To quote Phil Collins...

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord

[dogday]

20. The mental picture of Ashcroft lying in a hospital

bed and being hounded by Gonzales and Card right after being in ICU and having surgery... Comey racing up the stairs to get to him first... It is so heartless that even the media can't miss it....

COMEY: This was a very memorable period in my life; probably the most difficult time in my entire professional life. And that night was probably the most difficult night of my professional life. So it's not something I'd forget.

[malaise]

26. Can't wait to see the movie

Damn! These men are real evil.

[lonestarnot]

29. He was still in ICU with NO Visitors allowed.

[dogday]

30. For like 6 days, he was very ill and in ICU

It was not like he was sitting up in bed, eating his jello... This man was in ICU for 6 days and that says a lot....

[lonestarnot]

47. Yes it does.

[underpants]

21. It is like two sons at their mother's deathbed getting her to sign over the deed to the family house

before their sister finds out or mom comes out of it or Uncle ____ finds out.

Seriously.

I have posted this before but I watched the video of this yesterday just to make sure this wasn't some twisting or spin of what was said.

Nope. That is exactly as Comey testified to-Schumer clearly knew the story and Comey had clearly agreed to tell it so Chuck took him there.

http://www.politicstv.com/blog/index.php?paged=2

[WiseButAngrySara]

22. KNR and thanks for posting. Let's get all who "Serve at the

Pleasure" of his HighnAss, Tyrant B*, OUT OF OUR GOVERNMENT!

[bunny planet]

32. They should shine a big, bright light on David Addington. John Dean seems to

think he's the evil mastermind behind the curtain making it all happen for Cheney. After reading the New Yorker article about him, I'm inclined to agree. Sorry I don't have the link here. Please, oh please, let this Comey story have lots of legs, like a very big centipede.

[progressoid]

33. Oh fer christ sake, who has time for that stuff. Didja see Idol last night?

[Nia Zuri]

46. I missed it,. Who got eliminated?

[Catherine Vincent]

34. I can't wait for this scene to be in a movie.

And we should be thankful that Mrs. Ashcroft contacted Comey's office to tip them on what was coming down.

[ljm2002]

36. Yes, let's not let Mrs. Ashcroft be an unsung heroine!

It can't have been easy, what with trying to protect her gravely husband, only to have Gonzales and Card insist on an audience. Thank goodness she recognized strong arm tactics when she saw them, and knew what to do about it.

Thanks Mrs. Ashcroft! :yourock:

[Beelzebud]

38. Let's just hope it lasts. By next week they might all forget about it like every other scandal.

[question everything]

39. Even CNN earlier this morning had the story

in a very dramatic style.

[Ellipsis]

42. Thom Hartmann leads with it on his show :on now:

Compares it to Watergate

[WiseButAngrySara]

43. Oh, truly "Worse than Watergate". ....n/t

[Cleita]

45. In any other country in the world, this would be torches and

pitchforks times in a march to the White House.

[nomatrix]

48. Will, are we sure this is just about the wire taping?

Comey acted as though there was something much bigger there and they had been wire tapping since 2001.

Didn't the Abu Ghraib torture photos come out the same month?

[AnnInLa]

49. Tweety only looking at the "drama" of it, not the WHY

it happened in the first place. What was it about that program that Comey and Ashcroft found illegal -- it had been in operation over 2 years by then, with reviews every 45 days. In his testimony, gonzo parsed his words when he said there had been no disagreement over THIS program. Maybe he was not lying, maybe the papers in that envelope that they carried to the hospital was about another program?

OR

Some analyists say that up to that time, Ashcroft had never really examined the program, just signed off on it, then he assigned an agent to examine it thoroughly....that agent (Name?) and Comey discovered something they thought was illegal and told Ashcroft. It had to have something to do with totally domestic spying, or else why was Mueller so involved? What they discovered, and ultimately forced the WH to change, was probably what? Spying on Democratic politicians? (shades of Watergate!)

Why aren't those pundits asking these questions? Why are they just looking at the dramatics of it???? Even KO isn't asking the relevant questions.

As much as all of this is being reported on by CNN and MSNBC, why hasn't it been reported on network news? It IS dramatic as hell....they don't know what it all means, is my guess.

[Pachamama]

50. I believe that the Bush Administration was/is doing political spying on Dems (Kerry) and also GOP

to know what they were doing and to blackmail and strongarm people.

Clearly whatever "spying" this warrantless wiretapping/spying program was doing was not in the name and interest of terrorism and even Ashcroft, a most loyal warrior in the battle against terrorism, knew this.

I think the layers of the onion as they get pealed and revealed, will show this to be what was really going on.

I think the Senators and Congresspeople know this and they are carefully proceeding to eventually show the truth. I think Americans will be shocked.

:popcorn:

[Swamp Rat]

51. Way'at Pachamama!

:hi: :hug:

I am going to watch the testimony again! :bounce: