She does have a background, but IMO being in charge of lawyers is much different that commanding law enforcement personnel.

I was very unimpressed with her two terms as Governor here. Michigan is a blue state and she was so unpopular here that no one from her administration ran in the primary.

safeinOhio

(32,722 posts)

20. She did a great job but

Reply to MichMan (Reply #15)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 03:41 PM

Oct 2016

Michigan was a victim of the Bush adm. during those years and she caught blame from his economy.

apcalc

(4,465 posts)

3. Pretty sure YES. We need further along on the insubordination

Reply to gopiscrap (Original post)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:01 PM

Oct 2016

and Hatch Act violation road.

Raven

(13,900 posts)

4. I believe so. He serves

Reply to gopiscrap (Original post)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:02 PM

Oct 2016

at the pleasure of the President. What any Presidential appointee at that level should do when a new President is elected is prepare their resignation and submit it. I'm betting that Comey won't do that.

karynnj

(59,504 posts)

9. FBI is not a cabinet position and they are nominated and confirmed to 10 year terms

Reply to Raven (Reply #4)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:37 PM

Oct 2016

He was nominated in 2013 and thus could be director until some time in 2023 - nearly Clinton's whole term.

Bill Clinton DID fire an FBI director, Sessions after he did not resign after a stinging internal report on his conduct. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/20/us/defiant-fbi-chief-removed-from-job-by-the-president.html

In his case, it appears that he was a poor leader and he took advantage of his position to take trips with his wife on FBI aircraft unrelated to FBI needs.

"He served under four Attorneys General, and each complained privately about his absentee management style, his frequent traveling -- often to unimportant events -- and his inability to take command.

During Mr. Sessions's tenure, the F.B.I. has struggled to redefine its mission, which has shifted focus dramatically with the collapse of the Soviet empire.

Mr. Sessions emphasized institutional issues, backing policies designed to open the F.B.I.'s byzantine internal hierarchy to women and minorities. He settled a discrimination lawsuit by Hispanic agents and reached a tentative accord with black agents that is awaiting approval by a Federal court here.
<snip>
The report found that Mr. Sessions had taken numerous free trips aboard F.B.I. aircraft to visits friends and relatives, often taking along his wife, Alice. The report, which was endorsed officially by Attorney General William P. Barr on his last day in office, detailed a litany of abuses. It is a lacerating portrayal of the Director as an official who was in charge of enforcing the law but who seemed blase about perceptions of his own conduct."

As to Comey, the reason would be what he did last week. There would be a political firestorm if Obama, or Clinton fires him.

For Obama, if he has any hope of getting anything in the lame duck session - that would be impossible if he did that. It would be a gift for Clinton. Note that it would mean that there would likely be a long time without a confirmed director. Unless Obama picked a very conservative Republican, I don't see that Obama could get one approved. My own guess is that Obama might not choose to fight this battle in the last few weeks of his Presidency.

For HRC, it is also a landmine. She would be starting her Presidency - hopefully with a Democratic Senate, but there is no chance she has 60 votes. The praise many many Democrats had for Comey when he was nominated and his own reputation will make action by HRC seem vindictive. Assuming (obviously) that she wins, not going after him for this might be a very difficult thing to do, but might be a case of choosing her battles. Consider that if she does fire him, there will be a battle royal to get someone else confirmed. It also could rip open this whole lamentable issue of her email server again.

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

5. Yes, but Obama really should do the job for her and not leave that mess for her to clean up nt

Reply to gopiscrap (Original post)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:02 PM

Oct 2016

karynnj

(59,504 posts)

10. That would be a gallant thing to do, but one that will define the end of his Presidency

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #5)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:50 PM

Oct 2016

Obama likely has other things he would prefer to fight for in the - at most - 6 or 7 weeks that Congress is in session. As to HRC, he gave her the SoS job and both he and Michelle have been better, stronger advocates for her than any Presidential couple was for any successor nominee in my life time.

To me, it is too much to ask that Obama be seen as Nixon was in firing Archibold Cox. I KNOW that analogy does not hold - Comey already investigated Clinton and said no prosecutor would indict. Also, consider that a new director -- remember he will need Republican votes -- might be worse as he might reopen the entire thing.

As to the "mess" -- I think we both know that firing Comey will not put an end to the Republican attacks. If Comey is fired, imagine the war over replacing him, which would not end before the end of Obama's Presidency. Even if Obama nominated someone, he/she is not likely to be confirmed easily. This will end up on HRC's plate anyway.

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

14. Obama nominated this clown, it's on him to clean up the mess of his own making.

Reply to karynnj (Reply #10)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 12:59 PM

Oct 2016

Preferably Comey does the honorable thing and resigns.

Republicans gonna Republican regardless of his status at FBI, so might as well jettison him. He's lost his credibility with all Democrats and most Republicans--he's become a political lightning rod which is unacceptable in an FBI director.

His position is simply untenable, and the really unseemly politicization of the NY office (and presumably others) indicates someone needs to go in there and fumigate the place. The NY office was pushing for investigations based on Breitbart etc!

karynnj

(59,504 posts)

17. Obama nominated a man who was highly praised by many on both sides of the aisle, including Kaine

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #14)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 01:13 PM

Oct 2016

Is Obama also to blame for HRC disregarding Obama guidelines?

Comey may resign, but if he doesn't, there is not enough time for a process to evaluate him and to make a recommendation that he resign before the end of the term.

Are you saying the NY office should not have initiated an investigation of Weiner texting a 15 year old! (I did not follow that seedy story and do not understand the Beitbart connection. Not to mention - even if Breitbart was the first to make those allegations - if texts of that type exist ANY adult sending them to a child across state lines SHOULD be investigated.

Given that you demand Obama sacrifice anything he might want to do in his last few weeks, did you ever consider that Ms Abedin should have stayed away from the campaign given her complicated life?

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

18. Comey turned out to be a preening, partisan hack. Res ipsa loquitur that he was a mistake.

Reply to karynnj (Reply #17)

Mon Oct 31, 2016, 01:19 PM

Oct 2016

As was appointing any Republican to that post. None of them can be trusted.

The NY office wanted to investigate Clinton Foundation based on what they read on Breitbart etc. Not on anything they uncovered in their investigations of other matters, just wanted to go after Clinton.

Why?

FBI agents=predominantly white men with law enforcement background. So, overwhelmingly wingnuts (look at the cop love for Trump--it's just plain gross).

There's a profound lack of professionalism at the FBI. The place needs to be fumigated. Next FBI director should be a Democrat and either a woman or a person of color. Miraculously no leaks on investigations re: Trump. Because populated with unprofessional wingnuts.

Very weird to be blaming Huma for the FBI's blatant misconduct in this case--sitting on the Weiner laptop discovery for weeks, then dropping a heavily innuendoish letter that magically House Republicans were able to tweet before Democrats were able to read it.