Trump Still Hasnt Decided Whether To Let Comey Testify, Conway Says

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

06/02/2017 02:36 pm ET | Updated 14 minutes ago

James Comey will testify before a Senate intelligence panel next week.

Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will decide whether to invoke his presidential powers to block former FBI Director James Comey from giving congressional testimony next week, White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Friday.

Comey, fired by Trump last month, is due to testify on Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee in both an open session and behind closed doors. The hearings could add to problems facing the president over probes into alleged Russian meddling in last year’s U.S. election and potential collusion by his campaign.

In an interview with ABC News, Conway appeared to indicate that the president would allow Comey to testify, saying, “We’ll be watching with the rest of the world when Director Comey testifies.”

But asked directly whether Trump would use executive privilege to prevent Comey from speaking with lawmakers, Conway added: “The president will make that decision.”

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fbi-james-comey-donald-russia-probe_us_59319529e4b0c242ca2389bc?section=us_politics

[JenniferJuniper]

1. And who died and made that POS King of America?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. SCRotUS

So-Called Ruler of the United States

aka The Minority President with the minority hands

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. He can't stop him.

[Txbluedog]

3. How much do you want to bet that when executive previlige was bought up

Conway's internal thoughts were What is that?

[Leghorn21]

15. Oh, snap!!! n/t

[Tiggeroshii]

20. Lol most likely

[MyOwnPeace]

21. She thought:

"Isn't that something like being rich and famous and you can grab whatever you want..........?"

[gademocrat7]

4. Comey will testify.

[hamsterjill]

9. I agree.

Mueller and Comey already have this figured out. They would have anticipated it before they made the announcement that Comey would appear.

[muntrv]

5. Just like the time Nixon prevented John Dean from testifying.

[hamsterjill]

6. So does Congress then need to give Comey immunity for testimony?

I mean, are there NO safeguards for having a lunatic in the Oval Office? Surely there is someway to take this treasonous bastard down.

[rurallib]

29. I don't know about immunity, but body guards and food tasters might be in order.

[hamsterjill]

37. Certainly would not hurt!

n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Claiming Executive Privilege was a big nail in the coffin of Nixon's Presidency. . . . nt

[SoCalMusicLover]

10. Times Are Different Now

Drumpf could shoot and kill someone on the street, and still be untouchable.

The repubs have matured, and wouldn't let a little thing like EP get in the way.

[red dog 1]

32. I agree!

Things ARE different now, especially the fact that the Repukes control both houses of Congress, unlike with the Watergate scandal when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress,

Plus, with Neil Gorsuch as the replacement for Scalia on the Supreme Court, any court challenge to The Orange-Turd's invoking of Executive Privilege will likely be overturned by the new SCOTUS...so, Double-chin Assface can and probably will keep Comey from testifying, and there's nothing Congressional Dems can do about it.

[SoCalMusicLover]

53. I Used To Have A Client With Nickname Red Dog

He passed away 2 years ago. He had a couple of minor, minor roles in a few films, including playing Santa Claus in Scrooged. That was his most famous.

[red dog 1]

58. Al "Red Dog" Weber?

Last edited Sat Jun 3, 2017, 03:59 PM - Edit history (1)

Scrooged had some very famous actors playing minor roles, including:
- Robert Mitchum (was it his last film?)
- Carol Kane
- Michael J. Pollard
- Jamie Farr (Klinger on Mash)
- Robert Goulet
- Buddy Hacket (played Scrooge)
- John Houseman
- Lee Majors
- and one of my favorite comedy writers of all time, Pat McCormick (wrote for The Tonight Show)

Are you a talent agent?

[SoCalMusicLover]

59. Yep....Al Weber

I'm a CPA, and he was my tax client. He looked like Santa Claus even without the costume. He was in his 90's when he passed.

[red dog 1]

63. Cool!

Sounds like Al Weber had a good, long life.

[dixiegrrrrl]

55. Trump cannot claim exec. privilege because he violated that in his tweets and remarks.

Comey can legally talk about the firing now.

[still_one]

11. That means the POS will try to prevent the testimony

[Arkansas Granny]

13. And if he does, that will be an admission of guilt and that he knows Comey's testimony is damning.

[still_one]

16. Do you really believe the republicans in Congress will do something about it? By the way,

the reason I speculate that he won't is because he has a pattern of dangling these things before making a decision, and then makes the most deplorable one.

He just did that with the Paris Accords. Feigned that he was seriously considering it, then threw it out the window. No doubt in my mind he didn't even read what it contained, he knew what he was going to do before he left Europe.

Did the same BS with the supposed replacement for the ACA, and almost every other issue.

He is an ugly soul, who only cares about enriching himself, and does not give the slightest damn how many people he hurts in the process.

The only real chance we have to stop this nightmare is 2018

[MyOwnPeace]

22. still_one

Very well stated!

[still_one]

23. Thanks Peace. I do think most of us are aware how critical 2018 is

[orangecrush]

31. Republicans are not

The only ones in congress.

They are not all - powerful.

No matter how much some of them try to make us believe that horseshit.

[red dog 1]

34. Republicans are the only ones IN CONTROL in Congress, (both houses),

so, in a sense, they ARE "all-powerful"

By themselves, the Democrats can't stop Trump from doing anything, including keeping Comey from testifying.

[bresue]

39. However, Dem constituents can make Rub's lives hell!!!

Kind of like a persistent child throwing a big temper fit!!!

[orangecrush]

41. They DON'T CONTROL the courts.

They DON'T CONTROL democratic governors, as in NY where the state a.g. is pursuing investigations against 45.

They DON'T CONTROL democratic mayors, as evidenced when the mayor of Piittsburgh told 45 that Pittsburgh is going to honor the Paris accord.

They DON'T CONTROL me, or D.U.

They ARE NOT

NOT!

NOT!

NOT!

all powerful.

And

NEVER.

WILL.

BE!!!!

[red dog 1]

44. They now control the SCOTUS

So, they DO control the courts, since any lower court decision going against Trump could easily be overturned by the now right-wing (5-4) Supreme Court.

So, they control the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court, right?

So, for the first time in modern American history, there are NO "checks & balances"

(Good luck to New York's AG in his investigation of 45)

[LiberalLovinLug]

18. But it would be regarded as a brave act by his unwavering supporters

Standing up against the corrupt Washington establishment that is out to get him, and prevent him from making America great again, getting them all good paying jobs, stopping their hard earned taxes going to lazy black folk and criminal immigrants, and destroying all the radical Islamic terrorists forever.

Seriously, we live in different times than Nixon's era. Now the corrupt right wing has more billions, Citizens United, all branches of government, a major news network, almost every daytime news talk show across the country, especially in his strongest states. And today they all have absolutely no shame in blatantly lying to mold public opinion, or to in this case defend that kind of decision from tyranny into patriotism.

[Le Gaucher]

12. and I havent yet decided to whether or not to shit on his head.

That is a really hard decision to make

[appleannie1943]

30. His head is so big you would need climbing gear to get to the top and nailing in handhold would be

dangerous. Hot air under pressure can explode.

[deek]

65. thanks for the smile n/t

.

[PoliticAverse]

14. Comey, who doesn't work for Trump any more doesn't need his permission to testify.

All Trump could do is try to get a court order blocking Comey's testimony under the guise of "executive privilege" but
it seems unlikely that the courts would ultimately go for that.

[ananda]

17. Legally, 45 cannot claim executive privilege to stop Comey.

Lawrence Tribe tweets:

If Trump claims exec priv to block Comey testimony next wk, remember he waived that priv when publicly giving his version of their exchanges

[MBS]

48. excellent, thanks. n/t

[UpInArms]

19. What the funk does this moran think he is?

a dick-tater?

[onetexan]

24. executive privilege my arse

1) i don't see how this is legally possible
2) that would be further obstruction of justice
3) screams blatant coverup, as the firing of comey was previously

We need to keep in mind the POTUS isn't above the law. Comey doesn't need this crook's permission to tell his side of the story and further drive the nail into his coffin.

[red dog 1]

40. Normally, you would be right, "the POTUS isn't above the law"

But these are not "normal" times, and without a bi-partisan, independent Congressional investigation, (like the appointment of a Special Prosecutor in the Watergate case),
all bets are off...so Comey DOES "need this crook's permission to tell his side of the story"

[Doug the Dem]

46. Well, if Trump is going to proceed in an extra-legal manner...

is it not incumbent upon us to do likewise?

[onetexan]

47. what is Mueller's role then

isn't he special counsel?

[red dog 1]

51. Yes, he was appointed by the Justice Department as special counsel to oversee the FBI investigation

into ties between Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

But some Democrats think the special counsel role doesn't go far enough in insulating Mueller from White House influence.
".Mueller will still be in the chain of command under the Trump-appointed leadership of the Justice Department," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement.
"He cannot take the place of a truly independent, outside commission that is completely free from the Trump administration's meddling."
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/what-the-special-counsel-can-and-cant-do-with-his-investigation.html

[denbot]

25. I hope that idiot does try to block testimony.

That would be game over for the entire lot of those fuckers.

[Bengus81]

26. Come on Trump,Tweet your ass off about not letting him testify....

The whole World knows now what your really about but this should put them over the top. GO FOR IT TRUMP!!

[RKP5637]

27. At that stage, tRump will have incriminated himself beyond redemption! n/t

[Leith]

28. How Does a President Have the Authority to Prevent Someone from Testifying to Congress?

If shitgibbon tries it and the rethugs in congress allow it, game over.

[samnsara]

33. he wont be able to stop him...

[C_U_L8R]

35. Hey Trump, you're not the decider.

And you can't keep the truth from getting out.
But have fun trying.

[Vinca]

36. I don't see how he can stop him. Not only is Comey now a private citizen, Trump has

blabbed about their conversations already which would cancel out any "executive privilege."

[Gothmog]

38. trump has waived executive privilege

[miyazaki]

42. Go ahead, try to stop him.

[madokie]

43. if orange anus is allowed to not let Comey testify

you can bet he won't allow the testimony

[red dog 1]

45. My guess is that the Orange Anti-Christ won't allow Comey to testify,

and, since there is no "bi-partisan, independent, Congressional investigation" of the Trump campaign's ties to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, there is absolutely NOTHING the Dems in Congress will be able to do about it, unfortunately.

As Trump himself has said many times: "I can do anything I want!"


K&R, thanks for posting, Judi Lynn

[retrowire]

49. I don't care what side you're on

who the hell thinks it's a good idea to deny the testimony?

If you do, it looks like admission of guilt and more obstruction, PLUS people will invade the streets, I promise that.

[Turbineguy]

52. Go ahead idiot.

make my day.

[Kablooie]

54. My money is on Trump trying to stop him.

But according to legal experts he can't do it because of tweeting in public about his meetings with Comey.
That neutralizes executive privilege.

[mdbl]

56. when did our POTUS become someone above the law

and how could such an egregious abuse of the executive privilege be over-ridden?

[Sunlei]

57. Mr Trump, you and your Republican 'betters' must have LOTS to hide from Americans.

like Republicans hid their dossier of vetting on trump from voters and many of their fellow Republicans.

A D. had to turn that dossier over to the FBI !

[briv1016]

60. Let me guess, televised Rose Garden announcement Wednesday afternoon.

I have no doubt be will try to block him. Unfortunately, unlike Nixon there will be no consequences with Republicans in control. Same goes for when he orders Rosenstein to fire Mueller.

[yurbud]

61. if financial elite want Trump gone, Comey will testify anyway or if Trump blocks and he goes along

with it, it will just accelerate his departure.

Bush was pretty obstructionist, but because he was doing the work of the owner class, he was never punished for it.

[AntiFascist]

64. From what I've heard on the teevee...

Trump can't do anything to prevent Comey from testifying since he is now a private citizen, unless he takes it to Federal Court and asks for a restraining order. In this case Trump would likely lose for various reasons: he has already tweeted and given interviews about the Comey discussion so it is already public knowledge and Comey has a right to defend himself, and also executive privilege doesn't apply to criminal cases that the executive branch is involved in, as we learned from Watergate.

Also, the Judicial branch prefers not to get involved and would rather have the Executive Branch negotiate with Congress, so if Trump exerts executive privilege he might be able to negotiate the terms of what gets asked of Comey by the committee? Watch out whether Republicans may allow him to get away with this.