Comey’s testimony before the House: looking-glass world
First of all: forgive me, but I haven’t watched it. My excuse (besides the usual “busy doing other things earlier today”) is that at this point it’s hard to stomach much more of this.
I never expected Hillary to be indicted, ever. But the combination of so many offenses and so little accountability is sobering, as I watch the prospect I’ve been dreading for four years (of the Hillary presidency I predicted in December of 2012) drawing closer and closer.
That’s the only prospect that could ever get me to consider voting for a person like Donald Trump, and to also feel a sort of weirdly paradoxical fear at the thought that—as much as I detest him—he will lose and she will win.
Anyway, that’s the background. The foreground is the Comey testimony today. One point that appears to have emerged from the hearing is why Comey kept talking about “intent” when intent is not part of the statute: it seems he thinks it should be part of the statute. Whether or not he thinks that, and whether or not he is correct in thinking that, seems to me to be irrelevant. Are we now at the point where every legal official is a mini-legislature, or a mini-SCOTUS, either rewriting a statute or saying it’s legally invalid for some reason or other? Andrew McCarthy discusses why Comey’s contention is absurd, but it doesn’t take a lawyer and a great legal mind to understand the danger here.
What’s more as, this video shows, intent could easily be inferred from Clinton’s actions. In fact, it’s far more difficult to imagine there was no intent than to imagine there was. And intent could probably have been proven (not that it was required to do so; it explicitly was not required to do so under this statute):
Another revelation—more shocking than the others, at least to anyone who may have still believed in the intelligence and integrity of the FBI—is that when Hillary Clinton was finally interviewed, she was neither put under oath nor recorded nor does a transcript exist of her testimony.
Let that sink in for a moment: there is no record of it. Moreover:
Mr. Comey said it’s still a crime if she lied to his agents ”” though he said he doesn’t believe that happened.
Republicans have called for the FBI’s interview with Mrs. Clinton to be released so her public defense of her secret email system can be stacked up with what she told agents. But Mr. Comey said no transcript exists…
He indicated they did see evidence that foreign governments tried to gain access to Mrs. Clinton’s server, though it’s impossible to know whether they succeeded. He said they didn’t find definitive evidence one way or the other.
Mr. Comey also said Mrs. Clinton agreed to make herself available for the interview on Saturday, which lasted three and a half hours, and involved about a half-dozen agents. Mr. Comey said he was not there.
What else is there to say after that, expect “what difference at this point does it make?” As I wrote over a year ago:
One thing of which I’m fairly sure, though, is that most of Hillary’s supporters would support her no matter what and are not at all interested in this story whatever it may end up revealing. What’s more, if somehow Clinton is not nominated next year by the Democratic Party (although I continue to think she will be), they will vote for whoever is nominated.
So my answer to the question “what difference does it make?” is “None.” Actually, I’ll revise that to say that perhaps the only difference it makes is that it serves to further a deepen the cynicism among the American public about politicians and the way they function. Increasingly, they are all seen by growing numbers of voters as corrupt liars, and the only choice is the choice of which liar is more likely to help that voter’s particular interest group and give it more benefits.
I’m sorry to feel the degree of cynicism I now feel, and have felt for a long time. Each incident grows that cynicism a bit more, but it already had reached a fairly high level even before yesterday and today.
I also try to retain hope. There are black swans, and some are to the good.
And on a related note, Donald Trump could not control his base urges in a meeting with Senate Republicans.
God help us all
KRB
The bit about the attitude of her supporters is true. I’ve got a friend who’s excited for the opportunity to vote for the first woman president. I don’t know what it would take to change her mind, but I strongly doubt that this will be enough.
“..when Hillary Clinton was finally interviewed, she was neither put under oath nor recorded nor does a transcript exist of her testimony.”
That says it all, doesn’t it? It was all just theater.
The Clintons must have some serious dirt on Obama, Lynch, and Comey.
“it seems (Comey) thinks (intent) should be part of the statute. Whether or not he thinks that, and whether or not he is correct in thinking that, seems to me to be irrelevant” – Neo
Darn it! I posted in the other comments section before reading this article. Anyway…
If I understand it correctly, “intent” relates to “mens rea” (“guilty mind”) and is a concept very relevant in criminal law. Here is an interesting article on it, and the standards for comparison…
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2015/09/the-pressing-need-for-mens-rea-reform
” I’ve got a friend who’s excited for the opportunity to vote for the first woman president” – junior
Yep. I wish people wouldn’t make such important decisions based on something as trivial as wanting to be “part of history”.
Voting is a key philosophical expression. Yet, it seems too many make their decision as casually as the choice between which tv show to watch for the next 30 minutes.
Chaffetz asks Comey: Did HRC give access to non-cleared people to classified information? (i.e. her attorneys) Comey:
“Yes.”
Nothing to see here…….
Comey just said, that if Hillary were still working in government, she would be disciplined like others have been….so in other words…she doesn’t belong in Government..
According to a Wash Times Breaking News email I just got, Comey said Hillary wasn’t sophisticated enough to understand the C markings (for classified) on her emails. Did this idiot even sit down with security experts before she started work? Her lack of “sophistication” seems pretty disqualifying for a president.
I would need to check this but I think it is standard practice that FBI interviews are not under oath nor are they transcribed. That’s my recollection from the Martha Stewart case.
That’s why the House is looking into a perjury charge for her Bengazhi testimony.
Hillary’s lawyers destroyed the evidence of her bribery scheme.
@expat –
You know who was, and is, sophisticated enough? The guy who set up her freaking server(s). The guy who took the 5th a whollllllle bunch of times.
“…That’s the only prospect that could ever get me to consider voting for a person like Donald Trump…”
Welcome to my side of the swamp.
“Hillary wasn’t sophisticated enough to understand the C markings (for classified) on her emails.”
Not just Hillary, but her entire team.
Recall that Hillary was being sent the classified information/attachments by aides who were somehow transferring them from the secured network (i.e. getting them across the air gap). Even if Hillary, the smartest woman politician ever ™, were that “unsophisticated”, she could not have done this without constant assistance (and law-breaking) by others. And yet we’re to believe that Hillary’s lack of intent, lack of sophistication exhonerates them all.
Sucks, don’t it?
I’m still holding on to the (faint) hope that, for reasons not yet known, Comey was required to clear Hillary — but chose to do so while making the case against her as crystal-clear as possible.
We were once asked “would you buy a used car from this man?”… we are now being shown that Hillary cannot be trusted with ANY secrets, no matter how precious, if she deems it inconvenient for her.
And yes, I’m waiting impatiently for Trump to make serious use of this. The campaign ads and slogans practically write themselves.
Lizzy –
Speaking of the aides with the data…
IIRC, one of the e-mails from Sid Blumenthal basically caused an “How the HELL did he get his hands on THAT document!?” moment from the NSA due to the excerpts found in the e-mail. Apparently the e-mail contained part of a classified NSA document, and the NSA had no idea how Blumenthal had gotten his hands on the text found in the e-mail.
Comey has revealed himself to be paid and bought by the Left. He’s one of them and he’s been one of them all along. As surely as Lynch, Jeh Johnson, Ash Carter and the head of the IRS. Obama isn’t going to nominate or appoint anyone to a high position whose loyalty isn’t beyond question.
It’s all smoke and mirrors. And I don’t think for a minute that Comey is being coerced into any of it. His motivation is simple, he’s a piece of garbage in a $1000.00 suit.
Steve57:
Oh, I’ve been mucking about in that area of the swamp for quite some time.
Sometimes it feels like there’s quicksand there.
Geoffrey Britain:
I agree with the idea that if Obama appointed him it means he was close enough to their side already to be acceptable to them.
Cornhead:
See this.
@Lizzy @ July 7th, 2016 at 3:36 pm. And really everyone else.
“https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-original-classification-authority
….Pursuant to the provisions of section 1.3 of the Executive Order issued today, entitled “Classified National Security Information” (Executive Order), I hereby designate the following officials to classify information originally as “Top Secret” or “Secret”:
TOP SECRET
Executive Office of the President:
The Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor)
The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
The Director of National Drug Control Policy
The Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Chair or Co-Chairs, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board
Departments and Agencies:
The Secretary of State”
She has no excuses.
I am sure she will say she had subordinates to do it. But she was designated by job title.
I don’t think anything will stop her.
It’s my sense that the American public no longer has any idea why document classification is necessary or even desirable. When I had a TS clearance in the Army, it was pretty clear that America had enemies who would harm us if they could. But these days, we’re all one big happy “Coexist” family aren’t we?
You are a good egg, neo.
Neo,
As IowaHawk quipped earlier today, ““Possibly the first FBI investigation in history where the FBI director had to testify under oath and the target didn’t.”
Going forward.
All that the left (i.e. democrats) and their low information subjects will remember is that Hillary was ‘cleared.’ The media will echo that incessantly and within a month, if anyone in the craven ass licking media dares to ask a real question, they will be told that this is old news and she’s been cleared and only rabid foaming at the mouth conservatives are still obsessed with this. Time to get over it and move on to how much of a racist Trump really is. This has always been their standard operating procedure.
The never ending news cycles coupled with the public’s short attention span will make this fade quickly. Those who may still be upset at the blatant corruption, cowardice, and gangsterism which is now pervasive in our federal government will be branded as old reactionary fuddy-duddies and fools.
The media will run interference for Clinton, who will conduct a campaign that discusses no policies or positions, but focuses purely on fear and hatred. Focusing only on branding Trump a racist idiot and heartless millionaire.
Meanwhile, Obama’s real ally, Iran plans our asymmetrical destruction.
But hey, at this point, “what difference does it make?”
Like him or not, Trump is not just a bad choice, he’s the only choice.
Ryan’s response is to “request” HRC be denied access to classified info while a candidate.
The GOP Rules Committee is to decide whether convention rules can be changed to effectively nullify the results of all the primaries in an anti-Trump effort.
Gee whiz to both. Tweekies! Perhaps they’ll Tweet.
I want to get a small boat, name it Mayflower II, board it with a few people like Gowdy and Chaffetz, sail to some island and start over. Ireland, maybe.
It is way beyond revolting.
Here’s the failed link from above.
http://circanews.com/irans-next-target-could-be-our-electrical-grid/
Sorry about that.
snopercod,
When sheep deny that wolves exist, they choose their fate. When sheep blame the sheepdog for the wolf’s murderous aggression, they ensure the reaping of consequence.
“So much of left-wing thought is, a kind of playing with fire, by people who don’t even know, that fire is hot.” George Orwell
Tim P,
Only NINE electrical grid transformer substations stand between us and ‘lights out’. The average grocery store has 3 days of supplies. Transportation depends on fuel from refineries that operate on electricity from the grid. Our cities are death traps waiting to be sprung. Democrats are seeking to incrementally disarm the populace, while ‘coincidentally’ the feds ‘armor up’. But of course, there’s nothing to see here, so move along…
Donald is a 70 year old Democrat fossil from more than a generation ago. No wonder he was surprised when the digital and internet age backed Alt Right got him so much firepower.
Democrats are seeking to incrementally disarm the populace, while ‘coincidentally’ the feds ‘armor up’. But of course, there’s nothing to see here, so move along…
And when this happens, GB is going to ask every single Democrat if they are a Leftist or liberal? Because that’s the only way he can discern the “tools” from the “leaders”.
Geoffrey Britain Says:
July 7th, 2016 at 5:11 pm
snopercod,
When sheep deny that wolves exist, they choose their fate. When sheep blame the sheepdog for the wolf’s murderous aggression, they ensure the reaping of consequence.
“So much of left-wing thought is, a kind of playing with fire, by people who don’t even know, that fire is hot.” George Orwell
* * *
Kind of cries out for a re-reading of Kipling’s “Gods of the Copy-Book Headings” —
Geoffrey Britain Says:
July 7th, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Tim P,
Only NINE electrical grid transformer substations stand between us and ‘lights out’. The average grocery store has 3 days of supplies. Transportation depends on fuel from refineries that operate on electricity from the grid. Our cities are death traps waiting to be sprung. …
* * *
(adv.) Check out the LDS websites for “Provident Living” and “Food Storage” – I have my year’s supply in my basement.
Of course, the first thing the Government Grasshoppers will do is commandeer what the Ants have saved.
Despite the attempts over the last few decades to rewrite that story for children (brainwashing starts early, and who could object to rescuing that nice Grasshopper with the fiddle?) — farmers know that grasshoppers are a scourge, not a blessing.
The hearings were entertaining. So much theater. That is, if you relax and take it all in as a dog and pony show, which is what it was. All the posturing, pontificating, speechifying, and mugging for the camera. Hollywood couldn’t match it. Yes, it’s depressing when you consider the caliber of our representatives. Not much common sense to be seen.
Obama said that HRC is the most qualified person to run for President – ever. Yet, she was unable to master the intricacies of the handling of classified information. At least that is what the Director of the FBI testified. Is this not a theme upon which many campaign ads can be run.?
Yes, the forced naivete of the FBI is quite a sight. Never once did they ask why all this skullduggery with the e-mail system was necessary. Hillary has suggested some reasons – all of which have proven to be lies. The real reason was to be able to use her position as Secretary of State to negotiate deals that would enhance the Clinton Cash position and grow their foundation. That is plain to anyone who has taken the time to watch the way the Clintons have operated over the years. Apparently, the FBI has no institutional memory.
The next step is to request an FBI investigation into her lying to Congress under oath. The evidence is all there on video tape. Could be quickly investigated and referred to the DOJ. Can they prove she knew she was lying? Yep! She said she wanted a private e-mail system so she wouldn’t have to carry multiple devices – just her trusty Blackberry. Yet Comey testified (under oath) that she used multiple devices for e-mail while SOS. It’s a slam dunk case. They can refuse to refer her for prosecution for the irresponsible handling of classified material, but this lying under oath case cannot be so easily sidestepped.
Be of good cheer. Hillary is not as good a liar as Bill. Nor is she as likable. She is going to rue the day she smugly lied to the Benghazi committee.
Unfortunately, she may get elected President anyway. That is the awful truth. And why I will be voting for the GOP candidate even if it’s Trump..
Check out the LDS websites
What kind of websites are those.