Below is my column in the Hill Newspaper on the curious coverage surrounding James Comey and his leaking of his memos on meetings with President Donald Trump. With the confirmation hearings of Comey’s replacement, Chris Wray, today, the status of the memos may come up in the Senate.
Here is the column:
In one of my favorite Westerns, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” Jimmy Stewart reveals to a reporter that he was not the man who killed villain Liberty Valance — a legend that transformed him from a perceived coward to an inspiration hero and resulted in his being elected U.S. senator and ambassador to Great Britain. The seasoned reporter listens to the whole story, but in the end says that he will not print it.
He states the rule simply as “[w]hen the legend becomes fact…print the legend.” In many ways, James Comey is the Jimmy Stewart of the media production of “The Man Who Shot Lying Trump.” From the outset, reporters and Democrats (who had been calling for Comey’s firing or questioning his judgment) declared him to be the man who fearlessly stood up to a president demanding loyalty pledges and discarding legal and ethical standards.
The problem with that narrative is not the criticism of the actions of President Trump, but the consistent efforts to ignore the equally troubling actions of former FBI Director Comey. Yet, if Trump was to be the irredeemable villain, Comey had to be the immaculate hero. The script glitch centered on three allegations — all of which were actively denied by legal experts. First, Comey leaked memos of his meetings with Trump. Second, those memos constituted government material. Third, the memos were likely classified on some level.
Yes, the memos were leaked.
As I previously wrote, various legal experts went on the air on CNN and other cable news programs to dismiss the allegation (that a few of us printed) that Comey “leaked” his now famous memos detailing meetings with the president. Experts declared that leaks by definition only involve classified information — a facially ridiculous position that was widely stated with complete authority. Whether someone is prosecuted for a leak is a different question but a leak is the release of nonpublic information, not just classified information. University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Claire Finkelstein, CNN Legal Analyst Michael Zeldin, Fordham Law Professor Jed Shugerman, and others dismissed the notion that such memos could be deemed “leaks.”
Comey was a leaker, and he leaked for the oldest of motivations in Washington: to protect himself and hurt his opponents. Comey knew he would be called before the Congress and that these memos would be demanded by both his own former investigators as well as congressional investigators. That could have happened in a matter of days but Comey decided to use a friend to leak the content of the memos to the media (after giving the memos to his friend). In doing so, Comey took control of the media narrative and was lionized by the media.
Recently, the Senate Homeland Security Committee released a majority report that correctly referenced the Comey “leaks.” The report detailed a massive increase in leaks against the Trump administration but highlighted the leak by Comey. What makes that reference most troubling is that Comey was the person with the responsibility to find the leakers in the Trump administration. Yet, after the president expressly asked him to find leakers, Comey became a leaker himself. Moreover, as FBI director, Comey showed no particular sympathy to leakers and his department advanced the most extreme definitions of what constituted FBI information.
Yes, the memos were government property.
When some of us noted that these memos clearly fell within the definition of FBI information and thus they were ostensibly government (not private) property, there was again a chorus of experts dismissing such allegations against Comey. Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent assured CNN that these constitute merely “personal recollections” and would not fall into the definition of government material. Others joined in on the theme that these were like a “personal diary” and thus entirely his private property. Obviously, removing FBI material would not be a reaffirming moment for the Beltway’s lone, lanky hero. But that is what he did.
All FBI agents sign a statement affirming that “all information acquired by me in connection with my official duties with the FBI and all official material to which I have access remain the property of the United States of America” and that an agent “will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI.”
These were memos prepared on an FBI computer about a meeting on an FBI investigation with the president of the United States in the Oval Office and other locations. The contents were important enough that Comey immediately shared them with his highest management team and consulted on how to deal with the information.
The FBI has now reportedly confirmed that the memos were indeed government property. The Hill, quoting “officials familiar with the documents,” has reported that the FBI has told the Congress that these memos are indeed government documents.
Yes, the memos were classified.
If Comey did leak government property, a third issue was whether the information was considered classified. Once again, the classified status does not determine if this was a leak (it was) or if it was government information (it was). However, many experts insisted that the material was clearly unclassified.
Comey’s representation of the unclassified status struck me as highly questionable at the time. I noted that the information would have likely been classified on some level, including “confidential” under governing standards. Moreover, FBI employees are not given free license (or sole authority) to write things in an “unclassified fashion.” That is why there are classification reviews. Information coming out of meetings with the president are routinely classified, let alone information deemed material to pending investigations.
As I noted earlier, the standards that Comey enforced as director belied his own account. The FBI restricts material generated in relation to investigations as “FBI information.” FBI rules cover any “documents reflecting advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated.” Under the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI routinely claims this type of information as either classified or privileged or both.
Comey however repeatedly assured the Senate that there was nothing classified or privileged in the memos. In an exchange with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Comey said, “Well, I remember thinking, this is a very disturbing development, really important to our work. I need to document it and preserve it in a way — and — and this committee gets this, but sometimes when things are classified, it tangles them up. It’s hard…” Then Warner interrupted to say, “Amen.”
However, the issue was not the writing of the memos but their removal from the FBI and their leaking to the media. There is a reason why “sometimes when things are classified, it tangles them up.” It is called classification review. That does not give you license to transfer the information into a separate document and declare it a “Dear Diary” entry. That is a loose interpretation that Comey as FBI director never afforded to his subordinates and it would effectively gut the rules governing privileged and classified information.
Not surprisingly, The Hill reported that indeed the memos have been declared classified by the FBI. The newspaper maintains that four of the memos had markings indicating they contained classified material at the “secret” or “confidential” level. It is not clear whether the memos leaked to Comey’s friend and then the media included these memos or contained classified or privileged information. However, the finding shows that Comey was wrong in claiming that he wrote the memos to avoid any classified information and the removal of the classified memos constitutes a violation of federal rules and FBI protocols.
None of this takes away from the seriousness of Comey’s allegation or the need to investigate possible obstruction of justice. However, it does raise serious questions about own Comey’s judgment and the legality of his actions. Yet, the coverage on these findings has largely been crickets.
It is much like that final scene in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”? After Jimmy Stewart unburdened himself that he was a fraudulent hero, he boarded the train back to Washington and thanked the conductor for his kindness. The conductor simply responded, “Nothing’s too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance!”
It seems that in both Westerns and politics, you print the legend.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He was cited in the Senate Homeland Security Committee report on media leaks during the Trump administration.
The views expressed by contributors are their own ad are not the views of The Hill.
What a difference it means to have power on your side:
http://www.law.com/sites/almstaff/2017/07/11/prosecutors-in-reality-winner-case-push-for-news-reports-to-be-classified/?cmp=share_twitter&slreturn=20170612091043
Jill, at least the Intercept’s parent company with deep pockets is kicking in for her defense…
https://theintercept.com/2017/07/11/first-look-to-support-defense-of-reality-winner-in-espionage-act-prosecution/
Good summary JT. The movie reference was spot on with the exception that Comey won’t come clean. I expect the dog and pony show will result in a trade of sorts. Nothing happens to Comey and Mueller clears Trump of trying to obstruct an investigation.
BTW, didn’t we have 3 threads yesterday devoted to the Trump Jr. topic? No need to hijack this thread.
No, “we” didn’t.
This is a clever and effective piece. Using analogies is a great way to hit a point. I trust Mespo’s take that Comey was a stand up guy earlier in his career. Ambition be a mofo! Particularly in DC which is not a meritocracy, but a you suck my dick, I kiss your ass, swamp.
As Martin Luther King Jr said and showed, there is a higher law and sometimes you have to break a law in order to fulfill the higher law.
You must be willing though to suffer the consequences.
Snowden ran–will Comey willingly stand and take the results of his actions?
For me, this will show his true character. Were his actions done to sacrifice himself for the good of the country or for his own ulterior motives?
Time may change my initial impression but at the moment I am inclined to believe he was determined not to let a President obstruct justice. (Constitutionally speaking not criminal statute). When asked about the leak I believe he readily admitted it and said he did it to trigger a Special Counsel investigation.
He was not going to let Trump escape.
.
Just WHO was involved in killing Martin Luther King? How did James Earl Ray escape from prison and be funded and then go to Memphis? Was J. Edgar Hoover still alive then?
Was John edgar still alive? Are you kidding? He was obsessed with FBI code name “Zorro”
Turley hit the nail on the head, somewhere in that way too long legal tome. Comey’s transgression was taking a bullet for the best interests of the country by exposing the pile of sh*t we have as a President. That’s the short version.
issac – Comey never fell on his sword in his life. He is a survivor in the swamp, trained to survive in the swamp. Except this time he over-stepped. His actions are criminal in nature. He should also be disbarred for his conduct.
Disbarred, sanctioned, whatever, he obviously knew that he was putting his a** on the line. Trump is the swamp, the head oligarch, the wolf that dupes elected to guard the henhouse. Comey exposed the lying sack-o-sh*# we are stuck with as President. There has never before been this level of incompetence in the White House, well, the three stooges but it took them eight years to create this much chaos. The strategy of creating and/or exaggerating chaos and then coming forth as ‘the only one’ is, what if you can’t clean up your mess? Nothing has come out of the White House other than incompetence and arrogance. Six months into the term and the President, his son, and almost everyone kissing a** has a defense attorney.
Paul and Isaac,..
Comey had been skating on thin ice since July 2016, when he appointed himself de facto head of the DOJ.
For different reasons, he subsequently managed to be almost universally despised by both Democrats and Rebublicans.
Getting fired was probably the best thing that could have happened to Comey, as far as his reputation.
He now has far more supporters than he’s had in a year, and he can ( up to a point) once again promote the image that he is the noble, moral savior.
A topic worth discussion on the blog is the history of the FBI and the people who worked there and ran it. There is little reference in the media these days to the crimes of J. Edgar Hoover. He was “in the closet too”. I am not leaking anything here. Go on line to Google and look up his name. What was the Cointel Program? What was the MkUltra Program? The later was a CIA program but the FBI learned some things. Was the FBI or CIA or both involved in the Kennedy assasination– both John and Bobby? Were they involved in the MLK assassination? If so, who was prosecuted? Why did some guy kill Oswald? Who gave or sold guns cheaply to the Klan back in the 60s, 70s?
I’ll wager it’s pretty atypical for federal bureau chiefs to be something other than scheming institutional politicians. Someone with a reputation for being a rock of integrity may be that, but the smart money says that he just has deals with reporters and / or a good press agent. Putatively, there are Hollywood figures who provide dirt on other celebrities to the supermarket tabloids in return for being left alone. How much you want to wager that Mueller and Comey have behaved like this for some time?
We need to have a discussion of the employment of the words: “leak”, “leaker”, “leakers”, “leaking”.
There was a book written in years past which we used to pass around in Junior High School. It was not part of the school library collection. The title was: To Take A Leak. I cannot recall the author. It was about two related topics: when, where, and when appropriate to unload some urine. The topic was directed (no pun intended) to male leaking. Accepted places were indeed designated places like toilets, urinals, outhouses, and behind bushes if you were in the country and not in a place like a city park.
The word “leak” got amorphized in my teen years when they started talking in the media about revelations about John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe and their sex acts together. People who worked in the White House “leaked” the gossip to members of the press or news writers. It was not a topic which upscale snotty newspapers wished to reveal. They did not want to be the public leakers.
The inside people at the White House were indeed the “leakers”.
Nowdays we have all this nonsense about WikiLeaks and Snowden being a “leaker”.
It is not clear for instance that Snowden is really a male and can “leak” like a male– say standing up. What if Anderson Cooper takes a leak? Just because he is urinating behind a bush does not mean that he is telling the world about George Bush and his conduct. And can Anderson Cooper take a leak standing up or is he in fact a female in men’s clothing. More needs to be revealed but few of us want to see anything about it.
I, for one, will not leak in public. I will go behind a bush if absolutely necessary. Therefore, I am competent to run for office or work for a public official.
Nuff said.
Don’t know what happened to Jim. Here is Richmond he was a standup, by the book kinda guy. Guess he got Washingonized. The Place is a cesspool.
The place is the modern Bedlam.
More like the Court of the Medicis.
Mespo, FWIW I love your dry wit – always makes me smile
De nada and it’s worth a lot.
way OT but I thought this was hilarious. NYT needs to keep those copy editors!
Well I never saw it in TNYT.
you were probably busy reading all the Russia Russia Russia fake newz. It was on Twitter and now they have fixed it.
Your Trump boys are in deep.
Ken – not a Trumpster. Actually worse: an Independent. That’s who you die hard Dems should be worrying about instead of partisan Republicans. Fix your party otherwise it’s going to become extinct.
An independent Trump bot. Lol
Ken – there are more registered Independents in AZ than either Republicans or Democrats. Both parties need our votes to win.
Paul, the truth is something the Dims can’t deal with – still stuck in A or B, Coke or Pepsi, Ford or Chevy. They cannot possibly imagine that Independents vote for the issues that concern them and the pol accordingly irregardless of party. Dumbasses continue to lose “bigly” and can’t figure out why!
So annoying, so transparently fake yet complains about MSM, a true thuglican.
Excellent summation on the MSM by Charles Hugh Smith:
Here’s a taste of the Random Content-Free News Generator Application that would produce “news” that was virtually indistinguishable from the “real” news.
Traffic is backed up near the (insert the usual congestion point) on the I-XX (local Interstate/highway). (TV/video: show randomly selected video clip of slow-moving traffic).
A serious accident occurred on I-XX (TV newscasters look somber if the wreck resulted in fatalities.)
Local Authorities held a news conference to Say What People Want to Hear about (insert hot-button topic): this concern is being addressed by authorities. We’ve got top people working on this–top people. (Newscasters look serious.)
A horrific terrorist attack occurred somewhere in the world–insert semi-randomly selected city, with preference given to Mideast and Central Asian war zones and Western capitals.
Bad weather of some kind is threatening us, or could threaten us shortly. (Insert video clip of flooding, heavy rain, or scorching heat in desert climes, etc.)
Sports celebrity XYZ apologizes for (choose one or more: spousal abuse, gambling, serial infidelity, public drunkenness, loutish treatment of adoring fans, etc.) while his wife/family/attorney hover in the background.
Coach XYZ explains why the team lost: the other team made some key plays, we lost focus, our guys/gals gave it their all, but we see some areas of improvement we’re going to work on, etc.
The latest food fad taking the hipster ‘hoods by storm is (combine traditional ingredient with an Asian or Indian flavor: kim-chee-flavored watermelon, etc.)
Somebody graduated (heart-warming story that gives newscasters a chance to smile): insert video of cute kindergartners collecting their diplomas, Grandmother in cap and gown, etc. (An over-credentialed society loves to see graduations, especially of kids, elders and underdogs–supporting the narrative that our meritocracy thrives on piling up credentials.)
Good news on the economy: insert manipulated official statistic on declining unemployment, higher median wages, rising home values, etc. Alternative report: insert story of an underdog taking ownership of a house for the first time, new food truck serving customers, etc.
You don’t see this every day: insert YouTube clip of person being struck by lightning but miraculously walking away, truck overturning on a highway, spilling huge steel girders, etc.
More evidence surfaces that Russia Did Something Bad to Us (insert random clip of Putin, Russian missiles, etc.)
Self-congratulatory advertorial: We’re doing a great job here, folks, of investigating what needs to be investigated and reporting what needs to be reported, etc. Count on us for “real news.” We’re “your” trustworthy news source, even though we’re all owned by six corporations or billionaires with political agendas:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-07-12/news-content-free
Autumn,
Nice summation! 🙂
Well said Autumn. I guess us independent lot like to think for ourselves and not be spoonfed the crap the party-revelers routinely swallow. Hey Paul, looks like there’s a slim change McCain’s Trump dossier project might come back to haunt him.
slohrss29 – I am hoping that everything comes back to haunt McCain.
Thanks Slohrss.
Yammer, yammer.
Turley lost me at “equally troubling.” He looks to be doing his best to distract from the Trump Jr emails he hasn’t commented on since the details were released.
He can’t do that, at least not objectively. It would be against the interests of his Republican clients.
Enigma:
What can you say about emails that are neither illegal nor unethical as leaking is? He can say they’re protected First Amendment communication if that makes you feel better.
I say start practicing your Russian, you’ll need it.
If this smoking gun meeting with the Russians,/b> was proof of collusion with the Trump campaign, wouldn’t the Russians have actually provided Jr. with the actual information? No doubt this political neophyte got played. Investigate that revelation, but get to all the people that put this sting together; as well as all that covered it up. Never forget that then President Obama knew and did nothing.
His Blog, his rules. He’s not required to fill in your narrative. I for one found it worth while reading.
Three Cheers and a Standing O for that post.
He needs to be charged with appropriate criminal charges.
Do you favor animal cruelty charges against Turley for beating a dead horse?
Another Godfather reference! 🙂 This night abounds with them. Although, technically, i don’t think they beat the horse, just killed it and cut off its head.
Sooo that makes it specifically not a Godfather reference since they didn’t beat the horse in the movie. I saw a Western once with lots of horses. Maybe you guys were referencing “Hang ‘Em High,” too. I like a good contradiction in terms.
How about those Trump boys for abusing animals.
Oliver Clozoff – although I see your point about the dead horse, no one seems interested in our No. 1 Leaker. So, the more the spotlight is turned on Comey, the better.
This is all well and good but Mr Comey will walk away using the defense he gave to Hillary or some other ridiculous reason. No one is held accountable for their actions in Washington especially the progressive Dums. Clinton, Comey, Lynch, Rice, Lerner all skate through the legal system untouched and to add insult to injury get pensions, medical and big numbers for speaking engagements.
In the meantime a legally elected President chosen by the electorate is attacked almost daily. Sadly things are way out of sync in our nation and just getting worse.
To be clear, Donald Trump WAS NOT chosen by the electorate. He was chosen by the Electoral College which is something else entirely. But keep telling yourself that lie if he makes you feel better. Just don’t try to push that BS on the rest of us.
To be clear, Silly Rabbit, you can’t change the rules after the game. How pathetically desperate!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
True dat but Tricks are definitely not just for kids.
Still brooding about your loss I see, very sad I can feel your hate and that ain’t BS!
Turley continues to be a good Republican stooge by regurgitating the same Comey story yet again. The three points he makes- that the memos were leaked, that they were classified and that they were government property- are the exact same points he’s made in every other of the dozen or so articles he’s churned out on Comey.
Meanwhile…he fails to update the ONE story he felt he was grudgingly obligated to do on Don Jr. with the actual emails themselves which quite clearly implicate the Trump campaign. Nor does he discuss in detail the fact that Don Jr. broke the law, namely 52 US CODE 30121.
Since Turley can’t be bothered to do it, 52 US CODE 30121 states:
It shall be unlawful for a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make—
(1)
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;
(B)a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C)an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or
(2)
a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.
Your legal analysis is probably really good for a 4th grader!
But, the person who said there was information was Rob Goldstone. However, Rob Goldstone did not possess the info or oppo research, or there would have been no need for a meeting with the Russian dame.
Therefore, Goldstone could not provide anything of value since he had possession of nothing of value. Eric Trump knew that, and therefore could not solicit Goldstone for it.
Meanwhile, the Russian broad, also had no information. Therefore, she could not provide anything of value since she also had possession of nothing of value. Therefore, she could not offer, and Eric Trump could not solicit what she did not have.
That is even assuming that oppo research could even qualify as a “contribution” or “donation.” Which I doubt. In the meantime, you can’t just merge Goldstone and the Russian chick into one meta-person.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/11/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-email-text.html
On Jun 3, 2016, at 10:36 AM, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Good morning
Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting.
The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.
This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump – helped along by Aras and Emin.
What do you think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak to Emin about it directly?
I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.
Best
Rob Goldstone
On Jun 3, 2016, at 10:53, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?
Best,
Don
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 12:40 PM
To: Donald Trump J
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Hi Don
Let me know when you are free to talk with Emin by phone about this Hillary info – you had mentioned early this week so wanted to try to schedule a time and day Best to you and family Rob Goldstone
On Jun 6, 2016, at 15:03, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob could we speak now?
d
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 3:37 PM
To: Donald Trump Jr.
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Let me track him down in Moscow
What number he could call?
On Jun 6, 2016, at 15:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
My cell [REDACTED] thanks
On Jun 6, 2016, at 3:43 PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Ok he’s on stage in Moscow but should be off within 20 Minutes so I am sure can call Rob
On Jun 6, 2016, at 16:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob thanks for the help.
On Jun 7, 2016, at 4:20 PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Don
Hope all is well
Emin asked that I schedule a meeting with you and The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow for this Thursday.
I believe you are aware of the meeting – and so wondered if 3pm or later on Thursday works for you?
I assume it would be at your office.
Best
Rob Goldstone
On Jun 7, 2016, at 5:16 PM, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
How about 3 at our offices? Thanks rob appreciate you helping set it up.
On Jun 7, 2016, at 5:19 PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Perfect won’t sit in on the meeting, but will bring them at 3pm and introduce you etc.
I will send the names of the two people meeting with you for security when I have them later today.
best
Rob
On Jun 7, 2016, at 18:14, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Great. It will likely be Paul Manafort (campaign boss) my brother in law and me, 725 Fifth Ave 25th floor.
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Wednesday June 08, 2016 10:34 AM
To: Donald Trump Jr.
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Good morning
Would it be possible to move tomorrow meeting to 4pm as the Russian attorney is in court until 3 i was just informed.
Best
Rob
On Jun 8, 2016, at 11:15, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Yes Rob I could do that unless they wanted to do 3 today instead… just let me know and ill lock it in either way.
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 11:18 AM
To: Donald Trump Jr.
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
They can’t do today as she hasn’t landed yet from Moscow 4pm is great tomorrow.
Best
Rob
From: Donald Trump Jr.
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 12:03 PM
To: Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort
Subject: FW: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Meeting got moved to 4 tomorrow at my offices.
Best,
Don
Comment posted by Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter on July 11, 2017
To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016. The first email on June 3, 2016 was from Rob, who was relating a request from Emin, a person I knew from the 2013 Ms. Universe Pageant near Moscow. Emin and his father have a very highly respected company in Moscow. The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research. I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didn’t work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official. And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue. As Rob Goldstone said just today in the press, the entire meeting was “the most inane nonsense l ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it.”
L Silver-
Stop confusing them with the facts. This is the internet, after all.
Plus, they’re Trumpsters so, you know, they can only digest a diet of low-information and Trump tweets.
Try are paid to refute the facts.
Where is the solicitation to a foreign person???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 12:40 PM
To: Donald Trump J
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Hi Don
Let me know when you are free to talk with Emin by phone about this Hillary info – you had mentioned early this week so wanted to try to schedule a time and day Best to you and family Rob Goldstone
Emin is Emin Agalarov, a Russian national and son of Aras Agalarov, dubbed the “Donald Trump of Russia.”
OK, sooo I will repeat this very slowly. Where. . . . is . . . . the . . . . solicitation??? You gave me the text of an email from Goldstone. Is Goldstone another name for Don, Jr.???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Sigh…
On Jun 6, 2016, at 15:03, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob could we (him-Don Jr. and Emil) speak now?
From: Rob Goldstone
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2016 3:37 PM
To: Donald Trump Jr.
Subject: Re: Russia – Clinton – private and confidential
Let me track him down in Moscow
What number he could call?
On Jun 6, 2016, at 15:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
My cell [REDACTED] thanks
On Jun 6, 2016, at 3:43 PM, Rob Goldstone wrote:
Ok he’s on stage in Moscow but should be off within 20 Minutes so I am sure can call
On Jun 6, 2016, at 16:38, Donald Trump Jr. wrote:
Rob thanks for the help.
Do I have to spoon-fed it to you, Squeek?
Yes. Spoon feed me. Show me where Don Jr. solicited the info, and who he solicited it from.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
He solicited the info from Emil over the phone and later from Natalia when they met.
Did Emil have the oppo research??? What is your proof? If Emil did not have the oppo research, then Don Jr. could not solicit it from him.
As I told Engima, you are engaging in fuzzy thinking. You are simply “presuming” there was solicitation, I guess by Don Jr. to the Russian girl. To “prove” that, you provide a bunch of emails between Don Jr. and everybody but the Russian girl. Which, I am not sure why you think that proves solicitation between Don Jr. and her.
Plus, the emails all took place BEFORE Don Jr. even met the Russian chick. Sooo, what does that prove??? A willingness to meet with her is all that shows. And, you haven’t provided any legal basis why a mere willingness to meet with somebody is illegal.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Also, setting up the meeting was an act of solicitation in itself.
And, your legal basis for making that claim is. . .
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
“Emin and his father have a very highly respected company in Moscow. The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research. I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didn’t work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting.”
Don Jr. set up the meeting because he thought they had oppo on Clinton. THAT’S solicitation. He was trying to obtain dirt on Clinton from a foreign national. It’s irrelevant whether or not she actually had anything. Don Jr. thought she did and was trying to get it from her. That’s all that’s needed for 52 US CODE 30121 to apply.
Setting up a meeting is not the same thing as solicitation. For example, you set up a meeting with a call girl, and when she shows up at your door, she has three teeth and her boobs are of obviously different sizes. Unbeknownst to you, she is an undercover cop!
Luckily, you decide to forego the experience. You never offer to pay her for sex. But you get criminally charged anyway. Do you think that your lawyer will just plead you guilty on the basis that you simply met the girl, even thought you never offered to pay her for sex???
I am betting not. I am betting that under those circumstances, you will quickly develop an appreciation for the difference between merely setting up a meeting, and solicitation.
Yes, it really is that simple.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky – you are right. For solicitation for prostitution, money has to change hands. I didn’t hear/see anything about money.
L Silver – it cannot be solicitation, all Democrats love illegal aliens.
Yeah, nice try Squeeky. Tell me, can YOU provide me with a definition of solicitation from the federal statute? It’s a rhetorical question because of course you can’t. You’re real good about making others jump through hoops, let others do the heavy lifting while you sit back and knock them down with your snarky BS. Hey, ‘girl reporter’ (yeah, that’s a joke, you’re neither) how about doing some f-ing research of your own.
Soliciting for Prostitution is defined under C.R.S. 18-7-202 as:
Asking someone to engage in prostitution
Arranging a meeting or offering to arrange a meeting for the purpose of prostitution
Directing another person to a place of prostitution
Great! Do you see such language in the Federal Statute you are citing??? Do you see the words “arranging a meeting” or “directing a person to” in the Federal Statutes??? No. You don’t see them.
If not, then you are simply left with “solicitation. Colorado put those terms in for prostitution in their state, because they wanted to punish those separate acts, outside of solicitation. If they had not built in that language, then those acts would not be against the law.
Thank you for proving my point!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
So you think that, during the meeting, the Trumpistas never asked the nice lady from Russia: “Can you help us go after Hillary?” (or something similar). Nah, of course not, they were only interested in talking about Russian adoptions. That topic was much higher on the list of Important Things for Donnie Jr., Kushner and Manafort than them asking people to help them dish dirt on Hillary.
In fact, I’ll bet that all of Flynn’s conversations with Russians and all of Sessions’ conversations with Russians were about Russian adoptions, too!
Let’s face it. Donnie Jr. ain’t the smartest person around. Otherwise he wouldn’t have issue so many inconsistent public statements over the past few days. He just handed prosecutors a significant gift.
They comparing Donnie Jr. to Fredo which got me thinking that they’re all like the Corleones. Kushner, of course, is Michael. Ivanka’s Connie. Eric is Sonny. Melania is definitely Kate. She’s like wtf did I get myself into here?! Bannon…Bannon’s Tom Hagen, hahaha! And last and definitely least, the Donald is Don Vito in that he’s overweight and stumbling around with an orange in his mouth, mumbling all the time.
Oppo research is a Campaign contribution like a clam is a turtle. They both have shells, right? Bottom line: oppo research is a protected First Amendment activity while accepting something of value from a foreign entity like HRC did through her foundation isn’t.
https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/885104489337937921
Quite the nuanced dissertation from Ideologue Larry.
As opposed to your own worthy analogy above, give up the Zeus avatar – you are starting to believe your hype.
Ynot – evidently American English confuses you. mespo did not use an analogy. Guess again.
Paul:
He ain’t great on avatars either. Zeus? Try farther north, lots more human and liked a good toga party. Toga!
It is our government. So we are authorized to know what is going on.
Realliy? And having given that right up to the goverenment regardless of 9th and 10th Amendment hwo do you propose to enforce such a preposterous statement? 119 years of reconditioning by the progressives have made such foolishness …… etc. etc. etc.
Is it your government? 45% of the vote says no it is the government of a foreign ideology. The national popularity poll says different. so does the majority of the propaganda system incuding the edcuation portion.
When all this was done and the counter revolution against that foreign ideology completed it may be once again ‘our government’ but that’s a long long project. A probability at present but only because of those November results and the military who for the most part upheld their oath of office.
Without them it may well have turned out tanks in the streets but they inow the horrors of war and called for ballots not bullets. . But…they kept their powder dry.
You aren’t authorized and you have no rights without fulfilling the accompanying responsibilites of citizenship and without that you deserve nothing.
You shouldn’t drink and post.
You shouldn’t be so angry, you lost the election get over it, the Russians aren’t coming.
MA blathers again.
Hey Professor, I thought you tend to view these things through the prism of a criminal defense attorney! Or is that approach just for the Trump Entourage?
Except now there is a strong Alt-Right info machine, sooo Comey is going to have a hard time getting past the basic facts, well know to everyone.
1. As the Head of the FBI, he leaked information to the media.
2. When told by Loretta Lynch to downplay the “Hillary Criminal Investigation”, he folded like a cheap rug.
3. He made some sort of weird leap into the Dept. of Justice, as an ersatz Attorney General, to make the legal determination as to whether Hillary should be charged.
No, Comey isn’t going down in History as any kind of Hero.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter