Legitimate Investigation or Boodless Coup?

"I am being investigated for firing the FBI director by the man who told me to fire the FBI director?" -- President Trump, June 1.

In my May 17 op-ed, I detailed deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein's recommendations to the attorney general suggesting FBI Director James Comey be fired.

"Over the past year, however, the FBI's reputation and credibility have suffered substantial damage, and it has affected the entire Department of Justice.

"I cannot defend the Director's (Comey's) handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary (Hillary) Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken.

"The way the Director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong. As a result, the FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a Director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them.

"Having refused to admit his errors, the Director cannot be expected to implement the necessary corrective actions."

Now on June 14, the Trump-hating Washington Post writes, "Special counsel is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice, [unnamed leaking] officials say."

Now, let's look at the timeline.

On February 14, at a private White House meeting, the president said to Director Comey, "I hope you can see your way clear ... to letting Flynn go. ... He is a good guy."

From February 14 until June 8, Comey made no complaint that the president attempted to "pressure him for any inappropriate reason."

On May 3, Comey testified under oath that no superior had tried to shut down the FBI's Russian meddling investigation.

"Not in my experience. ... it would be a big deal to tell the FBI to stop doing something ... without an appropriate purpose. ... It’s not happened in my experience.”

On May 9, Rosenstein sent his letter to the attorney general suggesting Comey be replaced to "restore Public Confidence in the FBI."

On May 9, President Trump fired Comey, saying he acted at the suggestion of D.A.G. Rosenstein.

Then, on May 16, The New York Times wrote, "Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation."

The same day, deputy attorney general Rosenstein appoints former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to take over the investigation into Russian meddling.

On June 8, Comey swore before the Senate Intelligence Committee that the president said, "I hope you can see your way clear ... to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy." Then, for the first time, Comey said he felt the president WAS trying to pressure him. Comey, added however, that President Trump did NOT ask him to drop the FBI's broader investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

Comey also claimed the "President lied about why he fired me -- saying the FBI was in disarray and that it was poorly led." (Sour grapes? See Rosenstein's reason for firing Comey.)

Something very strange is going on here.

1. After his February 14 meeting with the president, Comey made no complaint of "inappropriate pressure." On May 3, before a Senate Committee, he told Sen. Mazie Hirono that "inappropriate pressure" has "not happened in his experience." Then on June 8, Comey, after being fired, flip-flops, claiming maybe he was pressured after all.

2. Next, on May 9, Rosenstein suggests Comey be replaced. President Trump then fires Comey. A week later, after Comey leaks his memo re the February 14 meeting --- which as paraphrased by the Times is contrary to Comey's May 3 sworn testimony -- Rosenstein abruptly appoints former FBI director Mueller special counsel to handle the "Russian Investigation."

3. Mueller and Comey are close friends, yet rather than recusing himself, Mueller expands the investigation to inquire if his buddy Comey was fired for "inappropriate reasons." Did Mueller's "expansion" create ethical problems? "No DOJ employee may participate in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship with any person ... substantially involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or prosecution, or who would be directly affected by the outcome."

4. Now CNN writes, "Three (of the 5 known) members of Mueller's team have donated (thousands of dollars) to Democrats." A fourth, Aaron Zebley, once represented former Hillary Clinton aide Justin Cooper, who helped manage her private email server.

So, are we watching the beginnings of a bloodless coup d'etat? Pro-Clinton lawyers investigating President Trump?

What if President Obama were still president? What if to investigate him, Rush Limbaugh's good buddy was named special counsel? What if he appointed three major GOP donors as his assistant prosecutors? What happened when a conservative recently tried to speak at Berkeley?


Posted: QCOline.com June 22, 2017
Copyright 2017, John Donald O'Shea