10-29-2016, 12:06 PM
I don't know what to think about Comey's letter to the House Oversight Committee at this point.
I see some former DOJ officials and legal eagles claiming that he violated policy and abused his power by announcing the investigation of new emails which could be pertinent to the Clinton server investigation. They're incensed that he made such a public announcement which could impact an imminent election, particularly when he claims not to know if the emails are pertinent in any way.
And, I've heard others claiming that Comey was between a rock and a hard place because he risked FBI leaks and it would have undermined the agency's credibility and added to the "rigged!" rhetoric if he was seemingly withholding information.
In any case, I think Clinton was smart to address it right away and ask for him to release details; 'put it out there', nothing to hide. This could end up working in her favor if she continues to address it directly and ask for transparency. I hope she refrains from framing it as a "right wing conspiracy", though I see a lot of people doing so and accusing Comey (a Republican) of trying to sway the election.
And, I think Trump is again overplaying his hand by claiming this is "bigger than Watergate" and claiming that the FBI and DOJ are finally going after Clinton and all that jazz when he has no idea if the emails on that device are just dupes of emails Abedin already handed over to the FBI or otherwise completely inconsequential. Those kind of baseless claims work to fire up his base, but probably turn off Independents.
So, Comey has gone from being viewed as a traitor by Trump and some Republicans (for not indicting Clinton) to being applause-worthy, in a matter of hours. And, he's gone from being hailed as fair and bi-partisan in his duties by some high-profile Democrats to being in cahoots with the Republican party.
I wonder if Comey will comply with requests from both sides to provide more details stat.
I see some former DOJ officials and legal eagles claiming that he violated policy and abused his power by announcing the investigation of new emails which could be pertinent to the Clinton server investigation. They're incensed that he made such a public announcement which could impact an imminent election, particularly when he claims not to know if the emails are pertinent in any way.
And, I've heard others claiming that Comey was between a rock and a hard place because he risked FBI leaks and it would have undermined the agency's credibility and added to the "rigged!" rhetoric if he was seemingly withholding information.
In any case, I think Clinton was smart to address it right away and ask for him to release details; 'put it out there', nothing to hide. This could end up working in her favor if she continues to address it directly and ask for transparency. I hope she refrains from framing it as a "right wing conspiracy", though I see a lot of people doing so and accusing Comey (a Republican) of trying to sway the election.
And, I think Trump is again overplaying his hand by claiming this is "bigger than Watergate" and claiming that the FBI and DOJ are finally going after Clinton and all that jazz when he has no idea if the emails on that device are just dupes of emails Abedin already handed over to the FBI or otherwise completely inconsequential. Those kind of baseless claims work to fire up his base, but probably turn off Independents.
So, Comey has gone from being viewed as a traitor by Trump and some Republicans (for not indicting Clinton) to being applause-worthy, in a matter of hours. And, he's gone from being hailed as fair and bi-partisan in his duties by some high-profile Democrats to being in cahoots with the Republican party.
I wonder if Comey will comply with requests from both sides to provide more details stat.