Comey Thursday

Weird Testimony:  Intelligence gurus Coats and Rogers went out of their way to say as little as possible during their Wednesday testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.  Director of National Intelligence Coats said he never felt pressured by Trump but refused to relay any part of their conversations in a public setting even though one of those conversations was described in detail in the Washington Post.  Senator McCain said it best when he called Coats’ refusal to talk about a published conversation Orwellian. NSA Director Rogers said that he was never asked to do anything immoral or unethical but also wouldn’t talk about conversations with Trump.  Their refusal to answer whether Trump ever asked them to intervene in any part of the Russia investigation was frustrating and left the distinct impression that Trump had asked them to intervene.  The testimony got heated when Maine Senator Angus King angrily demanded that Rogers respond to questions about any Trump conversations. When Rogers said he couldn’t because he felt it was inappropriate to talk in a public forum, King snapped back “what you FEEL isn’t relevant”… “answer the question.”  Rogers and Coats acknowledged that they didn’t have a legal basis for staying mum but stayed mum nevertheless.  King fumed but didn’t get answers.  Acting FBI Director McCabe and Deputy AG Rosenstein also stayed mostly mute.  The spooks and lawyers may decide to talk in the Senate cone of silence and with Special Counsel Mueller, but absent any leaks, their answers will remain secret for now.  However, James Clapper, Coats predecessor, is talking to anyone who will listen.  Yesterday he told Australia’s National Press Club that the Nixon “Watergate scandal pales in comparison” to the allegations that the “Trump campaign colluded with the Russians.”             

Lift the Cloud:  Former FBI Director Comey is ready to talk about his conversations with Trump.  Wednesday he released a transcript of his introductory remarks.  He won’t be saying much about the status of the Russia investigation but he is saying a lot about the substance and tone of his conversations with Trump.  Trump called or met with him nine times in four months compared to just two times with Obama. He was so uncomfortable with his conversations with Trump that he took copious “contemporaneous” notes, typing them in the car ride home from each meeting.  He had never taken notes after his two meetings with Obama. He also spoke with a close group of FBI colleagues including now Acting Director McCabe after each meeting.  Trump asked for his loyalty, and asked him if he wanted to keep his job “because lots of other people wanted it” even though he had previously asked him to stay on for the remainder of his ten year term.  Trump particularly wanted Comey to know he hadn’t hung out with hookers when he was in Moscow. He asked him to lay off of “nice guy” Flynn because he was already having a hard enough time and anyway he was just discussing the weather when he hung out with the Russians.   When asked, Comey did tell Trump that he wasn’t being personally investigated. Trump asked him to announce that publicly in order to “lift the cloud” over his presidency and wasn’t happy when Comey told him he wouldn’t, in part, because if he did, and at some point an investigation into Trump was opened, he would then have to make a public announcement.  Shortly after the last time he refused Trump’s demand to “lift the cloud,” he was fired.  The introductory transcript was just the appetizer, Comey will have much more to say today at 10 AM EDT.  Bars are opening early to accommodate eager viewers.   

No War Room:  Despite earlier plans, Trump will not be setting up an official war room to manage the Russia investigation.  Instead he is relying on a team of “rapid response” RNC surrogates who have already been provided with talking points to counterpunch against that “slick guy” Comey and his “false news” in interviews and over social media.  Their efforts are being bolstered by a series of anti-Comey ads. Trump is also relying on his sole outside counsel, Marc Kasowitz, who has already responded to Comey’s transcript with a statement that Trump feels completely and totally vindicated by the confirmation that Comey said that he is not under investigation despite the possible obstruction of justice and other concerning items included in the Comey transcript.  Yahoo’s Michael Issikoff reports that so far Trump, who probably needs a more robust defense team, has only been able to retain one outside law firm because other suitable firms won’t take his case due to his compulsive tweeting, his poor bill paying history and the potentially negative impact that having Trump as a client will have on recruiting.

Comey’s Replacement:  Yesterday morning, to the surprise of his White House staff and Congressional leaders, Trump tweeted out the winner of FBI Apprentice. He plans to appoint Christopher Wray, a former federal prosecutor and attorney at King & Spalding, a law firm that advises Trump’s family real estate empire.  Wray, a former Justice Department colleague of Comey, Mueller and NJ Governor Christie, successfully represented  Christie in his Bridgegate scandal. Yesterday afternoon Christie, who is a member of Trump’s “rapid response team,” implied he had a say in the appointment.  He also sounded like he is competing for the part of Trump’s next Attorney General in the event that Sessions gets the “you’re fired” call.  Earlier in the day, assistant press secretary Huckabee-Sanders refused to affirm Trump’s support for Sessions. 

Infrastructure Deflection:  Yesterday, in an effort to divert attention from Comeymania, Trump travelled to Ohio to rally his base.  He extolled Trumpcare, trash talked Obamacare, bragged about his bigly plan for infrastructure projects and called for more jobs for coal miners.  He also lauded his non-existent tax reform plan.  He ended by attacking Democrats for refusing to help with Trumpcare even though they’ve been excluded from all the closed-door drafting sessions.  With Comeymania grabbing attention, Senate Majority Leader McConnell quietly began the procedure to fast-track Trumpcare to get it to the floor of the Senate with “minimum transparency and a maximum of pressure.”  As crazy as it sounds, McConnell still hopes to get Trumpcare scored and voted on before the July 4^th holiday.  

Other News:  Its election day in the UK.  Theresa May is expected to win but with a smaller margin than had been anticipated before the recent terrorist events in London.  North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un continues to wag his nose at sanctions.  He launched multiple ground to ship cruise missiles yesterday the day after South Korea’s new leader said that he was halting the deployment of the US THAAD missile-defense system.  Instability prevails.