So Trump fired FBI director James Comey. OMG! REALLY!?? NO WAY!! That's TERRIBLE! I'm TERRIFIED (that last one is an actual quote). This news is only a big deal if, frankly, you're an idiot, and there are lots of those in the Washington political establishment and the US liberal media.
Some facts to remember:
1) Despite what your brain has been ceaselessly force-fed by the US media for 5 months, there is no evidence that Trump has any dubious or illegal links with Russia. And Russia did not 'hack the US elections'. Clinton lost because she's a crook and a majority of voting Americans knew it. If there was any rigging of the election last year, it was likely to give extra votes to Clinton to make it look like the country is 'divided'.
2) Comey was not fired because he was leading the investigation into Trump's ties with Russia and was getting close to revealing the evidence leading to impeachment proceedings. If that were true, Trump would likely have gotten wind of it and the very last thing you'd want to do when someone had real evidence against you is fire them and let them find out by reading the news. That would not stop them revealing their evidence (which is the case with Comey who has been asked to testify before the Senate as a private citizen) and would likely just make them even more inclined to screw you to the wall.
In fact, the decision to fire Comey only came after James Clapper testified under oath that he had seen no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. In other words, Trump probably fired Comey because there were no ties - obviously - and that gave him the opportunity to do what he wanted to do: fire Comey with a relatively clean conscience.
Last year when Comey twice halfheartedly revealed some tidbits about Clinton's criminality he proved himself to be a man who does not understand the folly of trying to sit between two stools. A recent poll suggests that Comey's announcements at that time had little or no effect on the outcome of the election (contrary to the paranoid ravings of Hillary Clinton). So while Comey really should have revealed everything the Bureau has on Clinton in order that she be rightfully prosecuted (the Obama-appointed Justice Deptartment was obviously not inclined to do their job on that score), he can be forgiven for not wanting to go down in history as the man who provoked a constitutional crisis by dumping one candidate out of the race at the 11th hour.
Then again, there is some truth to the claim that Comey was fired because he had recently asked for more resources to pursue the Russia-Trump links investigation, just not in the way it is being spun by the US media. Comey was fired because he was planning on pursuing a case against Trump based on unfounded allegations for which there is no evidence, and never will be. The only possible result of such a farce would be more ridiculous innuendo as we saw earlier this year with the dodgy 'Russian dossier' and another feckless attempt to elevate Trump's 'crimes' from wearing badly-applied foundation and not being presidential enough, to treason, or some other legally actionable accusation.
So rather than learn from his experience last year, Comey appears to have thought it a good idea to go for a repeat performance and appear to 'impartially' serve two masters. In the current political climate in the USA, that was never going to work. Either the anti-Trump camp/deep state would have condemned him for not going far enough when he halfheartedly dished the dirt, or Trump would have tired of the silly game and kicked him to the curb.
The fact that Trump chose to ditch Comey one day before the planned meeting with Lavrov at the White House was a pretty clear explication of the subtext here. Trump has business to do with Russia, honest-to-god business free from the ridiculous cold war ideological bias of the 'deep state' nutbags (as Lavrov recently noted). Comey's removal seems to be a message to those who think they can hobble Trump for the next four years with inane accusations about his links to Russia. The message being, think again, idiots!
As an essayist and print author, Joe has been writing incisive editorials for Sott.net for over 10 years. His articles have appeared on many news sites and he has been interviewed numerous times by Sputnik News and Press TV. His articles can also be found on his personal blog JoeQuinn.net.
Reader Comments
The anchor Peter Mansbridge (he has attended at least one Bilderberger meeting I am aware of) discusses the firing of James Comey with David Frum from the Atlantic, IMO it's a sick bag moment.
[Link]
Like you Meeche, I was getting literally ill watching these two liars distort and manipulate the truth. I had to turn it off.
Donald Trump may not have drained the swamp in the delusional fairy tale way that so many people thought he could - remember, overly simplistic campaign promises are just for votes, real life is much more complex
Reminded me of when Theresa May was getting asked why nurses were using food banks... her answer was essentially the same as above.
Here's the article posted on sott
Absolute Mayhem: British PM squirms trying to justify nurses on food stamps
Politicians the world over are known for their verbal gymnastics and rhetorical agility when facing down tough questions from reporters or members of the public. British PM Theresa May, however,...Heres part of the quote that came to mind..
"There are many complex reasons why people go to food banks....
Sott editor's own words on the above below
What could possibly be complex about it? Does the PM think people go there to socialize? Or to get tastier meals? The reality that she is refusing to acknowledge and take responsibility for is that people use food banks because they cannot afford to eat.
To get back on point with this article, I'll use the editor's own words but slightly tweaked
What could possibly be complex about draining the swamp ? Does the President think people elected him to play at politics and take his time whilst billions suffer the world over ? Or to strengthen the alliance with Saudi Arabia ? The reality that you are refusing to acknowledge is that the president might be part of the swamp .
Can't call out Theresa May and give Donald Trump a free pass. If he's taking his time or failing because reality is complex, then I guess Theresa May was right about nurses being on food stamps. The situation is complex and not the "delusional fairytale way" people would like to think about it.
:P
Comey will be forgotten by end of next week... just a no-where news cycle story to get people glued to their screens for a bit, huff and puff, then go back to their daily reality. His firing probably doesn't change much in the wider scheme of things, just another rich powerful individual who lost his job because he had differences with his new boss. Happens all the time. Are we meant to care because he was in a powerful position as compared to the multitude normies who get fired everyday with no payouts or compensation?
LonSabbatical That's not an equivalent comparison. Something comparable would be Trump's 'draining of the swamp' and May's handling of Brexit, both of which concern how to handle the sensitive elites, not the ordinary working people. May stumbled on food banks because they're a clear indicator of crisis among ordinary people. Trump is 'playing at politics' in order to effect regime change in Washington with minimal suffering for the ordinary people.Okay I'll maintain an open mind... wait and see what he does and what the effects will be.
It should read the next eight years, Trump will be re-elected for another term.