I trust you have all heard of the Saturday Night Massacre that took place on October 20, 1973, when Republican criminal. Richard Nixon fired Attorney General Elliot Richardson, and then fired Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, because they refused to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Nixon then ordered the infamous Robert Bork, Solicitor General, to fire Cox, and he did to squelch the investigation into a third rate burglary. On Friday, Donald Trump ordered the firing of FBI director, James Comey, to squelch the investigation into election theft and treason. Most Republicans seem to support this crime.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, on Wednesday defended President Trump’s firing of the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, resisting Democratic calls to challenge the president and support a broader inquiry of Russian interference in the election.
“Today we’ll no doubt hear calls for a new investigation,” Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor, “which can only serve to impede the current work being done.”
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, frontally questioned Mr. Trump’s stated rationale for dismissing Mr. Comey and renewed a call for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor.
Since the day Mr. Trump was elected, a prevailing theory was that congressional Republicans, especially in the Senate, would be a check and balance on his potential excesses and missteps.
Mr. McConnell has largely avoided that test…
From <NY Times>
Now I'll be the first to admit that Comey was very high on my shit list for the way he publicized the unfounded Clinton scandal and kept quiet about the dire threat that Trump's Russia contacts represent, and his treatment of Hillary is the so-called reason Comey was fired. Bullshit! Trump loved Comey until it became apparent that the FBI is actively investigating Trump.
I'll start video coverage with Rachel Maddow, because she sets it up so well.
Lawrence O'Donnell discussed the need for Republicans to put country before party.
I'm not the only one to be calling Bullshit. Chris Hayes interviewed Elizabeth Warren.
Very few Republicans are even making noise about this. I fear that the only way we can get a proper investigation is to take back the House and Senate in 2018.
Correction: I changed the Title to the correct day. My Bad.
RESIST!!
27 Responses to “The Tuesday Massacre”
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I have signed so many petitions since last night calling for an independent counsel (or something) that I have lost track, but here are a few late-comers.
http://action.chrismurphy.com/page/s/csm-comey?source=em170510-full
https://action.dccc.org/petition/investigate-russia
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/856/796/490/
http://action.dickdurbin.com/page/s/russia-yates
https://go.barbaraleeforcongress.org/page/s/russia_investigation
http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=13497
https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-demand-ex-fbi-director-comey-testify-immediately-about-trump-russia-ties
https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-appoint-a-special-prosecutor-on-russias-ties-to-the-trump-campaign
http://go.standwithraul.com/page/s/russia_investigation?source=em170510-c
https://petitions.signforgood.com/independentprosecutor/
https://secure.dscc.org/page/s/trump-investigation?source=PT-20170510-Rapid-OD
http://my.democrats.org/page/s/investigate-trump-s-ties-to-russia
https://act.myngp.com/Forms/1534884147514834944
http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1269/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=12898
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/special-prosecutor-comey/
The Project on Government Oversight is so shocked they are holding meetings to figure out what to recommend, and promise a plan by tomorrow. So no link yet.
And here's a link to find an event near you at 5:00 p.m. local today:
https://front.moveon.org/soundthealarm-events/#.WRNrXGM2zcs
I will watch Rachel through, but did she mention he met today with two of the Russians named in the Steele dossier, and the American press was not invited, but the Russian press was? Oh, wait. This is the meeting you refer to in th OT, with the citation from Reuters. Well, it's done.
OK, have heard Rachel, and am starting on Lawrence. Probably everyone here knows this by now, in fact it's virtually included in the New York Times quote, but Schumer and a united front of Democrats make a very serious demand that McConnell do whatever it takes to start a special prosecutor investigation. McConnell told him/them to get stuffed.
They are probably putting up Sarah Sanders (two names that are more honorably borne by two other people) because Sean Spicer ended up hiding in the shrubbery last night. LITERALLY hiding in the shrubbery.
If there is a war, (and I guess this is a war), I want you on my side, Joanne. It's going to be women who straighten this country out and you will be one of the best. Many thanks for all you do.
Thank you Arielle! (And YVW) Having read comments of yours for years both on Care2 and here, I can't imagine that we would be on different sides, so rest easy about that.
But not male cats?
Well …. can you make coffee?
I just made a pot!
I was pulling your leg – of course you would be welcome (but I'll still have a cup of the coffee LOL)
I didn't feel it. You must have pulled George instead.
A forgivable error, surely.
All signed!!!
Many thanks!
This is downright disgusting! DT would fire his own mother if it wasn't for his own gain.
Just when things gets started, he nixes Comey. I hope that this investigation can continue.
Repugs have no backbone to stand up at all to farfinnewgin.
Since I know you agree that FACTS are critical, it was the TUESDAY Afternoon Massacre … not Friday
Yeah, the axe fell on Tuesday. Some people are saying "Tuesday night," I think mostly to emphasize the Nixon comparison. WaPo has some information that Kim Don Yooge had made up his mind to fire Comey "by last weekend," which could imply Friday. I would go with the axe falling, but TC may know something we don't.
You are correct. Overtiredness can cause brain farts. I have changed the title and appended a Mea Culpa. Thanks.
Yes, "It's time to move on"…to Impeachment!!!!!
I just came back from the gym, where they have a bank of TV monitors covering much of the upper part of a wall, facing the treadmills. CNN was showing "White House Defends Comey Firing." That's news? No, news would be "White House admits it screwed up!" Defend, defend, defend,………………ad nauseum, is the W.H, tactic, period! Like the old tactic men were supposed to use if seen with "another woman,": Deny, deny, deny, Faux News had some shit similar to "Liberals Play the Race Card to Belittle GOP" Oh, yeah, right , like someone has to go out of his/her way to point out that the GOP has been a hotbed of bigotry for decades….upon decades? Not to mention misogyny! "Shhhh, don't say that out loud, someone might notice."
The Republicans would like to see this go away. I hope a full investigation is conducted as a result of this firing. I am no fan of Comey, either, after the stunt he pulled on Clinton, but he was actually investigating the Russian ties. That is the real reason he was fired.
Nobody is above the law, especially presidents and other officials who should be shining examples and leaders at upholding the law. It is clear to me that from the very beginning of his campaign and up to today, Drumpf does not feel the laws apply to him. Drumpf and his team have done considerable to block access to documents etc on his Russian associations and to stop investigations into the Russian debacle that is clearly a clear and present danger to the US national security.
Drumpfenfarten must be impeached w/o further delay. He must be held accountable for his lies and conduct. He must wear an orange jumpsuit for an extended period.
Resist and Persist!!!
"People need to recognize this is not a Human Resources issue, this is a constitutional crisis happening…"
Good to get all the details together, but also a little discomforting to see that "stupid" Drumpf may have all his bases covered quite adequately. Attorney General Jeff Sessions "sort of" recused himself from the Russia meddling investigation, but that didn't stop him from writing a memo advising to fire Comey. Coincidentally he did this only one or two days after Comey had asked the Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein, who fills in for Sessions on anything to do with the Russian investigations, for more manpower and money for these investigations. From what I understand, Rosenstein is now the only man who has the power to decide to appoint an independent prosecutor.
Yes, that same Rosenstein, whose confirmation as Deputy Attorney General was contentious, as he refused to commit to "appointing a special counsel to oversee investigations of alleged election meddling by Russia." And whose recommendation against Comey was used by the White House to fire Comey, although he was very unhappy about the axing was pinned on him and revealed he nearly quit over it, but then for some reason didn't.
Mitch McConnell has already defended Drumpf's firing of Comey and said an independent investigation into the Russian meddling would only hamper the current investigation. So it seems there is no way Congress will get an independent investigation going unless they get a large group of Republicans with them on this point, and it's all to clear they won't. Even if a majority demanded it, Rosenstein would still refuse to appoint someone truly independent, he's already a Drumpf acolyte. So the only thing for it seems to be a massive grassroots protest (?)
I have no doubt that Rosenstein was given the exact text of his recommendation by Trump or one of his surrogates.
I read that Mitch McConnell said there was no way in hell he would allow an independent investigation into the trump/Russia stuff. His mail is shut off and so is his phone…People have to get creative now. He and Lyin' Ryan complicit in this mess…they ALL need to go. And Pence, too.
Yesterday, trump let the Russian media into the meeting with the Russians but no American media.
It appears that Sean Spicer's head may be on the chopping block now. I guess it is somewhat comforting to know that people come and go quickly in this administration. Bad news is that Rudy Guiliani is supposedly being considered for FBI director.
Rachel Maddow had a FBI-connected person who said the FBI crews are furious…. wouldn't it be just terrible if someone wanted to take out the prez and all the FBI guys were busy somewhere else?
Good news dept. – the Senate rejected a plan to rollback our progress with climate change
And to be completely accurate, Nixon did NOT fire either AG Richardson or Ruckelshaus. He only fired Archibald Cox who was the special prosecutor appointed by AG Richardson investigating Nixon & Watergate.
Richardson and Ruckelshaus both resigned because they refused to fire Cox.
That's right. And next in line after them was Robert Bork, who agreed to do the hands-on firing. He whose name has become a synonym for "F***ed-up" – as in, "my computer is borked today."
Richardson and Ruckelshaus were given the choice to obey or resign, which amounts to bring fired. As JD said, it was Bork who fired Cox. Bork was rejected for a seat on SCOTUS.
Thanks all! Hugs!