Ex-FBI chief Comey tells U.S. senators Trump pressured him on Russia probe

Posted by DanielS on Thursday, 08 June 2017 04:36.

Reuters, “Ex-FBI chief Comey tells U.S. senators Trump pressured him on Russia probe”, 7 June 2017:

Former FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump asked him to drop an investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as part of a probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In written testimony released the day before he appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey said Trump told him at a meeting in the White House in February: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.”

The testimony puts more pressure on Trump, a Republican, whose presidency has been overshadowed by allegations that Moscow helped him win last year’s election.

Some legal experts said Comey’s testimony could strengthen any impeachment case built on obstruction of justice, but U.S. markets shrugged off the news from the testimony for lack of any major disclosures.

To build a criminal obstruction of justice case, federal law requires prosecutors to show that a person acted with “corrupt” intent. It does not matter whether the person succeeds in impeding an investigation.

While a sitting president is very unlikely to face criminal prosecution, obstruction of justice could form the basis for impeachment.

NPR, 7 June 2017: Full text of Comey’s opening statement.

Tags: Geopolitics, Global Elitism, Law, Military Matters, Russian Politics, The American right, U.S. Politics

Comments:

Posted by DanielS on Thu, 08 Jun 2017 19:13 | #

The way Comey is talking, things are really not looking good for Trump.

Posted by Comey testimony starts obstruction case on Sun, 11 Jun 2017 07:59 | #

The Hill, “Watergate prosecutor: Comey testimony started obstruction of justice case”, 10 June 2017:

Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said ousted FBI Director James Comey’s testimony Thursday marks the first part of an obstruction of justice case into President Trump.

“Comey came out and put in the first leg of the obstruction case, which is that meeting in the Oval Office,” Akerman told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell on Friday.

“That is one of four legs of the obstruction case that we have that include the two national security people who say that Trump called them and asked them to help stop that investigation, as well as the firing of Mr. Comey,” he continued.

Akerman was referring a meeting seen in Comey’s opening testimony where the president asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and White House adviser Jared Kushner to leave the Oval Office before asking the then-FBI director to let the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn go.

The president denied that claim Friday and said he would “100 percent” testify under oath to Robert Mueller, who is the special counsel heading the probe into Russia’s election meddling.