Harry Reid accused FBI Director James Comey of violating the Hatch Act

FFN_SMG_FLXX_CLINTON_GOTV_10302016_52218488

When Jennifer Lopez’s side-eye says it all.

Well, this was not how I expected the penultimate weekend before the election to go. I honestly expected more disclosures about Donald Trump, perhaps more sexual assault claims, or something about his taxes, or something about his dodgy foundation. But no. On Friday, FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to congressional committee chairs and ranking members, informing them that the FBI was “reviewing” some new information in Hillary Clinton’s email probe, the same probe that was closed down over the summer with no charges being brought against her. We found out that the FBI was investigating Anthony Weiner’s inappropriate contact with a minor, and while reviewing his computers, they came across emails belonging to Huma Abedin, HRC’s long-time aide and “second daughter.”

What followed was absolute chaos. Within 24 hours, Democratic leaders were attacking Director Comey, and Trump was declaring victory. What seemed like tightening polls now seems like a complete rejiggering of the electoral map. Reportedly, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and other DOJ officials warned Comey against sending the letter because every DOJ and FBI protocol requires not commenting on ongoing investigations. People within the FBI say that Comey felt he had to inform Congress officially, lest people within the FBI leak the information anyway.

Former AG Eric Holder wrote a Washington Post op-ed where he explained why Comey’s actions were wrong – go here to read. Senate gremlin Harry Reid also had something to say, and it was such a mic-drop moment, I have to post his open letter to Comey:

Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another. I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act, which bars FBI officials from using their official authority to influence an election. Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law. The double standard established by your actions is clear.

In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government – a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity. The public has a right to know this information. I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public. There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information.

By contrast, as soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to Secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible. Moreover, in tarring Secretary Clinton with thin innuendo, you overruled longstanding tradition and the explicit guidance of your own Department. You rushed to take this step eleven days before a presidential election, despite the fact that for all you know, the information you possess could be entirely duplicative of the information you already examined which exonerated Secretary Clinton.

As you know, a memo authored by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates on March 10, 2016, makes clear that all Justice Department employees, including you, are subject to the Hatch Act. The memo defines the political activity prohibited under the Hatch Act as “activity directed towards the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group.” The clear double-standard established by your actions strongly suggests that your highly selective approach to publicizing information, along with your timing, was intended for the success or failure of a partisan candidate or political group.

[From Harry Reid’s site]

Reid ends his letter by reminding Comey that it was Senate Republicans who initially blocked his nomination as Director of the FBI while Reid and Democrats pushed it through. Reid says he did that because he believed Comey was “a principled public servant. With the deepest regret, I now see that I was wrong.” Oooh, I hope Comey gets some ice for the burn.

While I see how Comey felt he was between a rock and a hard place, it really does seem like… he was substituting his own agenda when he should have been following policy and protocols? Also, does the FBI have information about Trump’s ties to Russia which they haven’t shared? Where’s Comey’s letter to Congressional leaders about that?

Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet.

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222 Responses to “Harry Reid accused FBI Director James Comey of violating the Hatch Act”

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  1. Izzy says:

    Comey’s entire career needs to drop-kicked off the side of a cliff. Or into federal prison.

    • DeniseMich says:

      He has to resign. The question is will it be now or will it be after the election.

      At best he did a Nixon, so afraid for himself he ruined his career. At worst, he skillful biased an election.

      Regardless of intent, he needs to resign for the good of the justice department. This whole election cycle feels like a season of VEEP. But it is not funny in real time.

      • Lightpurple says:

        I suspect he will be asked for his letter of resignation this week but the administration has to do it carefully because his cronies will scream retaliation. He was trying so desperately to help his buddies with their “lock her up” crap and he may be the one who ends up in prison

      • DeniseMich says:

        This election has made me so tired.

        The Republican party hates Hillary so much. What do they really think she will do?

      • Merritt says:

        @DeniseMich

        They are afraid she will do her job. The last several years of obstructionist bs from the GOP has proved they don’t like to do the jobs they were elected to do.

      • ol cranky says:

        Based on Trump’s Daughter-in-Law’s interview with Rita Cosby, it appears as though she’s implying there was collusion between Comey & Trump

        ““I think my father-in-law forced their hand in this … You know, he has been the one since the beginning saying that she shouldn’t be able to run for president, and I commend him on that.”

        Lara Trump, who is married to Trump’s son Eric, went on to tell Crosby that if her father-in-law had not “put the pressure on” the FBI to examine these new emails they may not have been under review at this stage (11 short days before the election, coincidentally). She also said that she believed this latest scandal would finally be the “nail in the coffin” for Clinton.”

        how did Trump know about the emails to put pressure on the FBI to examine them?

        https://www.romper.com/…/did-trump-affect-the-fbis…

    • Lolo86lf says:

      Who is his boss? He or she needs to fire him and explain to America not to let this reopened investigation influence their vote.

      • Senaber says:

        His boss is Loretta Lynch and you best be sure his head is on the chopping block.

      • Radley says:

        This isn’t a “re-opened” investigation. It was never closed. But Republican spin doctors have been using that word because it sounds more sinister.

        P.S. If they’re sitting on information about Trump’s ties to Putin, somebody better leak that sh!t this week! I demand it!!

      • That's all says:

        His boss is Loretta Lynch. The Attorney General who for nearly an hour met with Bill Clinton on a tarmac. Talking about golf and grandkids according to Bill Clinton. And if you believe that, then you live in a wonderful cotton candy filled world and I for one, would like a day pass there.

        Loretta Lynch is not firing James Comey. He has a ten year term. The investigation was never ‘closed’. New evidence has been found and thus needs examining. Whether or not you allow that to determine or influence your vote is your decision.

      • Imqrious2 says:

        His boss? The same AG who met alone with Bill Clinton on a private plane, a few days before the first FBI comments came out? THe one whom Clinton has already told she will hold her over in her administration? Thant one?? Oh yeah, she’s *totally* unbiased… wanna buy some beachfront property in Arizona, too?? /sarcasm

        Really….they’re all corrupt POSes. I didn’t think at this point in my life I could be more disillusioned, but yet, the bar gets lower and lower with each decade of my life…sigh.

    • anon says:

      How does someone the Democrats, including Kaine praised a couple of weeks ago, suddenly become unprofessional. LEt’s keep professionals out of partisan politics and trust that he acted right a few months back and is still acting professionally. Politics should never come before country.

      • jwoolman says:

        Actually Comey said some inappropriate things with a very political slant a few months ago. So there was forewarning that he was willing to break rules to unfairly smear Hillary. This is really ridiculous, though. He knew it had nothing to do with Hillary- not her e-mail, not her server. Most likely duplicates of e-mail already examined, on the laptop only for printout since apparently the State Department network server was arcane. The FBI already knew about that. But instead of saying it was most likely irrelevant but had to be examined anyway, he makes it vague enough so the Republicans could yell about it being another Watergate etc.

        But the rules are clear, he’s not supposed to talk about ongoing FBI investigations and he is supposed to especially be careful within the 60 days before an election to avoid any appearance of trying to influence the election. He knew very well that as soon as he informed those Republican blabbermouths, they would pass it along to the media with their spin that doesn’t even match the vague letter. And since the media doesn’t read very well either, they make it into a big deal until they slowly come to their senses and realize it’s a big pile of nothing.

        Those rules are there for good reason. I hope he is indeed investigating Trump’s odd connections with Putin & Friends, but I don’t expect him to talk about it until they’ve finished their investigation and only under appropriate circumstances with appropriate people.

        And what’s wrong with the FBI that the director can’t trust agents to keep their mouth shut about an investigation? They really need a thorough investigation of the whole bureau, top to bottom. I want to hear more about that. Are those agents that untrustworthy? How many investigations have they ruined with their blabbermouths? How do they keep their jobs? The FBI is supposed to be full of good investigators and they can’t trace leaks amongst their own?

        If I were Obama, I would have told this guy on Friday that he has until Tuesday morning to finish examination of anything potentially relevant to the prior investigation and report. And apologize in public for trying to interfere in an election. I don’t think the Democrats are at all worried about such disclosure and they’ve asked for a speedy report themselves.

        Meanwhile, Trump is blathering on and on as usual about how we should cancel the election and hand over the Presidency to him… His daughter-in-law claims Trump “forced the FBI’s hand” so I want an investigation of Trump’s connection with the FBI director, too, starting with seizing e-mails and phone records. Some of the things the Trumpster has been saying lately do sound as though he knew about this much earlier than Friday and assumed this would lead to his victory. It’s like Watergate, all right, but not in the direction he thinks. What did Trump and the other Republicans promise Comey (or threaten him with) to clearly ignore the Attorney General, who pointed out the violation of DoJ and FBI rules if he proceeded to do as he did?

      • Lightpurple says:

        He may have been quite professional in the past but his conduct Friday was unprofessional. It only takes one incident.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        If they change their behavior, it makes sense that people can change their assessment of the quality of their work.

      • EM says:

        Considering that he is breaking long established protocol then it’s easy to determine that his actions this time around are unprofessional. Had he had some actual evidence to warrant the disruption of the Presidential election then perhaps we can give him some slack BUT basically he said we received some information and we will be investigating. WTH you investigate first before issuing statements – if the emails don’t show any wrongdoing then what? You can’t put his statement back in the bottle – he has compromised the election plain and simple. As much as I hate Trump I’d be annoyed if it were about him. This is political no other way around it.

      • Lady Mimosa says:

        this new investigation is because of Weiner.

    • jess says:

      Finally Comey did the Right Thing

      • EM says:

        Really, the right thing? Issuing a statement that you are going to investigate is not the “right thing” despite your apparent condemnation of Hillary. FBI personnel are resigning because he has tarnished the agency; he could have delayed the statement and actually investigated first (novel idea, right?). Go figure Trump was right the system is rigged by the Republicans.

      • Jaded says:

        And why would that be? It’s NOT his job to coyly infer that some private emails between HRC and Huma regarding Weiner’s exploits are explosive enough to require a separate investigation. It’s nothing, he’s merely trying to stir the pot and influence the election which, as you’d know if you read jwoolman’s and others’ articulate comments on this thread, is clearly a misuse of power as he is obligated to not reveal ANY information about an ongoing investigation 60 days before an election that would prejudice either candidate’s position. Period.

    • milla says:

      White House cleared him. Yes, I have Google Alerts on elections.

  2. Kiki says:

    They just want to undermine Hillary Clinton, however that doesn’t matter because it is not going to hinder any election as planned .

    • mbh12 says:

      VOTE, VOTE, VOTE
      Vote down ticket too.

      Send the GOP a message, put them out of their offices and seats.

      IMw#HER

    • Nancy says:

      Nobody can become complacent now. I never saw a base so violent in their attitude towards the opponent. The orange alien is out for blood. He will stop at nothing to win this election then God help us all. I’ve done local campaigning and talked till I’m blue in the face, but it is essential nobody becomes complacent. Vote as if your life depends on it.

      • anon says:

        Just sad.. Both the side are being exceedingly violent. The Republicans believe that Hillary’s campaign actively hired people to commit violence at Trump rallies. Look at how the Democratic supporters attacked a Trump supporter in California. Something is wrong with the politics of this country. seems more and more like a third world country..except it still has good highways.

      • jwoolman says:

        Anon- that video you saw was done by a guy notorious for falsifying such things. It means nothing.

        Hillary’s campaign has not been “exceedingly violent”. There is no symmetry. Trump is the one promising to pay court costs for supporters who beat up protesters at his rally. Trump is the one saying he wants them taken out on a stretcher. Trump is the one saying he would like to personally punch protesters and even people giving speeches at the Democratic convention, including a father whose son died protecting others in the military in a war zone. Trump is the one inviting armed supporters to “do something” to keep Hillary from appointing judges to the Supreme Court (the Secret Service had some talks with him and his people after that one). Hillary and Tom Caine are not talking this way at all.

        I’ve only seen attempts to blame Democrats for actions most likely done by either clueless kids or Trump supporters themselves, trying to frame the Dems who are too busy trying to get out the vote to mess around with such childishness. Have you listened to some of Trump’s supporters? No Democrat needs to incite them to violence, they are doing it themselves with a lot of encouragement from Trump.

      • susanne says:

        Thank you, jwoolman. I can’t say it better.
        I accidentally listened to local conservative radio this morning. This is in NY state. Many not-so-veiled references to the Clintons being connected to over 75 ‘unexplained’ deaths. Really accusations of murder. It’s shocking, and there is a segment of our country that eats this stuff right up. Insanity.

    • Amelia says:

      At this point in the election cycle, surely anyone who could be swayed by Comey’s rubbish was never really going to vote for Hillary anyway, right?
      It feels like all this has done is make the hardcore blues and reds shift further along the spectrum.

      The cheeto-dust covered, mouldy foreskin that is Drumpf is still going to lose badly.

      *throws salt over shoulder*
      *tosses penny into wishing well*
      *rolls around in a four leafed clover field*
      *sacrifices an effigy of Weiner to the election gods*

      • Nancy says:

        Amelia I hope you can say I told you so. I am baffled by his supporters. Of course not Putin and the like because they would be in their glory with this buffoon at the helm. My sister was so nervous last night because the Indians didn’t finish off the series. Now bite my tongue I’d give it to the Cubs if it ensured Hillary’s victory. Nothing, even the truth, can make me feel assured a victory for her, he is slick and the bad guys are on his side and every new headline is going to count. I’m so dramatic but I’m scurred :/

      • Chrissy says:

        I agree with you Amelia but you forgot crossing your finger, toes, eys and legs etc. Who would have thought that this sh*tshow would feature that disgraced turtle Anthony Weiner. Ewww. Good for Harry Reid to get one last jab in before he retires. I hope it works out for Hillary.

      • naughtycorner says:

        @Amelia
        Actually to me it seems there are enough people who dont really care for HRC either they are basically voting for her because she is not Trump
        The GOP strategy seems to be keep the disillusioned voters at home or (writing in Bernies or their moms Name ) whilst getting thier rabid base out so this matters

    • LinaLamont says:

      If you believe polls, 1/3 of voters are swayed by this. Other polls say no effect—yet. Florida (needed by Trump to win) is a virtual tie. Trump had been gaining in national polls for a week. The numbers are tightening again. No-one knows how people are really going to vote. Michael Moore (who has insight into the heartbeat of Middle America) believes Trump will win. This feels like 2000 all over again… since Bush was installed, rather than elected.
      Regardless of what happens to Comey, the damage (if any) is done. Half this country is too lazy and/or stupid to understand the difference between truth/facts and fiction/propaganda.
      My friends and many coworkers and I are so angry and depressed.

      • Annetommy says:

        I feel the same. All the awful things Trump has said and done – too long to list- but let’s focus on emails. The good news is that the early voting shows a bigly lead for Hillary. I need all the good news I can get.

    • nicole says:

      Just everybody get out and vote, and show them we dont care what mud they throw at Hillary, we still support her no matter what, the alternative is having that orange knutjob as the leader of the free world, please dont let this happen.

  3. frank drebin says:

    I think Trump might just win

    • Betsy says:

      Sure. Especially since he’s encouraged his supporters to vote multiple times.

      • Rhiley says:

        Can you do that?

      • doofus says:

        Rhiley – legally, no.

        but one of Drumpf’s supporters (in Iowa?) has already tried. her reasoning? “it’s rigged”.

        so, it’s so rigged that you have to commit voter fraud to rig it more…?!!!

        ETA: Millisandra, if you’re asking me…

        https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/29/trump-supporter-charged-with-voting-twice-in-iowa/?utm_term=.2d7100b8c6a3

      • KWM says:

        It was all over the news, she did a mail in ballot and then was so worried her vote was going to be switched to Hillary Clinton, she went and voted in person for trump again.
        Just google trump voter iowa and it comes up.

      • SusanneToo says:

        http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article111519972.html

        Here you go millisandra. You can also look up the Iowa woman arrested for voting twice for trump. Since his supporters have the iq of houseplants they’re doing exactly what he said.

      • Lady D says:

        People mag did a story about her yesterday on their website.

      • milla says:

        He said something different, as in go and have your vote annulled (he is paranoid, but not that dumb). Some not so very bright people did not understand this and went to vote more than once… this is like a thriller, comedy and horror, all in one.

      • MC2 says:

        Trump in Colorado on 10/30/16:

        Trump asked, “When you send your ballot in, do you think it’s properly counted?” The crowd was quiet for a second before people realized that the correct answer was “No!”

        “You can check on your ballot to make sure it’s counted properly,” Trump said. “You can go to [Greeley voting location] University Center and they’ll give you a ballot, a new ballot. They’ll void your old ballot and give you a new ballot. And you can go out and make sure it gets in,” Trump said.

        “In some places, they probably do that four or five times, but we don’t do that,” he added.

        Trump appeared to be unaware that Colorado law prohibits voters who have already sent in their ballots by mail from “voiding” them and getting a new ballot so they can vote in person.

    • SusanneToo says:

      I was scared to death that Romney would win in 2012 because of the unrelenting, vicious vitriol and lies directed toward President Obama for four years. Thankfully, it didn’t happen. Fingers and every other possible body part crossed for the same outcome.

    • EM says:

      I’ve had this feeling for a while. I sincerely think that his deplorable supporters are lying to those taking polls and that there is also a hidden, embarrassed Trump base that is going to throw off the polls. People are also crawling from under the rocks to vote for him.

  4. Rapunzel says:

    I hope Hillary wins, the truth about Trump and Russia is unveiled, Comey is proven to have been bribed, and both Comey and Trump go to jail.

    • INeedANap says:

      Hillary could be revealed to be the second coming of Jesus and Trump could admit that he is just demonically possessed dryer lint, and his support would still be all “REEEEE EMAAAAAILSSSSSS!!!”

      • doofus says:

        it’s amazing what they’re willing to overlook because of EEEEEEMAAAIILLLLS.

        I saw one meme the other day about how there has never been a major candidate for president who is under investigation…”until now”.

        I was like “yeah, being under investigation is pretty bad. you know what else is bad? that AFTER being under investigation, the other major party’s candidate for president is FACING TRIAL, for defrauding people of millions of dollars AND for child rape.” but no, that investigation for emails, that weren’t from or to HRC, and weren’t found on any device belonging to her or that she used IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT. SMDH.

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Doofus, are these people unaware that an IRS audit is essentially an investigation?

      • SusanneToo says:

        @lightpurple. No, they’re not. That would require cogitation.

      • Shark Bait says:

        Some of his minions were saying the case against him for raping a 13 year old girl has been thrown out multiple times and was brought about by a lawyer notorious for bringing bogus lawsuits against celebrities. I wish I could find more info on it since I don’t usually take people on fb at their word on these things lol.

  5. Esmom says:

    Yeah, it seems obvious to me that his agenda was driving this more than any real concern for transparency. But all the rebukes in the world aren’t going to put this genie back in the bottle, so mission accomplished, Comey. We can only hope this faux scandal didn’t sway too many undecided voters.

  6. SSS says:

    As stated in other posts…VOTE. Send a message to Trump Hate!

  7. BearcatLawyer says:

    Well, dam%, Harry! Tell us how you really feel.

  8. Rice says:

    From across the pond, Mr. Rice and I are sickened at the thought of the White House turning orange. Comey knew exactly what he was doing when he sent that letter. Integrity my a$$. Honest question: If (please, please let this be) Hillary wins, can an investigation be launched into Comey’s actions? Can he be fired?

    Let’s just hope that voters will see through this thinly veiled attempt to influence the election.

    • Lama Bean says:

      There is one FBI head who has been fired (ironically under Slick Willie) but it would be a bad move on HRC’s part. Any action to fire him would look vengeful and would cause more harm. He would likely “resign”.

      • jwoolman says:

        Obama could ask for Comey’s resignation and fire him if needed. This is really serious stuff. The DoJ and many in the FBI think so, too. It undermines the rest of what they do, which is why they’re not supposed to do it. If Trump or top Republicans have been involved in influencing the FBI, the guano should rightly hit the fan. Is Trump also influencing any investigation of himself?

  9. Linda says:

    @jj you are so right. I love this as a gossip site but not its political thoughts. JJ thoughts are no longer there.

    • Betsy says:

      Heh?

    • It'sJustBlanche says:

      I actually was looking forward to Celebithy’s thoughts on the newest non-scandal! I love the gossip but I’ll take this as well!

    • MC2 says:

      Well, good news for me, is that you are in the minority opinion and the political commentary is pretty great & popular around these parts.

    • EM says:

      I’d actually want more coverage because frankly some of the most intelligent comments are within this site and sorely lacking everywhere else (with the exception of The Guardian). Hell Trump gets in and we know a lot of 1st Amendment freedoms will get quashed so enjoy it just in case.

  10. Rhiley says:

    As much as I agree with a lot of these comments, and Senator Reid’s sentiments, Democrats really have only Hillary Clinton, her terrible judgment, and themselves for this mess. I hate feeling this way, but it is how I feel. She had such strong debates. Three awesome, well prepared, near brilliant debates, and I felt so much excitement for her after them. But these October Surprises have been whoppers, and it is hard now to look past just how flawed she is. Will I vote for her? Certainly. Do I think she is the best person at this time to run our country. Nah, but she is sooo much better than the other guy and any candidate that Republicans put up. Seriously, think about if Chris Christie has won? He is in deep doo doo (but you don’t hear anyone screaming, “Lock him up! Lock him up!).

    • Esmom says:

      People aren’t chanting “lock him up” about Christie (not yet anyway, lol) because he has not had decades of right wing smear tactics methodically and relentlessly aimed at him. Hillary isn’t perfect, no one is. But all this hate and vitriol for her is the result of a very long and concerted effort to discredit and vilify her more than any real wrongdoing on her part.

    • Rapunzel says:

      Rhiley- was Clinton’s judgment that bad though? She was doing what many others in politics have done. Check out the 22 million Bush administration emails that never received this outrage.

      Frankly, it’s the State Dept.’s fault for not setting and enforcing stricter guidelines. There just seems to be too much leeway for all involved.

      • Rhiley says:

        I think the Wikileaks dump shows she used terrible judgment but had enough of a solid team to help her clean this up so that it would not be too much of an issue during the debates.For me, Colin Powell kind of hit the mark when it was revealed he wrote, “Everything HRC touches she kind of screws up with hubris.”

      • Erika says:

        A lot of people drive drunk, it doesn’t make it smart. The “other people did it too” defense sucks.

      • Radley says:

        I’ve said that many times when discussing the whole e-mail debacle. Like, they don’t have a uniform set of standards for on-boarding the freakin Secretary of State??

        When you started your job, didn’t they assign you a work e-mail? And that was that. I wouldn’t have any idea what server my work e-mails are on because the decision was not in my hands. Duh. Who was minding the store. Not even the Secretary of State should be telling the Department of State how to run itself. There are people in place to maintain order and again, a uniform set of standards. That said, if I were Hillary I never would have bothered with a private server. We’re gonna use whatever you’ve got and if it’s hacked or whatever, the responsibility lies with IT or whoever left it vulnerable.

        I’m generally amazed at the ineptitude of career bureaucrats.

      • Betsy says:

        @Radley – have you worked in the government? Due to chronic underfunding, the government’s email systems are almost breathtakingly out of date. My husband’s governmental group got Outlook about two years ago. Outlook.

        Hillary used a private email server as the State’s system couldn’t allow her to use her Blackberry, and because Colin Powell told her he used private email during his tenure, as did Condi. Does that make any sense for a SoS who will be traversing the globe?

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Rhiley, Powell has endorsed Hillary

        @Erika, actually in employment law, which is what this email crap really is, the fact that she was following the exact same practice as her two immediate predecessors is a very strong argument.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “the fact that she was following the exact same practice as her two immediate predecessors is a very strong argument.”

        Exactly. The only classified information they found on her server was because of SENDER error, where they didn’t mark it properly as classified.

    • mbh12 says:

      This is nothing but a GOP Smear campaign as usual. Bush Admins private emails servers were used and not a peep from GOP for years.
      All the GOP can do is create Smear campaigns and waste tax payers money on these trumped up investigations.

      In my home town, I haven’t talked or met one “Democrat” that cared about the emails or even understood the all the outrage put out by the GOP for months and this was from the Primaries to now.

      Everyone I know who was going to vote for her, either voted already or are STILL voting for her, this latest GOP smear has changed nothing for Dems who support her and are voting for her. IMO

      A undecided voter at this point imo is lying or hiding who they are really voting for. imo

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      What whoppers? That a known partisan FBI director over-reached his authority and, perhaps illegally and probably unethically, continued the 30+-year witch hunt against a demonstrably decent public figure who can be accused at worst of naivete about the authoritarian power drive and deeply-seated misogyny of white American men?

      • Rhiley says:

        Have you paid attention to the past two weaks of wikileak dumps? The whoppers are the realization that her campaign staff saw the Clinton Foundation and the the server as big trouble for her campaign and blamed her bad judgment for the troubleshe is in. Then there is all the stuff that has been revealed about Clinton Inc and what does seem to be a quid pro quo. For me, this Comey stuff is bad, but the last week of wikileak dumps has been horrible. I was hoping that this week, she would have announced that Bill and Melinda Gates were taking over the Clinton Foundation but anything she tries to do that may look like a positive step isn’t going to matter at this point. Democrats are just going to have to ride this out.

      • mbh12 says:

        Democrats are not fooled by this same old 30 yr old game the GOP has played, Democrats who support Hillary Clinton are entrenched and will
        VOTE.

        The GOP has nothing to run on so they create smears and they have a party taken over by a CLOWN.

        Even Colin Powell is not supporting the GOP Candidate. lol

      • Rapunzel says:

        Rhiley- Hillary’s judgment was no worse than most off the men who’ve been in her position. It’s hysterical that people question her judgment while ignoring Trump’s even worse judgment (shown in the way he’s filed a six bankruptcies, etc.).

        And hubris? Puh-leze. That ain’t a trait unique to HRC, and the fact Powell is still voting for her despite what he said speaks volumes.

      • jwoolman says:

        Rhiley- the Clinton Foundation has been working steadily for many months to transfer all international projects and donors to other organizations. I imagine the Gates Foundation will participate. But having a good Foundation with beneficial projects worldwide and very low overhead is hardly a mistake in judgment. When she was Secretary of State, they also greatly reduced international donors to avoid the appearance of conflict of interest. No pattern of any favoritism for donors was evident from all the records of her meetings and the results. No indication that the Clintons have personally profited from the Foundation has ever been found, and you know oeople looked for it. (They got tax deductions from their own donations, that’s it.). Only the craziness of the Trump campaign would make that Foundation a “problem”.

        Likewise the server issue was nothing nefarious in a sensible universe. She did not try to hide anything and used the proper server at State for any classified material. Truly sensitive material is not handled via e-mail anyway, there are secure rooms for that. Hillary properly archived her work-related e-mail and pulled in others to decide what personal mail could be deleted. In contrast, several million e-mails were trashed by the Bush Administration without a peep, and a Rice and Powell deleted with no worries. The very idea that Hillary should be indicted for this is abhorrent and shows how low our politics have become.

      • Erinn says:

        Can we just remember that with Wikileaks – Assange ( a man who refuses to return to Sweden to be questioned on rape allegations) has openly stated that he doesn’t approve of Hillary as a presidential nominee? Do you think he’s not AT ALL biased when it comes to the leaks and the timing surrounding them?

      • SusanneToo says:

        (Alleged)rapistvAssange is doing a favor for his fellow(alleged)rapist. Birds of a feather gotta stick together.

      • EM says:

        She’s not perfect but frankly why is the standard so different for her? Trump’s judgment on everything is so much worse and yet we are not hearing nearly enough condemnation for what he’s said and done. How about other business leaders and politicians? I would think that if some of their emails were released we’d find some real whoppers and yet the Republicans and Hillary-haters are A-OK with emails being hacked and released? Jeez, do you know how bad that is …. a presidential candidate has been targeted and yet a majority of Americans don’t think that’s worrying.

    • Lightpurple says:

      @Rhiley, I scream “lock him up!” whenever I see or hear Chris Christie.

      • Rhiley says:

        Me too! He is such a gross bully until he is standing behind Trump, and then he is just a gross bobblehead.

    • MC2 says:

      I think the take away from all this crap should be people seeing how they have been biased against Hillary and going after her for years. I am side eyeing the hell out of my Bernie friends (who I love!) who are still talking about her being skewered for her emails like it was the right thing to do. I am pissed that tax payers paid for that witch hunt, which was a witch hunt- right down to the sexist crap & hypocrisy.

      If your take away is that she has been fairly treated or persecuted by the FBI and this is just one more mistake on HER part then you have been eating the dish that the GOP have been serving up.

  11. Nicole says:

    Screw these people. These supposedly prolife (until they are born), love women (until we have to create laws), pro govt (until it’s something Obama does like wanting to fill a SC seat). Why we don’t have term limits for congress or these head dept positions I will never know. These guys can’t even do their job without being incompetent. I hope he’s at least fired

    Seriously. F**k. These. People.

  12. Amelie says:

    There are two individuals in Washington, D.C. that both parties have historically agreed are stand-up, principled individuals. They are Robert Gates and James Comey. The same claim cannot be made about their critics.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Comey just trashed long-standing agency policy and may have broken numerous laws in the process. He just trashed his republican

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        Comey had no business calling her careless in the summer … in FBI history it’s either “please prosecute” or “case closed.” The fact that he went out of his way to smear her speaks volumes about his intent.

      • Esmom says:

        Who ARE: Preach. I thought he was shady then and he’s shady now. I had to laugh at Tucker Carlson trying to defend his actions on NPR this morning. Cokie Roberts was not having it.

      • Erika says:

        “Comey had no business calling her careless in the summer…”

        Lynch had no business having a secret meeting with Bill Clinton while the investigation was still going on, so I guess a lot of folks need to resign.

    • Betsy says:

      No, the crap Comey pulled a few months ago and what he did last Friday were inexcusable politicking. And it is, indeed, a double standard to report breathlessly on new emails they didn’t have a warrant for and have been sitting on for several weeks and yet not mention that there’s actual evidence that Trump is working in concert with a foreign power to mar this election? That’s INSANE.

      And all Republicans can do that I’ve seen is to gripe about Reid.

      Trump may win the battle, but the GOP is dead.

      • Erika says:

        “…yet not mention that there’s actual evidence that Trump is working in concert with a foreign power to mar this election?”

        That haven’t mentioned anything because there is nothing to mention. Stop believing ridiculous conspiracy theories.

      • Betsy says:

        Erika, when Trump, on stage, invited Russia to hack us, is known to carry obscene debt to Russia (as no sensible American bank will loan him money after all his failures), and has praised Putin’s dictatorial governing style, it’s not really a “ridiculous conspiracy theory.”

        Your whole post is further reason for Comey to release what they have on Trump and his close and continuing ties with Russia. Perhaps people like you would have the scales pulled away.

      • SusanneToo says:

        @Betsy. “…scales pulled away.” I doubt it – “There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See”

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “That haven’t mentioned anything because there is nothing to mention.”

        One of Trump’s advisors, Roger Stone, has admitted that he has back-channel communication with Julian Assange. Your bias is showing.

      • Kate says:

        Anyone can have back-channel communication with Assange. That’s the entire point of Wikileaks.

    • jwoolman says:

      Comey did have that reputation. But he has destroyed it himself in recent months. I don’t know why. Maybe he is letting personal grudges drive him (he worked with Ken Starr). Maybe he is looking ahead to after the FBI. Or maybe he is being threatened. But his violations of long-standing rules for the FBI are serious, particularly interference in an election. He was warned about it by the Attorney General, but did it anyway. And for what? Nothing of substance.

      • Amelie says:

        Hi Jwoolman:

        Comey is an experienced former prosecutor and I am sure he is bringing this background to his work at the FBI.

        The issue with the Hatch act is that “intent” to influence the elections would need to be proven with respect to Comey’s decision to notify Congress of the new emails. Coincidentally, “intent” was also the issue with prosecuting Sec Of State Clinton on her email “issues.”

        Reid, although an attorney, has little practical experience in the field. He briefly served as a city attorney before entering politics. I tend to find that attorneys with actual trial experience are more circumspect in their actions than shown by Sen Reid in this instance. Just my opinion.

  13. annaloo. says:

    This might be a blessing in disguise: Democrats are PISSED OFF. If nothing, being pissed off will rally her base, and get the vote out for her.

    • LinaLamont says:

      It’s not her base that’s the problem. We were already fired up.

      And, if anyone can’t see that, even if her emails held the highest state secrets, all of Trump… all his words and actions are incalculably more egregious than anything HRC has ever said or done and incalculably dangerous… is beyond comprehension. Some people treat this election as a joke or a game.

      Edward Snowden
      “No matter the outcome, #Brexit polls demonstrate how quickly half of any population can be convinced to vote against itself. Quite a lesson.”

  14. Betsy says:

    I completed my absentee ballot for HILLARY this weekend! Depending on when this baby arrives, I may go along with my husband on Election Day just for the spectacle of seeing all the voters.

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      Good luck and – may we wish you and your husband congratulations in advance?

      And thanks for the votes.

      It’s very easy to call on Clinton’s behalf. ACT button on her website leads to several ways to call. My husband was directed to Ohio. It’s very easy and maybe it will help you pass the time — and keep you off your feet as you might need it!

      • Betsy says:

        Thank you! I just hope he/she arrives soon. The off and on labor for weeks is messing with me!

        I don’t think my 2 year old would play nice with me making calls. I can barely hear half the time!

    • Esmom says:

      Nice to get it done, I was so happy to vote early last Monday. But, horrifically, someone broke into many of the USPS mailboxes last night in our town. I’m really scared to think about how many ballots were in them.

      • adastraperaspera says:

        Just another deplorables felony. They will probably drag the mail totes full of ballots to the next wildlife refuge they take over. I am so sick of these idiots!!

    • Lynnie says:

      Hope everything goes well with the baby when it comes!

  15. Melody says:

    JLo has no right to anything but looking straight ahead when she’s performed for dictators just for the cash.

    Just smile, wave, and collect your bitcoins, honey.

  16. Lynnie says:

    What would it take for the FBI to start an investigation into Trump’s ties with Russia? That sounds like the real story to me.

    • Betsy says:

      Allegedly it’s already happening, which makes Comey’s decision to announce one and not the other doubly disgusting.

      • Laurenlauren says:

        Serious question. Could it be that since there isn’t a congressional committee on Trump, that is why there wasn’t an “announcement”? He states in the letter to the Hillary’s committee that he is informing them because he previously testified that the case was closed. If there is new evidence that came up, is it that bad that he let them know the status changed?

      • Betsy says:

        It could be. But if these emails which a) they didn’t have a warrant yet to read and b) investigators had been sitting on for weeks were so all fire important to the electorate, isn’t possible treason by the other candidate also something he should report? Because again, the longstanding tradition and rule is nothing that can sway an election. So why is it okay for him to sway this, especially when it will likely amount to nothing?

  17. Jan says:

    I cannot in good conscience vote for either candidate ! I’m not going to give my vote to Hillary just because she appears to be lesser of two evils. Some of the things that have come out about the Clinton foundation under the guise of a charity are GROSS. If we don’t vote third party nothing will never change !

    • SusanneToo says:

      Check out the trump charity which is nothing but a piggy bank for donald. He is STEALING from it. Listen to the Fresh Air interview with David Fahrenhold from a week or so ago. It outlines clearly how corrupt and selfish donald trump is.

      Should trump win, my consolation is that his supporters and the naive, self righteous third partiers will probably get exactly what they deserve. I feel sorry for everyone else.

    • jwoolman says:

      What about the Foundation is gross?!?! Or do you have it mixed up with Trump’s Foundation?

    • Sasha says:

      I am the same. I can’t vote for Trump or Hillary. To me, a lesser of two evils is still an evil.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Life is filled with hard choices. Opting out of making the choice doesn’t absolve you of the consequences.

      • Sasha says:

        I’ve had my share of hard choices, and my own experience and my home country experience taught me that compromising on principals for expediency is never the right choice. And if you compromise then you are responsible for what comes out of the devil’s bargain. And it is never good. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Democracy can be undone by one person with authoritarian tendencies. How can anyone actually *listen* to what Trump says and not understand the threat he poses to our democracy?

        I don’t believe in hell, I believe in fact and reason. I believe that when one candidate is saying he will imprison decenters, change laws to deny freedom of the press, remove judges because of their ethnic heritage, create a religious test before letting people into the country, then I recognize the REAL threat to our democracy is not Clinton. If you wait for a perfect candidate without flaws, you will wait forever and vote for no one.

      • Betsy says:

        We as a nation barely made it through the Bush II administration. I cannot believe that anyone looks at Trump and all he’s said and done an looks at Hillary and all the hard work she’s done as a public servant for forty years and says, “yes, these two people are equal.”

      • Kitten says:

        @ Tiffany- SPOT-ON. Perfectly articulated.

      • Sasha says:

        “looks at Hillary and all the hard work she’s done as a public servant for forty years and says”

        What are her achievements as a public servant that stood out to you and made you want to vote for her and want more of what she has done?

      • SusanneToo says:

        @ sasha. How about millions of low income children gaining health insurance since 1997? That’s Hillary.
        http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/the-impact-of-the-childrens-health-insurance-program-chip-what-does-the-research-tell-us/

      • Sasha says:

        Anything more recent from her time as a senator or the secretary of state?

      • SusanneToo says:

        Why don’t you do some research on the two candidates yourself? Information is out there.

      • Rapunzel says:

        @Sasha-

        How about Secretary of State Clinton visiting more countries than any other SecState ever? She worked incredibly hard maintaining international diplomacy at a time when the US had a horrible international reputation due to W. Bush’s administration.

        How about fighting terrorism? Hillary was SecState when we tracked down and killed Bin Laden.

        Those are just a few recent things.

        There’s no denying: Look at every candidate. Who has the best background? Hillary. Who has the most experience? Hillary. Trump and all the other third party candidates look like jokes compared to her. If she was a man, this wouldn’t even be a question.

        Consider policy: Hillary has real ideas. Trump has impractical notions that will only destabilize the US politically and economically.

        No ifs and or buts– Hillary and Trump are not equal at all. They may both be morally bankrupt (though I don’t really believe Hillary is) but one has the qualifications and drive to lead, and other is Donald Trump.

        Hillary Clinton was born to President, and has worked to be President for decades. Donald Trump is barely worthy of a reality show ith C/D list celebs.

      • Sasha says:

        “Why don’t you do some research on the two candidates yourself? Information is out there.”

        I’ve done research,. But Hillary’s supporters speak in generalities, without specifics. And this is why I asked.
        She fought terrorism? – Wrong. She supported the fiasco in Libya and arming of Islamic fundamentalists in Syria, She has no understanding of mentality and politics of the Middle East, or its history, judging by her actions. She is arrogant.
        She visited a lot of countries? – But did she make a good impression?

        When you look at specifics, her record doesn’t look good at all. But I know there is no point discussing it. People made up their minds already.

      • Rapunzel says:

        @ sasha

        “She fought terrorism? – Wrong. She supported the fiasco in Libya and arming of Islamic fundamentalists in Syria, She has no understanding of mentality and politics of the Middle East, or its history, judging by her actions. She is arrogant.
        She visited a lot of countries? – But did she make a good impression?”

        Supported the fiasco in Libya and arming of Islamic fundamentalists in Syria? Don’t you mean she did her best to clean up the mess George W. Bush created?

        She has no understanding of mentality and politics of the Middle East? Are you kidding me? At least she understands that the Middle East requires more nuance than “we’ve got bombs, so let’s use them. ” and “you gotta kill their families” — sentiments of Trump and his campaign. She has a plan for attacking ISIS using multinational cooperation and collaboration. This is far more enlightened than Trump and his call for war crimes. At least Hillary isn’t advocating violating the Geneva conventions.

        Did she make a good impression? um… yes, yes she did. She got along with many heads of state, more than Trump will as President, with his tactless lack of diplomacy.

        Ultimately, Hillary’s record is undeniably better than Trump’s. And Stein or Johnson, if you’re thinking third party. And that is the only thing that matters to me.

      • SusanneToo says:

        “She’s arrogant.” I’m rolling on the floor laughing. Have you listened to trump?

    • BohemianMartini says:

      @Jan Exactly! I feel like I’ve been given the choice between two grocery bags of sh!t. Either way I’m going to be left holding a bag of crap for the next four years. Let’s not fool ourselves – they really are just two sides of the same coin.

      I’m with me, myself and I.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        How can you think they are two sides of the same coin? Hillary has done so much work and good for people other than herself. The same absolutely can not be said for Trump.

      • Kitten says:

        Right, Tiffany.
        Additionally, in terms of media scrutiny, Trump has a distinct advantage when comparing the two in that he has ZERO political experience to criticize, unlike HRC who’s political career has been scrutinized for the past twenty years.

      • Jaded says:

        No. Hillary has the education, experience, drive and deep desire to make life better for lower income Americans. Period. Trump is a bully, liar, cheat and despot, without a whit of knowledge or even the slightest interest in educating himself on policy and global understanding. He’s only in it for the fame and what it will bring to his flagging career and foundering bank accounts.

    • EM says:

      Luckily it’s still a free country so do whatever you want. However, if Trump is elected please don’t bother coming back here next year to whine about the fact that the economy is in the dumps, the environment truly f**ked, martial law enacted by the dictator wannabe, multiple wars and freedoms quashed.

      • Kitten says:

        This is where I’m at with people who are refusing to vote.

      • Veronica says:

        I tell my friends who are voting “conscientiously” something similar. If you don’t want to vote for either, fine. But if you understand how dangerous Donald Trump and his supporters really are for Americans with less privilege, and you’re subconsciously banking on the rest of us to keep him out of office, don’t complain if and when he does win. Because if he becomes what we fear, and we find ourselves responsible for the unthinkable in four years, you are responsible for that, and you can lean on your own “good conscience” to deal with that.

    • Snowflake says:

      Things won’t change by voting 3rd party. None of those candidates would get enough votes to be elected President you might as well not even for it your going to do that. Same result.

  18. JurisGal says:

    Senate “gremlin” made me chuckle. I care naught about emails then or now. I’m voting for the informed, mature, educated in policy, protocol and the Constitution candidate. That person isn’t named Trump. I agree with the poster who wrote about undecided voters. If your mind isn’t made up yet…. where have you been?
    And I am not convinced about tightening polls. The race isn’t over but the math isn’t in Trump’s favor. People must GOTV but there are States Trump just won’t win.

  19. boredblond says:

    Comey was wrong in releasing a statement regarding information not even looked at to prolong the drip drip drip of nothing; Reid is wrong about the Hatch act which requires active campaigning, but most of all the 24 hour news media–ALL of them– are guilty of desperation for any story and calling something they have no knowledge of a ‘bombshell’. If i send emails about you to a third party, how are you capable of explaining them? Unless they have pics of her robbing a bank while kicking puppies, any informed person would have to conclude she is the only sane choice.

  20. Laurenlauren says:

    He was damned if do, damned if he don’t.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Then why not choose don’t, which has been standard protocol?

      • LinaLamont says:

        +1

        It was politically-motivated… plain and simple.

      • BonnieJean says:

        @ Susanne — Because he could have been held in contempt of Congress?

      • SusanneToo says:

        How would he be in contempt of congress proceeding with an investigation without public comment? Why no public comment on the following:
        “In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government – a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity,” he said. “I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public…and yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information.”

      • Erika says:

        “Why no public comment on the following…”

        One moment you’re indignant about Comey talking too much, the next you’re complaining about him not talking enough. Just be honest, your issue with Comey is not about what he did, but who he did it to. If he had put out any statement at all against Trump, you would be praising him as a paragon of virtue and integrity.

        Hillary has no one to blame for her troubles but herself.

      • SusanneToo says:

        If you had reading comprehension skills you’d see that I asked if it’s okay to reveal one, why not reveal the other. If it’s right to keep one secret, why not keep the other secret.

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Erika, “Hillary has no one to blame for her troubles but herself.”

        Really? Republican congressional representatives have been wasting our tax dollars investigating that woman for 20 years and their investigations have not unearthed anything legitimately wrong to blame her for. Or did they incompetently hire incompetent investigators?

      • Erika says:

        “It was politically-motivated… plain and simple.”

        Not according to President Obama, who just defended Comey and his judgment.

      • LinaLamont says:

        Jeanine Pirro, Joe Walsh, Alberto Gonzales comdemn Comey.

      • Erika says:

        President Obama doesn’t and his opinion actually matters. Whatever hopes Clinton supporters like Reid had of smearing the reputation of Comey went out the window the second the President backed him up.

      • Rapunzel says:

        @Erika: Obama may be standing by Comey, but guess what? He’s not the people in the FBI and Justice Department who have criticized Comey. They know more than Obama, and if they’re complaining, they’re the ones that matter most.

        Anyone who thinks this wasn’t politically motivated is tripping- protocol like this isn’t abandoned for no reason, not 10 days before the election. Obama will likely have to eat his words when Comey is exposed as having been influenced by GOP high-ups or Trump’s campaign. I see it happening very soon.

      • Erika says:

        “I see it happening very soon.”

        Whoa, we certainly love our right-wing conspiracies, don’t we? Next you’re going to tell me Obama backed up Comey because of misogyny.

      • Rapunzel says:

        “Whoa, we certainly love our right-wing conspiracies, don’t we? Next you’re going to tell me Obama backed up Comey because of misogyny.”

        Baloney. It’s not a conspiracy. Saying 9-11 was a false flag op is a conspiracy. This is a hypothesis based on Comey’s previous (and current) behavior, his own colleagues, and the suspicious timing. And I by no means said it was certain.

        And no, Obama did not back Comey up because of misogyny. Don’t put words in my mouth; I never implied any such thing. Obama is just a class act who is doing what President should do, supporting his underlining until proof shows him wrong.

        But the fact Comey’s colleagues and boss are mad says a lot. It says they know he’s biased. And when I say influenced, I don’t mean bribes necessarily. It doesn’t even have to be that nefarious. But something’s up. It’s naive to think otherwise. This is no coincidence.

    • KWM says:

      So Roger Stone, Trump advisor, who has admitted he has back channel communications with Assange, who posted just before the wikileaks dump on October 2nd, prompting several high ranking members of Congress to ask the FBI to investigate the connection to the Trump campaign, access to Wikileaks and Russian interests. When asked about this he states no comment, time and time again. In fact he will not deny or confirm that an investigation is even going on. Yet, in this instance when he had no facts, had not yet even secured a warrant, and has no idea what they find will even be new, feels compelled to send a letter to members of congress.

      So Trumps ties to Wikileak, Russians and the hacking of the DNC computers = No Comment from Comey.

      But there may be something, we don’t know, but hey we want to give you a heads up is perfectly fine from Comey.

      And to put this in context I have been eligible to vote for the past 26 years and have voted Republican in every election…..except the one coming up on Nov 8th. Heck even my friend who has immediate family members working for one of the highest ranking Republicans is calling BS on this. There is one answer for an FBI investigation, we cannot comment at the time.

      • Betsy says:

        BOOM.

        I don’t know that you’re voting for Hillary and the downticket Dems, but if you are: welcome to the Party.

      • EM says:

        Very well said. I self identify as Republican and attended several RNC National Conventions and there is no way that any person that truly understands what a democracy is would vote for Trump. This just isn’t politics, it’s the potential fall of our country plain and simple.

  21. Sasha says:

    The US politics is such a circus. And Harry Reid has about as much credibility as a Godfather. He is not helping with calling for a witchhunt based on political views.

    That brings me to my main point – it is a disgrace that in the US the top government executives are chosen based on their political loyalty and often don’t have the necessary knowledge/skill to run a particular department. In part because of this nothing gets done. Every 4 years the top management changes and the rules are completely re-written. I wouldn’t be able to work in an environment like this, where political loyalty is valued higher than doing the right thing for the country.

    • Betsy says:

      You really don’t have a correct idea of how the USG functions at all.

      Also, can you name a single country that doesn’t have insane politics?

      • Sasha says:

        Our definition of insane is going to differ. The US politics is way to personal, the attacks are very personal. The whole discussion is black and white, there is no gray. And that is not only on the level of discussion between political parties but between individual citizens. People don’t respect each other at all. You will not see that in Continental European countries. Personal attacks should be off-limits. That way lies chaos.

        I mentioned before it the US politics of today has ” if you are not with us you are against us” feel and it wasn’t like this even 20 years ago. Today’s US politics is toxic and I don’t want any part of it. I don’t ant to be infected with intolerance. In Russia this always led to bloodshed, a brother killing a brother. I know how the story ends. I hope Americans find the wisdom in themselves to step back from the brink. However, the prior history of humanity is not encouraging in this respect. I think we are at the beginning of the end of the US as a global superpower. It is not going to be pretty.

      • Betsy says:

        Sasha, politics in the US has always been bare-knuckle and, in many ways, has actually settled down significantly from what it used to be.

        I say again: there is no country that doesn’t have a level of insanity – however we may define that – to its politics.

      • Annetommy says:

        This US election campaign is unprecedentedly bitter as far as this UK observer is concerned, and I go back a long way. i have not seen any other candidate use the language that Trump and his supporters have; lock her up, kill the bi@tch, intimidation of journalists, invitations to hack, dog whistle incitement to violence, the threats about not conceding, and the allegations of rigging. and more. And yes, I can provide an example of a country that doesn’t have insane politics. The Republic of Ireland. I spent 12 years there; I can honestly say that while it can occasionally get nasty, and there are examples of pretty poor behaviour, and there are some loose cannons, there is no pattern that bears a resemblance to this current dreadful saga. And that’s despite having ex-paramilitaries as representatives, and having a complex representation system. What has been going on is not normal and needs to end. It’s been sickening to watch and listen.

    • bros says:

      that’s not even remotely true that the rules are rewritten every 4 years. The FBI director’s term is for 10 years, precisely to avoid the political winds. Gates was kept as sec of defense when obama took office, and plenty of holdovers abound.

      • Sasha says:

        it is never known in advance who is kept and who is not. it is always politicized. If somebody doesn’t toe the line they are replaced. And the rules are changed with every personnel change. They might not change on paper, but how things done are changed. The priorities are changed. People are told do drop one thing and start working on another.

      • Betsy says:

        Again, Sasha, unless you’ve worked in it, that’s not something you get to decide for yourself. The vast, vast majority of gov employees is stable. Appointees and higher up staff may come and go; they’re aware of this when they take office. It’s not a big deal, and it’s not politicized.

      • lightpurple says:

        @Sasha, my oldest sister has worked in MA state government through six governors. Her husband has worked for the federal government for roughly the same time span. Upper level agency people change because they are appointed but the staff pretty much stays the same. Where you do see turnover is in places like the Office of Attorney General because in some states, they throw everyone out.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Sounds like business as usual for the donald. Use and screw small business owners, land grab nonagenarians, show up at charity events for a photo op w/o giving a dime. What a fellow!! What a hero to the sheeple! What a well-deserved shafting they’ll get if he’s president.

  22. SusanneToo says:

    If you weren’t here yesterday please go to the Katy Perry thread. I posted links to the activities of some fervent trump supporters.

    • Erika says:

      How about some links to activities of some Clinton supporters, like Donna Brazile? Don’t you think Clinton should come clean with the American people about how she received an unfair advantage in the primary debates by getting questions beforehand?

      • SusanneToo says:

        I’m showing average trump supporters. If you can post links to Clinton supporters lynching effigys of Black people or screaming about Jews, please do so. ALso, please post Clinton rallies showing the (religious)speaker hoping Clinton dies in a fiery crash. Have at it.

      • Erika says:

        I see you avoided answering my question. I’m very not surprised.

      • EM says:

        SusanneToo – don’t forget all of those statements by the middle aged white supporters talking a coup and spilling blood if Trump loses. True deplorables in speech and actions.

        I know you posted about the Iowa woman voting twice (for Trump) but there have also been serious voter suppression actions in Wisconsin by limiting early voting at campuses because as the clerk admitted they tend to vote democratic.
        Also physical intimidation against Hispanic senior citizen voters in Texas http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/10/30/voter-suppression-allegations-hillary-clinton-dakota-access-pipeline-weekend-digest

      • EM says:

        Ericka last time I checked she’s under no obligation to answer your question especially since it’s not relevant to her point about the deplorables.

      • Erika says:

        When was the last time you checked? Was it recently?

      • SusanneToo says:

        I see you avoided posting the links I asked for.

      • lightpurple says:

        @Erika, up above, several hours before you asked the questions that you complained Suzanne hadn’t answered, about three or four hours before, I asked YOU a number of questions. I am still waiting for your replies. Perhaps if you answer my earlier questions, Suzanne will answer your much later ones?

  23. frosty says:

    All I know is, I hate this election and both candidates serious baggage, to put it mildly. I read an excellent play-by-play, regardless of which candidate one backs
    https://www.lawfareblog.com/james-comey-hillary-clinton-and-email-investigation-guide-perplexed

    • Colleen says:

      I’m with you. I’m so tired of it all. I find both candidates to be vile, dishonest people whose self-serving interests have made a freak show of everything.

  24. syd says:

    and now that Pres. Obama has stated that Comey is not all the vitrol that y’all are spitting?
    And now that it’s come to light that Clinton’s campaign has known about the underage solicitation and did nothing? (the pattern for Hillary is ruthlessness if you’re in her way or on her bad side: attn women and children)
    And now that CNN has confirmed Braziles tipped the debates?
    I don’t understand. How many revelations need to occur before you Hillary supporters question your own motives and judgement?!

    • Erika says:

      “How many revelations need to occur before you Hillary supporters question your own motives and judgement?!”

      They rationalize everything’s a lie designed to harm Saint Hillary, so no amount of revelations matter.

      • Rapunzel says:

        “They rationalize everything’s a lie designed to harm Saint Hillary, so no amount of revelations matter.”

        Um….what? Are you even reading the comments here, or just spewing talking points from Trump’s website?

        Nobody here is calling Hillary a saint. Everyone is just saying compared Trump, her scandals are nothing. And this is fact.

        The emails do not matter as much Trump’s rape case and fraud trial.
        Benghazi does not matter as much as Trump’s dictatorial ideology.

      • lightpurple says:

        Oh, please tell us what Comey revealed? What is in these precious emails? Something actually harmful? Or more of the same stuff that wasn’t harmful or illegal? Comey even admitted that he didn’t know if these emails were actually from or to Hillary Clinton. But hey, don’t wait for facts.

      • EM says:

        Well lightpurple there was that lovely exchange of risotto recipes so I guess Risotto Gate will soon follow.

        Speaking of rationalization and deflection:
        “I can do anything, even grab them by the p**ssy” Response: Just lockeroom talk everyone does it.
        Groping, rape allegations. Response: Bill did it too, Bill was worse
        Pope’s general comment in response to a reporter’s question. Response: The Catholic Church is evil, the Vatican has a wall around it.
        Judge following the rule of law. Response: He’s Mexican and clearly there’s bias against Trump. Mexicans and Muslims can’t be impartial.
        Trump insults McCain and POWs. Response: McCain is not a good person.
        Doesn’t release tax returns. Response: the law doesn’t require the release of tax returns.
        Trump insults Khan family and gold star families: Response: they are Muslim, his wife is not even allowed to speak or she is afraid.
        Melania Trump may have visa/immigration issues. Response: she’s the “right” kind of immigrant.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Actually, I’d rather have President Obama again or Warren or Biden, but the choice is between Clinton with baggage and a vile cheater, liar, groper with multiple bankruptcies, multiple lawsuits against him, no knowledge of government, unstable temperament, itchy trigger finger, and big crush on Putin. Not a hard decision for rational people.

      • LinaLamont says:

        “Not a hard decision for rational people..”
        Agree.
        If the potential consequences of the this election (depending on the outcome) weren’t so dire for the majority of this country (including those voting…or, not voting at all… against their own best interests), the naivete, ignorance and/or arrogance of some people would be laughable. No-one with, at least, one firing brain cell could consider Trump and Clinton equal in any way. This isn’t a game.
        Furthermore, third-party voters and those who don’t vote have delusions of grandeur if they think they’ll be anything but a footnote in history. They’re not going to bring about any meaningful change in anything.
        All politicians are egotistical, ruthless and corrupt, to some degree. You choose someone who is going to benefit the country and you, regardless.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      You are mischaracterizing the comments from the Obama administration, who remained neutral and said they would not defend or criticize Comey’s actions. Plenty of very qualified and knowledgeable people, like Alberto Gonzales (GBW’s Attorney General) have said what Comey did broke with protocol.

      I stand firm and confident in my judgment, opposing the one candidate who is saying he will imprison decenters, change laws to deny freedom of the press, remove judges because of their ethnic heritage, create a religious test before letting people into the country. As SusanneToo said, “Not a hard decision for rational people.”

      • lightpurple says:

        And Alberto Gonzales would know about breaking with protocol because he did exactly that. And I agree, this is not a hard decision for rational people. I’m with Her.

  25. Sasha says:

    Meanwhile Donna Brazile was fired from CNN for leaking town hall question to Clinton’s campaign. If Hillary couldn’t get nominated without all of the Dem establishment behind her, then perhaps she shouldn’t have been nominated and we could’ve had a more palatable candidate now.
    The lack of integrity is not a complete surprise but the their hypocrisy still stings.

  26. Rina says:

    I cannot emphasize enough the importance of exercising our right to vote.

    VOTE!

  27. SusanneToo says:

    Speaking of emails, trump has destroyed thousands of emails in defiance of court orders to produce them during legal proceedings.

    http://www.newsweek.com/2016/11/11/donald-trump-companies-destroyed-emails-documents-515120.html

  28. Annetommy says:

    The UK Independent newspaper is reporting that 4 out of 10 Trump supporters believe Hillary is an actual demon. How on earth is that business as usual? Rival supporters may have offensively claimed Obama was Kenyan, but they never actually viewed him as a demon. How can there be any rational debate in that situation? If she is a demon by the way, she’s a pretty pathetic one, I wish she’d send some fire and brimstone Trump’s way.

  29. Kyrgios says:

    If it turns out that Hillary is a criminal we can’t say we weren’t warned before polling day.

  30. Nikki says:

    I believe Comey should either resign or be prosecuted; his actions were despicable.

  31. Veronica says:

    Acknowledging that they were looking into more emails isn’t problematic to me, but I do find his wording very…thoughtless. Provocative, even, at least in the lack of awareness of how it would be interpreted by the media. With the election less than two weeks away, yes, there should have been more care taken in the release of that statement. It may not have been his intention to influence the election – I would certainly hope not – but it certainly comes across as very unprofessional on his part.

  32. Scarlett says:

    Susannetoo, love your comments. I live in Pa & have seen all the lock her up signs, etc. Thought I was seeing the worst of it in this area though I knew alot worse was going on elsewhere. Today I passed a Trump deplorable’s house with a Hillary effigy hanging high from a tree. Seeing that disgusting display made me so sick and angry and very fearful of what may come next.

    • SusanneToo says:

      The trumpster is holding a rally in Pensacola, about 60 miles from my house. Maybe tomorrow you can see some of the basket of d’s in my neck of the woods.
      There’s so much out there on the web – the NC senator wondering why there isn’t a bullseye over Hillary’s face on the current issue of Rifleman, the secret server in trump tower linked to a Russian bank, and so on and so on. Not that it will matter to his cultists. As he said, he could shoot someone in public and not lose any votes. A few of today’s posters prove that.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Oops, sorry, the rally is Wednesday. Check the news Thursday.

  33. Rose of Sharon says:

    The Despicable Dems deserve everything they’ve got coming:

    At least the Republicans held a real primary with a line of candidates. The Dems destroyed the only person brave enough to go up against the machine.

    I don’t care if you’re a woman. If you are a liar, criminal and warmonger, I wil not vote for you!

  34. dholmas says:

    I am so sick of this election year. What has our country come to. We do not even listen to the news anymore.