White House chief of staff urged FBI to dispute Trump-Russia report

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Think for myself, Feb 24, 2017.

  1. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Epic!

    Apparently, the White House asked the FBI to be their very own ministry of propaganda and dispute a news story. Why? Because it was making the president look bad apparently.

    Now, I realize that this administration is perhaps not th most adept at, well, administrating, but they seem wholly obsessed with the image of the president on things that are not really relevant.

    The FBI is supposed to be able to investigate things independent of the White House, and not comment on ongoing investigations. Here you have both of those separations grossly violated, with the White House attempting to use the FBI not as a law enforcement body, but as a tool for image promotion.


    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-chief-staff-reached-fbi-dispute-trump/story?id=45708935


    White House chief of staff Reince Priebus made a personal appeal to a top FBI official to dispute reports that multiple senior members of President Trump's campaign communicated with Russian agents during the 2016 election, senior White House officials confirmed to ABC News on Friday.

    Priebus had reached out to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe in an effort to knock down reports of talks between campaign officials and Russia following a New York Times report on the matter last week, officials said.

    Priebus only made the request after the FBI had told the White House there were accuracy issues with the Times' report, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

    "When the FBI came to the White House to inform us that the story wasn't true we asked them if they'd be willing to correct the record," Spicer told ABC News.

    According to one White House official, after McCabe told Priebus the story was false, he said to get back in touch and then immediately told the White House that the bureau shouldn't "get into calling balls and strikes on everything."

    The New York Times reported earlier this month that U.S. intelligence found through intercepted calls and phone records that Trump campaign members and associates repeatedly had contact with Russian intelligence agents.

    CNN and The Associated Press first reported on Priebus' intervention, which is drawing heavy scrutiny from Democrats who argue that the communications break with precedent that ensures the FBI remains independent from White House influence. A White House official would not comment on whether PriebusÂ’ communication was appropriate, though President Trump in a series of morning tweets appeared to blame the FBI for allowing the story to leak.
     
  2. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Oh, and Turmp took to Twitter apparently to defend these actions, where his chief of staff went to the FBI and wanted them to back up the administration and come out agaisnt a independent media story.

    The FBI is totally unable to stop the national security "leakers" that have permeated our government for a long time. They can't even......

    find the leakers within the FBI itself. Classified information is being given to media that could have a devastating effect on U.S. FIND NOW


    Is that the outrage Don?

    Or is it that you end up looking like an incompetent, lying ass when this information gets out?
     
  3. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    Or perhaps, because the FBI / NSA have been investigating for months, and turned up nothing to support Russian collusion.
     
  4. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    So they are supposed to comment on ongoing investigations, which they don't do, at the behest of the White House, while they are supposed to be able to investigate independently, in order to help out the president who has a massive image problem?

    Why not change their name from FBI to Trump Propagandist Factory?
     
  5. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    Flynns RECORDED conversation, revealed that Flynn said "the incoming admin. would be reviewing Obamas sanctions". If there were a "smoking gun" the "leaker" would have presented it, rather than vagueries, and inuendo.
     
  6. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Okay.


    So the FBI should put out political statements in support of the image of the president, violating their own policies?
     
  7. lemmiwinx

    lemmiwinx Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Can't accept the fact that you candidate lost? Blame the Russians and don't worry about coming up with any proof. Then blast Republicans for trying to deny it, classic media shaping the story to suit their politics.
     
  8. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What?


    What does that have to do with this egregious request on the part of the administration?
     
  9. zbr6

    zbr6 Banned

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    Its in the nations best interests for federal law enforcement bodies to report their findings, is it not?

    Millions of Leftists think Russia basically picked our President.

    But, friend, there just isn't any evidence of this.

    I mean none, like nothing.

    There isn't even an suggestion of an indication of a hint that something resembling an approximation of a piece of evidence that might possibly contain a fact exists somewhere at some time in some dimension down some avenue.

    You guys ...come on ...you have NOTHING!

    And its amazingly dangerous for a half a population of a country to be scammed by such a volatile notion.

    This is how civil wars get started, how can you not see that?

    Holy hell man, put the Trump hate on pause for a few minutes and think about the consequences of this FAKE NEWS CONSPIRACY THEORY.
     
  10. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    They were not asked to report their findings. The investigations were ongoing. they were asked to debunk a story that made the president look bad, which is not their job.


    I am a bit surprised that folks are defending such a slimy and dictator-ish move on the part of the administration. The FBI is a law enforcement agency, not a body to be used for propaganda.
     
  11. lemmiwinx

    lemmiwinx Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Depends on what you mean by egregious. Is it egregious for a former president to meet with an Attorney General on a plane on a tarmac when his wife is under investigation by the FBI?
     
  12. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What does this next tangent have to do with the thread topic?

    There seems to be a concerted effort to avoid the topic and distract here.
     
  13. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    This shouldn't even be debated, but let's look at Comeys track record. Comey openly addresses the e-mail scandal. HRC suffers. Comey openly addresses Russian collusion. DJT suffers. Comey apparently has ZERO ethical standards regarding the confidential nature of his position. He was pushed to clarify, and apologize for commenting on Clinton. Trump has every reason to expect equal treatment.
     
  14. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I see.

    So this excuses the White House from attempting to have the FBI serve as their propaganda arm in preservation of the president's image?
     
  15. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    I think a simple "no evidence thus far" would suffice. It's non-commital enough for Comeys liking.
     
  16. zbr6

    zbr6 Banned

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    If somebody accused you of being a rapist and the police investigated and found that you never raped anybody would you not want the police to tell people that?

    The Left is calling Trump a traitor, they have no proof of that, no spy agency in the nation can find proof of it, its important to have the truth known.

    Or we can just have a civil war, hows that?

    Its pretty obvious how that would turn on so, meh, why not?
     
  17. lemmiwinx

    lemmiwinx Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    My point is 24/7 anti-Trump stuff in the media is not helping anything. Ever since they were able to force Nixon to resign in 1974 the media can't get enough of themselves. So they put out all kinds of wacky stuff like this which won't stop until he's out of there.
     
  18. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    So they should violate protocols at the behest of the administration to bolster the image of the president?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Which oddly has nothing to do with the thread topic nor anything I stated.
     
  19. lemmiwinx

    lemmiwinx Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I called news stories like the one in your post attempts by the media to get Trump out of office. That should count as at least partially on topic.
     
  20. usda_select

    usda_select Active Member Past Donor

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    The guy who carried the Birther banner for a decade is now worried about conspiracy theories?
     
  21. Think for myself

    Think for myself Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not in my book. I call it an intentional distraction via an illogical comparable.
     
  22. PrincipleInvestment

    PrincipleInvestment Well-Known Member

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    Think I've demonstrated Comeys ethics are pretty "fluid" where confidentiality is concerned. Comey is held up as evidence by those claiming a "deep state" conspiracy is attempting to usurp democracy.
     
  23. mdrobster

    mdrobster Well-Known Member

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    trying influence an ongojng federal investigation is a very serious breach in protocol. rwers had a serious problem when bill clinton talked to the fbi during the campaign
     
  24. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The FBI has a policy of not releasing the results of an investigation?
     
  25. Sadanie

    Sadanie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You mean. . .like they investigated Benghazi for YEARS and found nothing to charge Clinton?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Yes. . .that's exactly the policy Comey followed when he announced, 10 days before the elections, that they reopened an investigation on Clinton's e-mail. . .and than came back and said: "never mind!"?
     

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