Chuck Todd had his usual cavalcade of more-right-wing-than-left panel after the Comey hearings. Amy Walter, the progressive author from the Cook report had to share the screen with Kristol's son-in-law, Matthew Continetti, and the slightly right-leaning Chris Matthews. The discussion began with how Trump has created most of his own problems and there's really yet to be an outside crisis that has caused the bumbling administration any real trouble.
We can't focus entirely on the reality of how bad the GOP's Trump is performing, we must blame Democrats too, regardless of reality. Chuck Todd follows orders from the corporate bosses, who don't want to upset their Republican financiers, and delves into a both-siderist comparison that is relatively insane.
Donald Trump, fooled by the obsequious flattery of Saudi Arabia, emboldened the Saudis to ramp up tensions with Qatar. Ironically enough, the original conflict was fostered by a hacking and misinformation campaign waged by some foreign entity, much like us Americans experienced. The situation has escalated quickly.
Chuck, trying to take the heat off of the reality of Trump's incompetence, abruptly segues into an absurd false equivalency. He equates Loretta Lynch's 2015 'mis'-labeling of Hillary's email investigation as a 'matter' as equally untrustworthy as all the secret meetings and lying that has gone on with Jeff Sessions and his Russian pals.
TODD: Well, we have a real crisis. I would argue we have a crisis in the Middle East with what's going on in the Arabian Peninsula. That's a crisis that may have been caused, may have been inspired by the president and another tweet that may have been inspired.
Chris Matthews, today was a bad day for Loretta Lynch and Jeff Sessions. I have to say, as a private citizen, I could watch this testimony and come away with, gee, is ANY Justice Department independent anymore?
Yeah, right Chuck. We can't trust ANY Justice Department anymore and Lynch's DOJ was as corrupt as Jeff Sessions'? Lynch saying the email investigation should be called a matter is an offense of the same magnitude as our current Attorney General lying under oath about his meetings with Russians? Good lord, the two aren't remotely similar.
We know that James Comey cares a bit too much, for many of our tastes, about not appearing partisan. He overreacted before the election, by trying not to appear favorable to the Democrats, so Republicans pressured him to make a big deal about over Hillary's server and such. Here are Comey's remarks and the report from CBS.
"At one point the attorney general directed me not to call it an 'investigation' but instead to call it a 'matter,' which confused me and concerned me," Mr. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee. "That was one of the bricks in the load that lead me to conclude I have to step away from the (Justice) department if we are to close this case credibly."
"We had a criminal investigation open at the time, so that gave me a queasy feeling," Comey said.
During the hearing, Comey also pointed to Lynch's impromptu tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton as a factor in his decision to announce the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation. Comey felt that meeting posed a threat to the probe's integrity.
"That was the thing that capped it for me, that I had to do something separately to protect the credibility of the investigation, which meant both the FBI and the Justice Department," Comey said.
Semantics! Lynch was right, it was a matter, nothing requiring an investigation like colluding with a hostile foreign adversary. He knew about the Russian-Trump connections, yet, he said nothing directly to the American people, unfortunately. We know how much more serious Sessions' transgressions were because he recused himself!
Both Sides DON'T.
