Merged Trump Fires Comey....

[Crossbow]

Agree. He really is, but I have to admit, I'm surprised at the degree to which he's hitched his wagon to Trump. I though he'd been in the Graham group trying to create space while still advancing their own agenda through Trump.

Not that the effort is convincing, but Ryan is all in.

I am surprised at the way Ryan has been kissing up to Trump as well.

As near as I can figure, Trump may have been dangling some plum appointment before Ryan in order to get the support of Ryan.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

If, however, a court or Congress demands that the identity of the leaker be made public, a journalist can end up in some trouble. Judy Miller was one such high profile case.

The law on that score is very interesting and sensitive.

Susan McDougal spent 18 months in jail on contempt of court for refusing to answer questions about Bill Clinton in the Whitewater real estate matter.

 

[Tony Stark]

I am surprised at the way Ryan has been kissing up to Trump as well.

As near as I can figure, Trump may have been dangling some plum appointment before Ryan in order to get the support of Ryan.

How could an appointment sway Ryan? He's the speaker of the House, probably the second most powerful position in Washington.

Ryan just really, really wants to cut taxes for rich people and **** poor people. And maybe he's complicit in the Russia stuff too.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

And yet a judge can hold them indefinitely in jail for refusal to testify before a grand jury. I'm asking if there is any other way for the FBI to force the issue.

It wouldn't be the FBI. It would have to be Sessions filing charges and he'd lose in court and it would only make things worse. This is pretty much settled law.

Obama, in one of his not-progressive moments tried very hard to discover sources using the NSA to find who was contacting the reporters with the leaks. I don't think he found any leakers.

 

[TraneWreck]

Susan McDougal spent 18 months in jail on contempt of court for refusing to answer questions about Bill Clinton in the Whitewater real estate matter.

That was all so ridiculous contemporaneously, but holy hell, that entire episode just gets more absurd with time.

 

[Tony Stark]

GOP Rep. Justin Amash on Comey memo: if true, there are grounds for impeachment

 

[TraneWreck]

GOP Rep. Justin Amash on Comey memo: if true, there are grounds for impeachment

Whoa. A GOP member saying that word is a big step forward.

 

[NoahFence]

Can the FBI arrest journalist for leaks or can the DoJ have them arrested? I think a judge can use contempt, but I don't know about the others.

 

[Tony Stark]

Whoa. A GOP member saying that word is a big step forward.

It doesn't actually appear he said the word. He was asked if the allegations in Comey memo would be grounds for impeachment if true. He answered yes.

 

[acbytesla]

Maybe he's complicit in Russia shenanigans too.

I doubt it. Ryan being an idiot is much more plausible. He hitched his wagon on the health care bill to Trump. He's pragmatic to the point of being stupid. Remember during the campaign him vacillating on his support for Trump.

 

[BobTheCoward]

Well, ...

If and when you can ever figure out just what your question is, then please let us know.

But in in the meantime, there is a difference between holding someone in contempt of court and someone publishing leaked information (which is what you originally asked about).

And, I cannot figure out what you are asking when you refer to 'the FBI forcing the issue' since you have not made this issue apparent.

I was trying to make sure I wasn't missing something in Trump's stupidity. So, while a judge can hold a reporter in contempt for not revealing a source, no one can think of any way the FBI can detain a reporter to track down the source?

 

[BobTheCoward]

What is your point? Are you disputing the contempt aspect?

 

[TraneWreck]

I was trying to make sure I wasn't missing something in Trump's stupidity. So, while a judge can hold a reporter in contempt for not revealing a source, no one can think of any way the FBI can detain a reporter to track down the source?

I don't think so, but I would not be shocked if there were some provision in the Patriot Act or somehow tied to National Security! that allowed such a thing.

I certainly don't think it's been used, if it exists.

 

[NoahFence]

What is your point? Are you disputing the contempt aspect?

I think it's funny that you'd ask if the journalist can be arrested.

Then you follow it up with

I didn't say "for doing something illegal". Civil contempt isn't for doing something illegal.

You can't get arrested if you didn't do anything illegal. Try to keep up.

 

[Tony Stark]

https://twitter.com/MarkWarner/status/864879195436003328/photo/1

For those of you who can't see, it is a tweet from Senator Mark Warner.

Joint statement with @SenatorBurr: the Senate Intelligence Committee has invited James Comey to testify in open & closed session.

The also asked acting FBI Director McCabe for Comey memos.

 

[Crossbow]

I was trying to make sure I wasn't missing something in Trump's stupidity. So, while a judge can hold a reporter in contempt for not revealing a source, no one can think of any way the FBI can detain a reporter to track down the source?

Speaking of stupidity, the power of the FBI to hold anyone for any reason is quite limited.

While it is true, the FBI can temporarily take someone into custody if there is a clear case that person in question is in a serious violation of the law. But other than that, the courts must become involved to see if the person who was taken into custody actually needs to stay in custody because that person may flee, may destroy evidence, may cause harm, or some such other thing.

While the FBI can make, and often do make, recommendations in such matters, the FBI is simply not empowered to make such decisions on its own. And just in case you have not heard, the FBI is a law enforcement organization as opposed to a law interpretation organization.

Furthermore, neither the FBI, nor any other law enforcement organization, can keep someone in custody in order to force them to provide data.

 

[BobTheCoward]

I think it's funny that you'd ask if the journalist can be arrested.

Then you follow it up with

You can't get arrested if you didn't do anything illegal. Try to keep up.

I was pretty shocked to learn that a judge can unilaterally jail a reporter indefinitely until they reveal a source. Before I call Trump out for not knowing it was only them I wanted to make sure I didn't miss some FBI or DoJ detention policy.

 

[Crossbow]

How could an appointment sway Ryan? He's the speaker of the House, probably the second most powerful position in Washington.

Ryan just really, really wants to cut taxes for rich people and **** poor people. And maybe he's complicit in the Russia stuff too.

You may be right.

I had not thought about that. Perhaps Ryan was in on the Russian issue as well and if Trump goes down, then he may get caught in his wake.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

I doubt it. Ryan being an idiot is much more plausible. He hitched his wagon on the health care bill to Trump. He's pragmatic to the point of being stupid. Remember during the campaign him vacillating on his support for Trump.

The current conspiracy theory is that Manaford&co. donated laundered money to the GOP without Ryan's involvement but with his eventual knowledge - that makes Ryan subject to a RICO charge. He could go to prision if this is the case and it comes to light.

 

[acbytesla]

The current conspiracy theory is that Manaford&co. donated laundered money to the GOP without Ryan's involvement but with his eventual knowledge - that makes Ryan subject to a RICO charge. He could go to prision if this is the case and it comes to light.

That's why it is a conspiracy theory. We know almost nothing as of yet. You might as well speculate I had a threesome with Kristen Bell and Anna Kendrick. You'd have as much chance of being right.