Marshall TPM - "The Story of the Phony Lynch Email Grows Bigger" (important)

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-story-of-the-phony-lynch-email-grows-bigger


By JOSH MARSHALL Published MAY 26, 2017 1:53 PM

We’ve just had some highly disturbing, vaguely surreal new information reported by CNN. Two days ago The Washington Post reported that James Comey’s decision not to notify the Department of Justice about his July Clinton emails press conference was driven in part by emails or documents describing emails the FBI had found in troves of Russian-hacked emails which appeared to compromise Attorney General Lynch’s independence. The gist of the Post story was that Comey may have relied on what was in fact an exquisitely successful disinformation operation to make what turned out to be a highly consequential decision affecting the 2016 election.

This new CNN story contains an important twist.

According to sources who talked to CNN, Comey and the FBI knew the document was a fraud but used it anyway, both to make the decision and justify the decision after the fact.

This isn’t necessarily quite as crazy as it sounds. Comey’s apparent reasoning was that if the document was later released in a Russian/Wikileaks document dump, the fact that it was fake wouldn’t necessarily matter. The Bureau wouldn’t necessarily be able to publicly prove it was a phony without disclosing sources and methods, or perhaps not at all. The point being, whether or not the document was real didn’t really matter. Its release would potentially discredit the integrity of the DOJ/FBI decision making either way.

Two points seem worth noting.

First, we’re dealing with conclusions that are inherently uncertain. You seldom definitively determine that a document is fake. It’s more a preponderance of evidence. It also seems like the consensus opinion on the document’s authenticity evolved over time, with less and less credence being given to it and time went on. The issue here is that it seems like almost everyone involved would have some reason to shade their recollection of events and their relative certainty about key matters to shape the best story possible. That doesn’t even get into knowing deception. It just seems like there’s a lot of gray area and we should keep that in mind.

snip.....

[GusBob]

1. Maybe I am kinda thick, but this is very confusing

the writing is very poor

[Cooley Hurd]

2. The story is complex...

...but the writing is solid.

[GusBob]

5. As indicated, I ain't real bright

Perhaps his writing is for the more erudite amongst us. But man, that second sentence there reads like a crossword puzzle.

I reckon the average DUer could write the story better.

But hey, everyone's a critic huh?

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. I have read TPM since 2008.

Josh's writing has always confused me.
I certainly can read, and write, complex sentences and paragraphs, but something about his writing
makes my brain ache.
Plus, in THIS story, more complexity, esp. on top of many articles about the Comey-FBI-Russian-fake info. issue.
Short version..it ain't just you.

[GusBob]

6. Same here been reading him for years. His style is indirect

He has a tendency for equivocation and a preference to remain circumspect. He likes to hedge his thoughts as if he is worried to make a strong point.

And yes, I come away from his pieces feeling as if something was left out. In the realm of hard-hitting political commentary, he brings a pillow fight.

But as indicated, I ain't real sharp, who am I to criticize. He is successful so more power to him

[GreenEyedLefty]

8. I agree with you. He does not have a conversational writing style.

Also, he needs to edit... in one paragraph he uses the word "necessarily" 3 times. Ugh.

[uponit7771]

3. Without acknowledgment by the FBI itself this story sounds a bit spun, Comey would have to be a ...

... direct idiot to act on an email because it might get leaked without ballooning faked emails first.

I mean, a 10 yr old could come up with that diversion tactic !!!

[wishstar]

7. Seems obvious this is pushback against Rosenstein's criticism of Comey going around Justice Dept.

Leakers are revealing this to justify and prop up Comey's decision to announce the email decision in July where he not only went around Loretta Lynch but didn't go through Justice Dept officials at all. This story is an attempt to add another reason why Comey bypassed Justice officials and didn't follow usual protocols. Comey could deny interference by Lynch and Dems in the investigation and avoid the appearance of any influence by Lynch and her underlings on the investigation by making his announcement on his own. The decision to exonerate Clinton would have been criticized even more if it had come from a Justice Dept official under Lynch, if the false accusations in the fake document of interference by Lynch and other Dems had been revealed and spread around.

[Samantha]

9. From the time this story broke, I thought it did not pass the smell test

I still think that. Obviously, this has been presented as a leak promoted to influence our thinking about what really happened in Comey's decision-making process. But what has been described here does not fit Comey's pattern over the years. Additionally, if one did suck this in, belief in this information serves to augment that Comey's reputation has been compromised. If there is one thing Comey has been careful to protect, it has been his reputation. This is a play that would not have been in his playbook.

I did not agree with his decision, but I do believe there were many other factors that were not in his statement that moved him in the direction he went.


Sam