Don't get hung up on Comey telling Trump that he is not under investigation.

[SaschaHM]

The real meat and potatoes is the continued insistence and pressure to "let Flynn go".

[jberryhill]

1. He actually hedges on that point

Comey's statement refers to a "counter intelligence investigation" and not a criminal investigation, and he makes that distinction clear in the statement.

[geek tragedy]

5. though, re: Russian collusion, doubtful there'd be a criminal investigation without

a counter-intelligence investigation (which has a more sensitive trigger).

Now, once a person starts digging into the financial arrangements as part of a broader investigation, different story

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. Trump didn't need to be a target himself to obstruct.

But the fact that he did seek to obstruct would certainly give cause to make him a target himself where he previously may not have been so.

I mean, did he really care about Michael Flynn for Michael Flynn's sake? Really?

[bettyellen]

4. Good points

[YCHDT]

8. yeap

[elehhhhna]

3. He also said they were not willing to release a statement to that effect in case

it would require a correction later


Lol uh oh.

[NightWatcher]

6. trump wasn't at that point in the Flynn Investigation

Like you say, this is about trump asking for loyalty and for Flynn to be let off, as well as getting rid of the Russian "cloud" that was hanging over him.

[herding cats]

7. I agree. When I read the full statement in context those were nothing.

He qualifies what he meant several times and added that they didn't want to release a statement to that fact should the situation changed. That's some pretty heavy stuff to dole out in an opening statement even without the loyalty and obstruction of justice implications.