Charles P. Pierce: We Were Close to a Eureka Moment During James Comey's Testimony

[MrPurple]

10. The Eureka moment should have been yesterday...

when Coats et al dodged answering the question whether Donald Trump had asked them to lay off on investigations. When they repeatedly declined to answer whether they can say that Trump did not ask them to lay off the investigation that's a tacit admission that he did. There's no way it would be too confidential to report that something alleged did NOT happen.

There's also no way that they had the grounds to refuse to answer the question. They should be cited for contempt (not that the Republican majority would do that). The Eureka moment would have been if the intelligence chiefs had truthfully answered that question yesterday. Then, there would be a clear pattern of behavior between what they described and Comey said today. The purpose of open hearings is so that the public can know the truth and when public opinion shifts, there is more pressure for Congress to act on it.

That bullshit yesterday allows all the right wing media to keep their followers deluded that Trump obstruction/collusion is a fabrication of liberal "fake news" and reduces the public pressure for something to be done about it. I wish Al Franken/Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren were on the Intelligence Committee, because I think they would have done more to vocally call out what happened yesterday.