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West Wing aides fearful of directly attacking Comey, outsourcing the task

T

Tovarisc

Member
The White House has outsourced its counter-messaging effort during Comey's testimony, as aides try to avoid more personal legal risk.

The White House and its allies have scrambled to create a robust outside operation to punch at FBI Director James Comey during his high-stakes testimony on Thursday, but West Wing aides — fearful that they could get further sucked into the Russia probe — are trying to avoid being the messengers themselves.

Thursday's hearing marks the most serious threat Trump's long career has faced. That it will play out on live television is fitting for the real estate mogul who rode reality television stardom to the presidency.
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"It's fair to say a storm is coming," one administration source said. "We're boarding up the windows for the impending hurricane."

Trump's aides are also aware of the legal risk they face themselves – and have mostly been careful to outsource the Comey attack efforts.

The Republican National Committee is taking the lead in the response and has prepared a surrogate operation. It will be using the same rapid-response machinery it honed during presidential debates to provide counter-programming and leap on any dubious claims or statements that contradict previous accounts.

”The RNC's role is to support and defend the president and this White House and this week is no different," said Ryan Mahoney, the RNC's communications director. ”And we prepare for everything, and we're prepared for the hearing this week."

Local and national surrogate operations are ready to go, talking points will be widely distributed and briefing calls will be held to prep surrogates during the day.

Two former Trump White House officials — former deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh and former communications director Mike Dubke — are helping coordinate the effort. Press secretary Sean Spicer was at the RNC on Wednesday as preparations took place.

The aim at the RNC is to depict Comey as a disgruntled former employee out to destroy the president who fired him. The talking points also note that Democrats had previously been critical of Comey and stress that there is still no evidence of any collision between Trump's campaign and Russia.

Meanwhile, an outside PAC, the Great America Alliance, is prepared to run television adds slamming Comey as a ”showboat" — the same epithet Trump used against him — and painting him as a political hack, according to the Associated Press.

But White House aides are nervous about personally attacking Comey for his testimony, fearing it could boomerang back against them.
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The White House office of legislative affairs, which works closely with members of Congress, is not distributing talking points ahead of the hearing, according to one official. The office is attempting to stay focused on health care reform — but is also wary of being seen as interfering in an ongoing investigation, the official said.

One White House adviser said administration officials have told surrogates to question Comey's credibility — but the White House is cautious about doing it, given Trump's campaign aides and allies are operating under the cloud of investigation. White House officials "want it particularly noted," this person said, that Comey had previously said the investigation had not been obstructed.

They also want to highlight Democrats' past criticism of Comey, this adviser said.
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White House aides are trying to keep Trump busy Thursday morning with meetings so he won't watch TV and tweet during the hearing.

"But if he wants to watch it, it's not like we can say, ‘oh, the TV doesn't work,'" one official said.

But the outsider dominance of the operation underscores the conundrum for White House officials: as possible witnesses in any case themselves, attacking Comey for his testimony could be a legally perilous task.
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The risks are real given the range of topics Mueller and his team could explore. After all, White House aides who in their day jobs are being tasked with responding to the Russia probe are also being urged to hire lawyers if they end up on the receiving end of any informal or official requests for testimony and documents related to the investigation.
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Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/07/trump-comey-attacks-messaging-239269

Edit: Talking points are out: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=239573473&postcount=86
 
S

Shoeless

Member
They've got a hell of a job. Especially the RNC if there's any suspicion there that the they'll eventually have to pull a 180 and denounce Trump if more information comes to light. The actual White House staff probably have the toughest job of trying to stay ahead of this while protecting themselves legally.

But yeah, if the Mueller investigation digs anything up and these guys stick too many knives in Comey, it'll look really bad for them once the backtracking for survival is required. I'm sure people in the Republican party are painfully aware of that. Man, what a balancing act.
 
P

PandaPandaPanda

Member
The aim at the RNC is to depict Comey as a disgruntled former employee out to destroy the president who fired him. The talking points also note that Democrats had previously been critical of Comey and stress that there is still no evidence of any collision between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
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I hope this is the hill they die on because there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that the campaign did collude with Russia
 
S

Shoeless

Member
Jack Scofield said:
Jesus Christ. How hard can it be to take away his phone for a few hours? You'd think that Trump walks around waving a loaded gun or something.
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If it were anyone except a family member that tried that, it would probably be career suicide. He may be nuts, senile, or both, but he's still POTUS, and that's not someone you want to hold a grudge against you.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
RNC is off to a good start. They essentially legitimized Comey's memos in their rush to prove Trump was right
nature boy said:
DBvmkV0WAAIO0Br.jpg:large
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S

shiba5

Member
Akame ga Kill said:
So the WH knows Comey has the goods on them and are working to discredit him? Makes sense.
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Right? And they started attacking before they even know what he'll say. Of course, tonight they've latched on to that one statement about how he wasn't under investigation personally at the time of the meeting, and saying it's all over - as if the opening statement is everything.

Edit: Yep, there it is above.
 
S

SirClinksAlot

Member
Jesus the whole keeping Trump occupied so he wont tweet thing is hilarious. He truly is a toddler and everyone at the WH is just jingling their keys at him to keep him happy.
 
E

Escape Goat

Member
Sorry, Mr President. The tv is in the shop.

The waffle iron is in the shop. The tv is in the shop. Women's bathroom cam is in the shop. This place is the worst. Terrible. Sad!
 
O

Ogodei

Member
Just sweep the whole GOP apparatus in jail on obstruction charges. Everyone who says a negative word about Comey.
 
S

SolarPowered

Member
God, I hope this investigation puts like 100+ people in jail and absolutely destroys RNC, Senate and House leadership. I can't think of a political group in the US that deserves this more than the Republican party.
 
V

Vicetrailia

Banned
Just think, If trump supports could be reached faster rather than having to drag them kicking and screaming trumps whole agenda wouldn't be an issue. Hopefully the truth will set them free eventually.
 
N

Neuromancer

Member
White House aides are trying to keep Trump busy Thursday morning with meetings so he won't watch TV and tweet during the hearing.

"But if he wants to watch it, it's not like we can say, ‘oh, the TV doesn't work,’" one official said.
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Just tell him there's a Miss Universe dressing room he has to inspect and drive around the city until Comeys done.
 
M

Mirk

Member
More_Badass said:
RNC is off to a good start. They essentially legitimized Comey's memos in their rush to prove Trump was right
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I am losing myself on this. It is bait and they ate the whole bobber, but they have to know this because I know this. I feel like I am missing something! It may also be the drinks I had with dinner so I don't know!
 
ElRenoRaven

ElRenoRaven

Member
Fucking disgusting. Just fucking disgusting on every level. To think I used to be a republican. I'm fucking ashamed of that.
 
M

Mask

Member
The behaviour of traitors who know they're being traitorous fucks, but are too set in their shitty ways to change.
 
MisterHero

MisterHero

Super Member
he's using tax dollars to to fund a cavernous legal defense, while innocent people lose or settle cases for being too poor

that's what he's doing right
 
T

Tovarisc

Member
MisterHero said:
he's using tax dollars to to fund a cavernous legal defense, while innocent people lose or settle cases for being too poor

that's what he's doing right
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Actually he pays from own pocket to have defense against Mueller. I'm ignoring him using his golf courses to funnel tax money into his pockets.

Same with his staff. These probes will bankrupt so many people working for this administration because lawyers are fucking expensive and Trump isn't picking up the tap.
 
T

TetraGenesis

Member
SolarPowered said:
God, I hope this investigation puts like 100+ people in jail and absolutely destroys RNC, Senate and House leadership. I can't think of a political group in the US that deserves this more than the Republican party.
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I fantasize about this all the time but personally I lean more toward all these fuckers will get off and thrive in the new cesspool America they've created.
 
S

Shoeless

Member
Tovarisc said:
Actually he pays from own pocket to have defense against Mueller.

Same with his staff. These probes will bankrupt so many people working for this administration because lawyers are fucking expensive and Trump isn't picking up the tap.
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That almost sounds like a great, long term strategy. Conduct a legal war of attrition where people hiring lawyers to defend themselves against the investigation eventually have no choice but to cooperate when their own lawyers tell them "You can't afford me anymore" and Trump refuses to come to their aid.

Once it becomes financially and professionally disastrous for people to protect Trump, I'm sure party over country gives way to personal welfare over party.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
I think it's really stupid for the Republican machinery in general to attack Comey. First, he's a Republican, and he represents a very real faction of NatSec oriented moderate Republicans that are a crucial part of their elite backers. Maybe they've decided those people don't matter because they'll vote Republican anyway, but I definitely wouldn't take that for granted.

Second, right now the Republican party is not involved in this scandal. Everyone directly connected to the potential scandal are all Trumpites with no real connection to the party as a whole. By choosing to own the scandal, they unnecessarily risk downside if it ends up costing them in terms of public opinion. And there's no upside, because if he is vindicated in some way, it's not going to cause the public to embrace him.

If I was the RNC, I'd want to go with "We believe the Special Counsel's investigation will vindicate the President's actions during and since the campaign. We remain focused on the important task of blah blah blah jobs blah blah blah fighting ISIS blah blah blah punching orphans."

Let it also be noted that I actually think Republicans are in a better position if Mike Pence [remember: he's the guy that Flynn lied to, he is the victim of the Russian conspiracy] is President, and while there's some interim pain, I would think they'd come out the other end and recover pretty quickly.
 
C

CazTGG

Member
I don't recall Nixon trying to slander Cox like Trump and the RNC seems to be trying to with Comey. This is...unprecedented, to say the least.
 
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