memeorandum: Trump Asked Comey to Drop Flynn Investigation, According to Memo Written by Former FBI Director (Wall Street Journal)

8:05 AM ET, May 17, 2017

Top Items:

Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:

Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation — WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, to shut down the federal investigation into Mr. Trump's former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, in an Oval Office meeting in February …

Discussion: New Yorker, Politico, Raw Story, USA Today, The Daily Beast, The Guardian, CNBC, Real Clear Politics, Washington Examiner, New York Magazine, CBS Boston, TheBlaze, Grabien News RSS, Washington Post, DCReport.org, Fox News, Shareblue, Axios, The Hill, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Just Security, Lawfare, Mediaite, NBC News, National Review, Althouse, Common Dreams, Financial Times, AOL, Snopes.com, Informed Comment, CNN, Power Line, Breitbart, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Media Matters for America, Gizmodo, Political Insider blog, Al Jazeera English, IJR, The Resurgent, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Daily Mail, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Outside the Beltway, Vox, NPR, Daily Kos, Hit & Run, The Last Tradition, Mother Jones, FiveThirtyEight, Mashable, Politicus USA, The Mahablog, CBS New York, KQED News, Patterico's Pontifications, The Gateway Pundit, TheStreet, KFOR-TV, Shakesville, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hot Air, WTVR-TV and Washington Free Beacon, more at Mediagazer »

The Daily Beast:

Trump Officials on Comey Memo: 'Don't See How Trump Isn't Completely F*cked' … If you come at James Comey, you best not miss. — The former FBI director—who President Donald Trump fired and then later threatened on Twitter last week—reportedly kept notes of their conversations …

Discussion: IJR, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Politicus USA, TheBlaze, New York Times, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, The Atlantic and twitchy.com

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

White House on edge: ‘We are kind of helpless’ — It was, in the words of one senior White House official, the worst day of Trump's presidency. — White House officials spent early Tuesday wondering who was leaking details of President Donald Trump's classified conversations with Russian officials …

Discussion: Raw Story, Mediaite and New York Magazine

Fox News:

Gregg Jarrett: Comey's revenge is a gun without powder — James Comey was lying in wait. — His gun was cocked, he took aim and fired. But his weapon was empty. — Three months ago, the then-FBI Director met with President Trump. Following their private conversation …

Discussion: Viking Pundit

Bob Brigham / Raw Story:

Republican Darrell Issa gives reporter the silent treatment — and the finger — for asking about Comey memos — DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! — With scandal upon scandal piling up for the Republican Party, the stress is clearly getting to some prominent Republicans.

Discussion: Daily Kos, Politicus USA, RedState, The Daily Caller and Washington Post

Noah Feldman / Bloomberg:

Trump Should Worry: Comey Memo Describes a High Crime — Trying to end the Flynn investigation isn't a legal crime, but it is an impeachable offense. — If President Donald Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to stop investigating National Security Adviser Mike Flynn and his ties to Russia, that's obstruction of justice.

Discussion: Politico, Take Care Blog, Washington Post and The Week

Washington Post:

Notes made by former FBI Director Comey say Trump pressured him to end Flynn probe — President Trump asked the FBI to drop its investigation into his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and urged the FBI director James B. Comey instead to pursue reporters in leak investigations …

Liam Donovan / Politico:

When Will Republicans Dump Trump? — Spoiler alert: Not yet, and maybe never. — By this point it's almost a routine. Major media outlet breaks allegation of administration malfeasance. White House spokesman denies and dissembles. Feeding frenzy ensues.

Discussion: Crooked Timber

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Trump's Protective Republican Wall In Congress Cracks — The Republican Congress has surrounded the Trump administration with a protective wall. The majority party has denied Democratic demands for independent investigations, quashed bills to force President Trump to release his tax returns …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Vox and RedState

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
White House rocked by allegation Trump tried to shut down FBI's Flynn probe

Discussion: ABC News, Vox and Axios

Mike Allen / Axios:
“Comey's revenge” may be far from over

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Raw Story, The Week and Media Matters for America

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:
New York Times Oversells 'Comey's Revenge' Story

Discussion: The Hill, New York Times, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Power Line, Politico, Media Matters for America, IJR, Daily Kos, The Week, CNBC, Vox, The Guardian, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and Talking Points Memo

Matt Ford / The Atlantic:
Did President Trump Obstruct Justice?

Discussion: The Week

Associated Press:
Key moments of Trump-Comey clash and what's come after

Discussion: Politico

Wall Street Journal:
Trump Asked Comey to Drop Flynn Investigation, According to Memo Written by Former FBI Director

Discussion: Instapundit

CNN:
Chaffetz: I'm ready to subpoena for Comey memo

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Austin Wright / Politico:
Graham invites Comey to testify before Senate panel

Discussion: The Hill, twitchy.com, The Atlantic, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
As Trump's woes mount, congressional Republicans arrive at a moment of reckoning

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

New York Times:

At a Besieged White House, Tempers Flare and Confusion Swirls — WASHINGTON — The disclosure that President Trump divulged classified intelligence to two high-ranking Russian officials was a new blow to an already dispirited and besieged White House staff still recovering from the uproar …

Discussion: McClatchy Washington Bureau, The Hill, Balloon Juice, Hot Air, Liberal Values, AOL, USA Today, Shareblue, Hullabaloo, RedState, The Daily Signal, Raw Story, Washington Post, No More Mister Nice Blog and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Brian Ross / ABC News:

Trump's disclosure endangered spy placed inside ISIS by Israel, officials say — The life of a spy placed by Israel inside ISIS is at risk tonight, according to current and former U.S. officials, after President Donald Trump reportedly disclosed classified information in a meeting with Russian officials last week.

Discussion: Hot Air, Mediaite, Axios and Political Wire

New York Times:

Israel Was Source of Secret Intelligence That Trump Gave to Russians, Officials Say — WASHINGTON — The classified intelligence that President Trump disclosed in a meeting last week with Russian officials at the White House was provided by Israel, according to a current …

Sheera Frenkel / BuzzFeed:
Israeli Official: Trump Sharing Intelligence With Russia Is “Worst Fears Confirmed”

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Daily Kos, New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, The Hill, PRI, AOL, RealClearPolitics, Balloon Juice, NBC News and RedState

Evan Perez / CNN:
Inside the US effort to keep laptop bomb intel secret

Discussion: Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Politico, New York Times, The Week, Al Jazeera English, ABC News, Politicus USA, The Daily Caller, Infowars, CBS Philly, The Times of Israel, fox5sandiego.com, Sputnik International, Raw Story and RedState

Philip Rucker / Washington Post:
Inside the Oval Office with Trump and the Russians: Broad smiles and loose lips

Discussion: The Atlantic, New York Magazine, New York Times and The Guardian

Oliver Darcy / CNNMoney:

Story on DNC staffer's murder dominated conservative media — hours later it fell apart — It took only hours for one of the biggest stories in conservative media this week, which some outlets had chosen to focus on over news that President Trump disclosed classified information to senior Russian officials, to fall apart.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES and Balloon Juice

Joseph Bernstein / BuzzFeed:
Meet The Private Detective Who Ignited A Clinton Conspiracy Theory

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:
DNC Staffer's Murder Draws Fresh Conspiracy Theories

Discussion: Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Daily Kos, DCist, Mediaite, Right Wing Watch and Snopes.com

Ross Douthat / New York Times:

The 25th Amendment Solution to Remove Trump — It was just three days and a lifetime ago that I wrote a column about Donald Trump's unfitness for the presidency that affected a world-weary tone. Nothing about this White House's chaos was surprising given the style of Trump's campaign, I argued.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Resurgent and politics.blog.mystatesman.com

The Guardian:

'Erdoan's bodyguards' in violent clash with protesters in Washington DC — Nine people hurt and two arrests made during the altercation at the Turkish ambassador's residence in the US capital … Nine people were hurt and two arrests were made during an altercation at the Turkish ambassador's residence …

Discussion: CNN, CNBC, The Daily Caller and The Week

Casey Tolan / Mercury News:

Exclusive: Kimberly Guilfoyle says she's talking with Trump administration about press secretary job — The Fox News host and former First Lady of San Francisco tells the Bay Area News Group: 'I'm a patriot, and it would be an honor to serve the country.' — NEW YORK — Kimberly Guilfoyle …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Week, CNNMoney, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, New York Times, AOL, Politico, TheBlaze and RedState, more at Mediagazer »

Tony Schwartz / Washington Post:

I wrote ‘The Art of the Deal’ with Trump. His self-sabotage is rooted in his past. — The president's behavior, explained. … President Trump's behavior hasn't changed in decades. It probably never will. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) — Why does Donald Trump behave …

Discussion: The Week

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation:

Gaps in Coverage Among People With Pre-Existing Conditions — The American Health Care Act (AHCA), which has passed the House of Representatives, contains a controversial provision that would allow states to waive community rating in the individual insurance market.

Discussion: Axios and Talking Points Memo

Roger Friedman / Showbiz411:

MSNBC Ending Lawrence O'Donnell “The Last Word” Show Despite Top Ratings (Exclusive) — I can confirm that MSNBC is ending the top rated “The Last Word” with Lawrence O'Donnell, the popular show that follows Rachel Maddow at 10pm. O'Donnell's contract is up shortly, and the network has not made any overtures about keeping him on.

Discussion: Politicus USA and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

NSA officials worried about the day its potent hacking tool would get loose. Then it did. — When the National Security Agency began using a new hacking tool called EternalBlue, those entrusted with deploying it marveled at both its uncommon power and the widespread havoc it could wreak if it ever got loose.