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Trump is morally unfit to be president, says ex-FBI chief

Agencies
April 16, 2018

Washington, Apr 16: Former FBI Director James Comey said in his first televised interview since being fired that he believed Donald Trump was "morally unfit to be president," and that it was "possible" that the Russians had material that could be used to blackmail him.

In a wide-ranging conversation with George Stephanopoulos broadcast on ABC late Sunday, Comey took aim at Trump in no uncertain terms, comparing his administration to a mafia family, likening his presidency to a forest fire and asserting there was evidence that he had committed a crime.

He said, curiously, that he would not favor impeaching Trump to remove him from office, because that "would let the American people off the hook and have something happen indirectly that I believe they're duty-bound to do directly" - meaning through elections. But he made clear his view of whether Trump was fit to hold the position.

"This president does not reflect the values of this country," Comey said.

The interview airs just days before Comey is set to release a new book and embark on a media tour to promote it. Much of what Comey said to Stephanopoulos mirrors what he wrote, although his televised, extemporaneous comments are sure to attract the attention of the president, who is an avid TV viewer.

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted criticism of Comey, denying some of Comey's allegations and alleging that Comey revealed classified information and lied to Congress.

"Slippery James Comey, a man who always ends up badly and out of whack (he is not smart!), will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!" Trump wrote.

The Washington Post was allowed to review a complete transcript of the Comey interview, which lasted nearly five hours.

As he did in his book, Comey detailed in the interview Trump's fixation on unproven allegations that he watched prostitutes urinate on one another in a Moscow hotel in 2013, asserting that Trump at one point said he was contemplating ordering Comey to investigate and disprove the incident because he did not want "even a 1 percent chance" that his wife, first lady Melania Trump, would believe it happened.

Comey said that struck him as odd. "I remember thinking, 'How could your wife think there's a 1 percent chance you were with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow?' " he said, adding that his assessment was it's possible Trump is guilty of the accusation.

"I honestly never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but I don't know whether the current president of the United States was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow in 2013," Comey said. "It's possible, but I don't know."

Comey said it was possible, too, that the Russians might have material that could be used to blackmail Trump.

"Do you think the Russians have something on Donald Trump?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"I think it's possible. I don't know. These are more words I never thought I'd utter about a president of the United States, but it's possible," Comey responded.

Comey described in great detail several conversations he had with Trump, telling Stephanopoulos of how the president asked for his loyalty and how that interaction and others reminded him of his time as a prosecutor in New York pursuing mob families, for whom loyalty to the boss and the organization were the only values that mattered.

"It's the family, the family, the family, the family," Comey said.

Trump has denied asking for Comey's loyalty.

Comey offered a blunt assessment of a conversation with Trump on Feb. 14, 2017, during which Comey maintains the president said of an investigation the FBI was conducting into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, "I hope you can let it go." Trump disputes Comey's account.

"With that direction, was President Trump obstructing justice?" Stephanopoulos asked.

 "Possibly," Comey responded. "I mean, it's certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice. That something really important just happened and that I was a little - another one of those outta-body experiences, like, 'Really? The president just kicked out the attorney general to ask me to drop a criminal investigation.' Wow, the world continues to go crazy."

Comey even took aim at Trump's personal appearance, remarking how his "tie was too long, as it always is" and that his face "looked slightly orange up close with small white - half moons under his eyes, which I assume are from tanning goggles."

The former FBI boss acknowledged he had grave misgivings about the Trump presidency even before it began.

In a meeting with President Barack Obama in the last days of his administration, Comey says he told the president: "I dread the next four years. But in many ways, I feel great pressure to stay to try and protect the institution I lead."

While Trump bore the brunt of his criticism, Comey also took aim at others - including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whom Trump has been contemplating removing from his post.

Comey said Rosenstein had "acted dishonorably" in authoring a memo lambasting Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. Trump cited the memo in firing Comey, and Comey said he came to believe Rosenstein was "part of the family now. I can't trust him."

He later said, though, that he did not believe Rosenstein would fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller if ordered by Trump to do so, and that Rosenstein "has an opportunity in overseeing Bob Mueller to restore some of his professional reputation."

As he has in the past, Comey offered a vigorous defense of his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

Parts of the interview are likely to revive the fury of Clinton supporters who think he cost her the presidency by reopening the email investigation less than two weeks before the election.

When Stephanopoulos asked him if the decision was "influenced by your assumption that Hillary Clinton was going to win," Comey replied: "It must have been. I don't remember consciously thinking about that, but it must have been. 'Cause I was operating in a world where Hillary Clinton was going to beat Donald Trump."

He also said he was sorry for how he handled the first announcement in July 2016 that he was closing the Clinton email probe without seeking any charges. He says he agrees now with the criticism that his remarks muddied important issues.

"I'm sorry that I caused all kinds of confusion and pain with the way I described her conduct that led people into all kinds of side roads," Comey said.

He also spoke at length about his complicated relationship with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Previously, Comey's defenders have argued that a Russian intelligence document the FBI received in early 2016 suggesting Lynch would protect Clinton in some fashion from the email probe meant that he had to cut her out of the final decision-making process.

But The Washington Post has reported that many FBI officials viewed the allegation against Lynch as dubious at best - and possibly one of Russia's very first disinformation efforts during the 2016 campaign.

Comey said he didn't believe the allegation, but feared that if it ever came out, it would destroy the credibility of the Justice Department and the FBI.

"There was material that I knew someday, when it's declassified, and I thought that would be decades in the future, would cause historians to wonder, 'Hmm, was there some strange business goin' on there? Was Loretta Lynch somehow carrying water for the campaign and controlling what the FBI did?' "

So partly for that reason, he said, Comey decided to announce on his own his recommendation that no charges be filed in the Clinton case.

Throughout the interview, Comey stressed the importance of telling the truth, a theme in his book. He described being initially reluctant to prosecute Martha Stewart for lying to investigators, but then recalled a case when he was a federal prosecutor in Richmond and had charged a minister with the same thing.

"And there once was a day when people were afraid of goin' to hell if they took an oath in the name of God and violated it. We've drifted away from that day. And so in its place has to be a fear that if you lie and the government can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, they will prosecute you in order to send a message to all the others who might be called upon to give evidence," Comey said. "We must prosecute people who lie in the middle of an investigation."

The comments come a day after the Justice Department inspector general released a report accusing Andrew McCabe, Comey's former deputy, of lying repeatedly as they investigated a media disclosure he had authorized. The inspector general says McCabe even lied to Comey, though McCabe disputes Comey's account.

After he was fired, Comey said, Trump issued an order that he was not to be allowed back in the FBI building, even to retrieve his belongings. His firing came as Comey was visiting the FBI office in Los Angeles, and for a brief moment it wasn't even clear if he would be allowed to ride on the government plane back to Washington.

When he did get on the plane, he decided to open a bottle of wine. "I drank red wine from a paper cup and just looked out at the lights of the country I love so much as we flew home," he said.

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News Network
June 8,2020

Wellington, Jun 8: New Zealand lifted all domestic coronavirus restrictions on Monday after its final COVID-19 patient was given the all clear, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealing she danced around her living room when told about the milestone.

While strict border controls will remain in place, Ardern said restrictions such as social distancing and limits on public gatherings were no longer needed.

"We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now," she said in a televised address, saying Kiwis had "united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus".

The South Pacific nation, with a population of five million, has had 1,154 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths.

There have been no new infections for 17 days and, until Monday, just one active case for more than a week.

Details of the final patient were not released for privacy reasons but it is believed to be a woman aged in her 50s who was linked to a cluster at an Auckland nursing home.

Ardern said the sacrifices made by New Zealanders, including a drastic seven-week lockdown that helped curb infection rates, had been rewarded now that there were no active cases in the country.

Asked about her reaction upon hearing the news, she replied: "I did a little dance" with baby daughter Neve.

"She was caught a little by surprise but she joined in, having absolutely no idea why I was dancing around the lounge."

New Zealand's move down to Level 1, the lowest rating on its four-tier virus response system, means nightclubs can operate without dance floor restrictions and theatres will reopen.

It also means sporting events can proceed with crowds in the stands, a change New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said offered its Super Rugby Aotearoa competition the opportunity to achieve a world first when it kicks off this weekend.

"We're incredibly proud, and grateful, to be the first professional sports competition in the world to be in a position to have our teams play in front of their fans again," NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said.

While many other sporting competitions around the globe have announced plans to restart, the vast majority will be played either with no crowds or with numbers severely restricted.

On a broader level, Ardern said easing restrictions would help New Zealand's economy.

"We now have a head start on economic recovery because at level one we become one of the most open, if not the most open, economies in the world," she said.

The prime minister said modelling showed the economy would operate at just 3.8 percent below normal at Level 1, compared with a 37 percent impairment at Level 4 lockdown.

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News Network
June 19,2020

United Nations, Jun 19: Half of the world's children -- one billion every year -- are affected by physical, sexual or psychological violence, suffering injuries and death because countries have failed to follow established strategies to protect them, the first report of its kind from the UN has said, with experts noting that the coronavirus-related lockdowns have left far too many youngsters stuck with their abusers.

While nearly all countries (88 per cent) have laws in place to protect minors, less than half (47 per cent) say they strongly enforce them, said the Global Status Report on Preventing Violence Against Children 2020 launched on Thursday.

Because countries have failed to follow established strategies to protect children, about one billion are affected each year by physical, sexual or psychological violence, it said.

"There is never any excuse for violence against children," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"We have evidence-based tools to prevent it, which we urge all countries to implement. Protecting the health and well-being of children is central to protecting our collective health and well-being, now and for the future," he said.

The report -- launched by the World Health Organisation, the UNICEF, the UNESCO, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children and the End Violence Partnership -- charted progress in 155 countries against the "INSPIRE" framework, a set of seven strategies for preventing and responding to violence against children.

The report signaled a clear need in all countries to scale up efforts to implement them. It included the first ever global homicide estimates specifically for children under 18 years of age -- previous estimates were based on data that included 18 to 19-year olds.

According to the findings, in 2017, around 40,000 children were victims of homicide.

"Violence against children has always been pervasive, and now things could be getting much worse," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

"Lockdowns, school closures and movement restrictions have left far too many children stuck with their abusers, without the safe space that school would normally offer. It is urgent to scale up efforts to protect children during these times and beyond, including by designating social service workers as essential and strengthening child helplines," she said.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the related school closures, "we have seen a rise in violence and hate online – and this includes bullying".

"Now, as schools begin to re-open, children are expressing their fears about going back to school. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that schools are safe environments for all children. We need to think and act collectively to stop violence at school and in our societies at large," Azoulay said.

Stay-at-home measures including school closures have limited the usual sources of support for families and individuals such as friends, extended family or professionals.

This further erodes victims’ ability to successfully cope with crises and the new routines of daily life. Spikes in calls to helplines for child abuse and intimate partner violence have been observed, the report said.

While online communities have become central to maintain many children's learning, support and play, an increase in harmful online behaviors including cyberbullying, risky online behavior and sexual exploitation have been identified.

“Whilst this report was being finalised, confinement measures and the disrupted provision of already limited child protection services exacerbated the vulnerability of children to various forms of violence," said Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children.

Of the INSPIRE strategies, only access to schools through enrolment showed the most progress with 54 per cent of the countries reporting that a sufficient number of children in need were being reached in this way.

Between 32 per cent and 37 per cent of the countries considered that victims of violence could access support services, while 26 per cent of the countries provided programmes on parent and caregiver support; 21 per cent of the countries had programmes to change harmful norms; and 15 per cent of the countries had modifications to provide safe physical environments for children, the report said.

Although a majority of countries (83 per cent) have national data on violence against children, only 21 per cent used these to set baselines and national targets to prevent and respond to violence against children, it added.

The report said about 80 per cent of countries have national plans of action and policies but only one-fifth have plans that are fully funded or have measurable targets. A lack of funding combined with inadequate professional capacity are likely contributing factors and a reason why implementation has been slow.

"Ending violence against children is the right thing to do, a smart investment to make - and it's possible. We can and must create a world where every child can thrive," Howard Taylor of the End Violence Partnership said.

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News Network
July 20,2020

Paris, Jul 20: Two coronavirus vaccine candidates have proven safe for humans and produced strong immune reactions among patients involved in separate clinical trials, doctors said on Monday.

The first trial among more than 1,000 adults in Britain found that the vaccine induced "strong antibody and T cell immune responses" against the novel coronavirus.

A separate trial in China involving more than 500 people showed most had developed widespread antibody immune response.

The studies, published in The Lancet medical journal, constitute a major step on the road towards a COVID-19 vaccine that is effective and safe for widespread use.

The authors of the studies said that they encountered few adverse side-effects from the vaccine candidates.

However, they cautioned that more research was needed, particularly among older adults, who are disproportionately at risk of dying of COVID-19.

Co-author Sarah Gilbert from the University of Oxford said the results "hold promise".

"If our vaccine is effective, it is a promising option as these types of vaccine can be manufactured at large scale."

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