Senator John McCain evidently picked up on the country's confusion at his...confusion.
McCain issues a statement on his hearing questions, suggests he shouldn't "stay up late watching Diamondbacks night games" pic.twitter.com/09sSpT0Vcn
— Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) June 8, 2017
Watch Trump lawyer's response live:
Senator John McCain has been one of the more outspoken Republican critics of Donald Trump. This is one of the reasons why his line of questioning at today's hearing was so baffling.
He spoke of some "double standard" relating to the ongoing investigation into the Trump team's potential collusion with Russian officials and the concluded investigation into Clinton's emails. This was a very awkward attempt to muddle the conversation by bringing up conservatives' favorite punching bag, but it makes very little sense in terms of the overarching conversation on Trump, potential obstruction of justice, White House lies, and collusion.
I'm honestly confused with McCain's line of questioning. McCain wants to know if the Clinton camp colluded w/ Russians so they could lose?
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 8, 2017
In his testimony today, Comey has confirmed on public record that - after Trump began defaming him following his ouster - he was moved to share his memos with the explicit purpose of leaking to the press with the goal of initiating a special council. This is an extraordinary admission, and also provides all the more reason for Trump to keep quiet on Twitter for his own sake. Will he actually begin exercising self-control? Based on his track record, probably not.
Comey just dropped a BIG bombshell about how Trump's tapes tweet set things in motion for him pic.twitter.com/NN8Snh7I1u
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) June 8, 2017
Pretty pathetic damage control from GOP leadership underway. Paul Ryan - the Wisconsin Republican and speaker of the house - argued that:
The president’s new at this. He’s new at government.
This doesn't really hold up. First of all, he's surrounded by seasoned staff including high-profile GOP operatives. Most importantly, this is the presidency of the United States of America, not a run-of-the-mill job. This defense is, itself, quite indefensible.

“Release all the tapes, I’m good with it," Comey tells the Senate Intel Committee, in reference to Trump's claim that he has tapes of his calls with Comey.
Bluster or fact? Does Trump actually have tapes?
The GOP defense of Trump's potential obstruction of justice is incredibly uninspiriing. Recall when the GOP tore into Obama for not having the right experience for the job? Well, those same standards don't seem to apply now.
BREAKING: WASHINGTON (AP) — @SpeakerRyan says FBI director needs to be independent, says Trump unfamiliar with protocol, 'just new to this'
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) June 8, 2017
Evidently, Trump's silence is part of a larger damage control operation:
Trump attorney Marc Kasowitz will deliver a statement after the Comey hearing
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 8, 2017
Trump's aids most have scored a small victory. Normally quite active on Twitter, especially during periods of stress, Trump has been silent on the social media platform so far. There was some speculation ahead of today's hearing that Trump may live tweet during the testimony. That hasn't happened yet.
Comey says that as an investigator, Trump kicking everyone else out before requesting Comey drop the Flynn investigation is "a very significant fact."
Could these simple la enforcement conclusions be used in a legal case for obstruction of justice?