FBI director tries to help congressman understand how elections work

Ralph Nader notwithstanding, presidential elections in the United States pretty much come down to two people. There's a Republican candidate and a Democratic one. That's how it works. When one wins, the other one loses. The Oval Office has one chair behind the desk.

You get the idea, because you are a person able to compute ideas like "if I win that means someone else loses." FBI Director James Comey is also a person able to compute such an idea. Rep. Mike Conaway was not such a person on Monday. Perhaps he did not eat breakfast.

Conaway was questioning Comey amid a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian government influence over the 2016 presidential election. Comey stated that the Russian government preferred President Donald Trump to rival Hillary Clinton, and Russia intervened in the election on Trump's behalf. Conaway either didn't get this, or refused to believe it.

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"The logic is that because [Russian President Vladimir Putin] really didn't like president candidate Clinton, that he automatically liked Trump. That assessment's based on, um, what?," Conaway said.

"...part of it is the logic. Whoever the Red Raiders are playing -- you want the Red Raiders to win, by definition you want their opponent to lose." Comey replied patiently.

This is hardly multivariable calculus.

"I know, but this says that you wanted both of them, he wanted her to lose and wanted him to win," Conaway said. "Right, they're inseparable. It's a two person, event," Comey said. The FBI director blinked.

In a much more revelatory part of the hearing, Comey confirmed that the FBI is investigating ties between the Russian government and the Trump campaign -- and also pretty much called Trump's wiretap claims fake news.