“I was going to fire Comey – my decision”, Trump told NBC News’ Lester Holt in an interview that aired Thursday.
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Trump’s comments came amid increased criticism of the White House’s evolving explanation of the firing.
WASHINGTON ― After attacking former President Barack Obama and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates earlier this week, the Trump White House tried out its scorched-earth tactics against James Comey on Wednesday, going as far as accusing the just-fired Federal Bureau of Investigation director of committing “atrocities” at the agency. When asked about that comment, McCabe wouldn’t agree. While McCabe testified alongside Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, DIA Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, and Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Robert Cardillo, he was undoubtedly the star of the show, as Committee Chairman Richard Burr welcomed him “to the table and into the fray”.
The FBI investigation into alleged links between Russian Federation and the Donald Trump election team will carry on unimpeded by the sacking of its head, James Comey, his successor has said.
The White House refused Wednesday to provide any evidence or greater detail. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said they will continue their investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, in the wake of FBI Director James Comey’s firing.
McCabe’s testimony contradicted the White House on two key points. Yates was sacked as acting attorney general shortly after she informed Trump’s White House that Flynn had spoken falsely when he said he hadn’t had conversations with Russian officials during the transition period. It sounds like the “right thing” might have been what cost him his job. He said there has been no interference so far.
Before his firing, Comey is said to have asked Rosenstein for more funding so the FBI could pursue its investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russian Federation. At the time Comey said it was “a big counter-intelligence and criminal investigation”, Feinstein said. Trump said he queried of Comey.
Trump insisted he never pressured Comey to drop the Russia-related FBI investigation.
McCabe was a last-minute substitute for Comey at the Senate hearing, which was supposed to bring together the heads of the major intelligence agencies to outline security threats from around the globe, an annual report mandated by Congress.
Some Democrats have called Mr Trump’s behaviour “Nixonian” and compared his firing of Mr Comey to Nixon’s infamous “Saturday Night Massacre”. Republican leaders brushed off the idea as unnecessary.
A former Trump adviser said Trump was also angry because Comey had never offered a public exoneration of Trump in the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into contacts between the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak, and Trump campaign advisers past year. They suggested Trump was persuaded to take the step by Justice Department officials and a scathing memo, written by Rosenstein, criticizing the director’s role in the Clinton investigation.
There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date.
Chaffetz announced last month that he will not be seeking reelection in 2018.
October 12, 2016 – Trump promises to investigate FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s e-mail usage: “And furthermore we are going to investigate this phony investigation”. Sanders claimed that Trump had not chose to fire Comey before asking for the memo and did not make the decision until Tuesday.
“‘The sky is falling.’ This is what the Democrats are telling us”, Bennett said.
Asked by reporters why he fired Comey, in the White House as he met with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office, Trump said, “He wasn’t doing a good job, very simply”.
The president fired Comey the following day.
It’s unclear whether Rosenstein was aware his report would be used to justify the director’s ouster.
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Trump’s move was so sudden that his White House staff, accustomed to his impromptu style, was caught off guard.
