Recounting his decision to dismiss Comey, Trump told NBC News, “In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’”
.. But Trump made clear in Thursday’s interview that Russia indeed was on his mind. And he said Sessions and Rosenstein’s recommendations did not prompt his decision.
“I was going to fire Comey,” Trump told Holt. “Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation.”
.. The exchange as described by the president is remarkable since he said the FBI director was discussing an ongoing investigation with the president — something Justice Department policy generally prohibits — at the same time Comey was seeking assurances he would remain in his job... “Look, he’s a showboat, he’s a grandstander,” the president said. “The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that.
When Will Republicans Stand Up to Trump?
In office less than four months, Mr. Trump has already undermined the rule of law in myriad small ways.
He allowed his daughter and son-in-law to work in the White House in arguable violation of an anti-nepotism statute.
- He did not divest himself of his business holdings and
- did not release his tax returns.
- His sons have continued pursuing deals with jillionaires closely linked to unsavory foreign regimes.
- He and his daughter have accepted valuable trademark protections from China.
- His son-in-law’s family sought to trade on their connections to sell American citizenship to rich Chinese.
.. The president made clear his intent to shut down the investigation on Monday when he tweeted, “The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?”
.. Mr. Trump himself now links his decision to fire Mr. Comey to his conviction that “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story.”
The Daily 202 The Daily 202: Why is Paul Ryan really defending Trump firing Comey?
he went on Fox News last night and offered support for Trump’s decision. “It is entirely within the president’s role and authority to relieve him, and that’s what he did,” Ryan said. “The president made a presidential decision.”
The Ohio events offered a revealing window into the 47-year-old’s thinking. He explained that there is currently “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to simplify the tax code and cut rates for corporations. The last time the system got overhauled, he noted, was the year he got his first driver’s license. This has been his dream since coming to Congress two decades ago, and unified Republican control of the government has created a window to get it done. Left unsaid was that the Russia-Comey story, if allowed to get legs, threatens to prematurely close that window and stop him from getting what he cares about most.
.. “This scandal is going to go on,” McCain (R-Ariz.) told a group of security experts after the Comey news broke. “This is a centipede. I guarantee you there will be more shoes to drop. I can just guarantee it. There’s just too much information that we don’t have that will be coming out.”
.. “The only thing that is guaranteed right now is that the sense of chaos will continue, not only in law enforcement but also in Congress,” GOP strategist Kevin Madden
.. “Comprehensive tax reform just got an awful lot harder, as did nearly every other challenge facing the nation, both foreign and domestic: infrastructure, health care, immigration, trade and others,” Michael Bloomberg
Comey wanted more resources for Russia probe, sources say
Fired FBI director James Comey recently asked lawmakers to help him secure more “resources” for the bureau’s counterintelligence investigation of possible connections between President Trump’s campaign team and Russian officials, sources told Fox News Wednesday.
The Justice Department repeatedly denied Wednesday that Comey had asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to bolster the Russia probe.
The sources said Comey met with Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Mark Warner, D-Va., — the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate intelligence committee — to discuss the ongoing inquiry Monday, the day before he was fired by Trump.