Former FBI Director James Comey told senators in a closed hearing this afternoon that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have had a third interaction with Russia's ambassador to the USA, according to people familiar with the briefing.
"The administration chose to defame me and, more importantly, the Federal Bureau of Investigation by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly run", Comey said. Asked during the Senate intelligence hearing Thursday if he shared the memos elsewhere, Comey explained he asked a "good friend" who is a "professor at Columbia law school" be an intermediary with the press.
Dressed in a dark suit and giving short, deliberative answers, Comey painted a picture of an overbearing president who he did not trust and who pressured him to stop the FBI investigating Flynn.
Trump called Comey a "showboat" and "grandstander" in an interview with NBC News on May 11, saying that he would have fired Comey regardless of Rosenstein's recommendation. According to Comey, Trump was acutely aware of the political toll of the investigation, complaining that the probe had left a "cloud" that was "impairing his ability to act on behalf of the country". "I know I was sacked because of something about the way I was conducting the Russian Federation investigation was in some way putting pressure on him, in some way irritating him, and he chose to fire me because of that".
During the hearing, Comey was asked specifically if the "friend" he referred to was journalist Benjamin Wittes, who is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute.
"He's new at government, so therefore I think he's learning as he goes", Ryan said.
"I think there's going to be a "he said, he said" thing on this and I don't have comment on it", Ryan said. Such an offence potentially could lead to Trump being impeached by Congress, although the Republicans who control the Senate and House of Representatives have shown little appetite for such a move.
Instead, some supportive Republican lawmakers simply argued that Trump's action were a result of well-meaning inexperience or dedication to his aides. "You understand that. But we will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever".
"We will leave it to the appropriate authorities to determine whether these leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated", Kasowitz added. After he was sacked, why did he have a friend leak Comey's memo recounting a meeting with Trump instead of just releasing it himself?
Robert Mueller was subsequently appointed special counsel to oversee the Justice Department investigation of Russian efforts to disrupt the 2016 president election. Mueller and several congressional committees are investigating what USA intelligence agencies have concluded was an effort by Russian Federation to help Trump win the election. The White House as denied any collusion.
Kimball gets 1st IndyCar pole, record run at repaved Texas
I think we can be proud, we represented [Sebastien Bourdais] well who's recovering - get well soon, Seb - we really did our best. Saturday's race is the ninth of 17 on the 2017 schedule and the 29th at Texas Motor Speedway since the facility opened in 1997.
"I know I was sacked because of something about the way I was conducting the Russian Federation investigation, was in some way putting pressure on him, in some way irritating him, and he made a decision to fire me because of that", Comey said in his June 8 testimony.
Comey said that on arrival at the White House, he was surprised to discover that President Trump had planned dinner for two, set at a small oval table in the middle of the Green Room.
Later Thursday the Senate Intelligence Committee reconvened in closed session to continue to hear Comey, who had said he was willing to discuss several matters that should not be made public.
United States stocks were higher in afternoon trading as Comey's testimony was seen by investors as having no smoking gun that could affect Trump's presidency.
"To the extent it doesn't seem to be a "gotcha" moment here, the market's plodding along", said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in NY.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio asked Comey whether he perceived the president's request to let the Flynn matter go as an order given Trump's position as president, the setting and the circumstances surrounding the conversation.
The ex-FBI head said that he thought Trump was implying that if he didn't play ball then he could be out of a job.
Trump once suggested in a tweet that he may have taped conversations with Comey.
Comey says he did offer the president that "assurance", but resisted Trump's appeals to make that information public. Comey said he was "honestly concerned" that the president "might lie about the nature" of their meetings.
Trump then said, 'That's what I want, honest loyalty'.
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