In stunning public testimony Thursday, James Comey acknowledged arranging for a friend to leak details of a conversation Comey had with President Trump - the February 14 Oval Office encounter in which Trump said he hoped the FBI director could "drop" the bureau's investigation of fired national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to Comey's contemporaneous notes.
Mueller has the authority to investigate whether Trump tried to obstruct justice which is a potentially impeachable offence.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel shortly after Comey's firing.
A spokesman for Mueller's team declined to comment. In the wake of such reports, Rosenstein assured the Senate that he would not fire the special counsel absent good cause, no matter who ordered him to do so. Comey said he believes Trump ultimately fired him "because of the Russian Federation investigation".
Trump's statement also comes on the heels of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. "He did not mention to me that he had been asked to do something he thought was improper", Sessions said when asked by Blunt whether Comey had brought up the alleged Flynn conversation when they met.
The facts of whether Trump had already chose to fire Comey before getting Rosenstein to write the memo justifying the firing are unclear and at least partially contested.
The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that special counsel Robert Mueller was seeking interviews with three Trump administration officials who weren't involved in Trump's campaign: Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Michael Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency; and Richard Ledgett, the former NSA deputy director.
Death Toll Climbs to 17 In London Apartment Fire
Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there was a "risk" that investigators would "not be able to identify everybody". Originally constructed in 1974, the residential tower block recently underwent a $13.2 million (£10.3 million) refurbishment.
Mr Comey told Congress last week that before being sacked, Mr Trump pressured him to drop an investigation into his former national security adviser, Mike Flynn, who was forced to quit for lying about his links to Moscow.
The president has denied that he has any nefarious ties to Russian Federation and has also disputed that he's attempted to block the investigation into his campaign's possible role in Russia's election-related hacking.
"Evidently the White House is considering firing Mueller". All week, some of Trump's most ardent defenders, including his son Donald Trump Jr., his White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and friend and occasional adviser Newt Gingrich have questioned the probe in similar ways.
Comey had confirmed during a congressional testimony in March that the FBI was investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, which included possible collusion between the country and Trump associates.
Trump is under increasing pressure on the Russian Federation probe.
Trump is not the only one under scrutiny, Barrett said: Investigators are also looking into the finances of Trump associates. Last week, Comey testified in a Senate hearing that he believed he was sacked "because of the Russian Federation investigation". After Comey's much-watched Senate testimony, the president said in a press conference that he would testify under oath regarding his interactions and conversations with the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director. Politico reports that Trump's legal team has retained "John Dowd, who investigated Pete Rose for Major League Baseball and represented John McCain during the Keating Five Scandal, among other high-profile clients".
Trump and his supporters cast Comey's testimony that he had told the president he was not personally under investigation as vindication. That said, Lawfare's Benjamin Wittes, a Comey confidante who takes Mueller's investigation exceptionally seriously, has confidence in Brand's independence.
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