Description: UPDATE: President Planned to Fire Regardless of Recommendation... President Donald Trump talks to reporters during a meeting with Dr. Henry Kissinger former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under President Richard Nixon in the Oval Office of the White House Wednesday May 10 2017 in Washington. (Evan Vucci/AP) President Trump said FBI Director James B. Comey told him three times he wasnt under investigation once in a phone call initiated by the president according to an interview with NBC News. In the interview Trump made clear it was his idea to fire the FBI director. Regardless of recommendation I was going to fire Comey said Trump. He said Comey told him on three occasions once over dinner and twice in phone calls that the FBI was not investigating Trump. I said If its possible would you let me know am I under investigation? He said You are not under investigation. Trumps comments to NBC News shed new light on the question of what Trump has said to Comey while the FBI investigates possible coordination between Trump associates and Russian operatives seeking to meddle with last years presidential election. Trump fired Comey on Tuesday writing in his dismissal letter to the director: I greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation. Current and former officials have said that the president became increasingly dissatisfied with the FBIs response to concerns raised by Trump administration officials about a number of issues including how the agency was investigated alleged leaks. Comeys temporary replacement Andrew McCabe was asked at a Senate hearing Thursday morning about talks between the FBI Director and the president and would not discuss it. Later in his testimony McCabe denied that he had ever discussed the Russia investigation with anyone at the White House. The White House has said Comey was fired after the president sought and received a memorandum from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein laying out his concerns about how Comey handled the Clinton investigation. That memo said Comeys public comments about a case in which no charges were filed hurt the reputation of the FBI and affected the Justice Department. The memo did not mention the ongoing Russia investigation involving Trump associates.
By Frankie Cordeira Jr.
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By Frankie Cordeira Jr.
Pinned to Domestic and Global News on Pinterest
Found on: http://ift.tt/2r5B63O