The White House made it almost four hours Tuesday dark after the firing ofJames Comeybefore its communication stave began demanding an end to the FBI ’s Russia investigation .
To Sarah Sanders , the White House deputy pressing secretary , the cyberattacks that place wastefulness to the President of the United States ’s political rivals last summertime is ancient history , best forgotten : “ My gosh , Tucker , when are they gon na let that go ? ” sheasked Fox Newshost Carlson Tucker , infuriate . “ It ’s been go on for nearly a year . Frankly , it ’s rather bring derisory . ”
“ There is no ‘ there ’ there , ” she said . “ It ’s time to move on . ” drum sander was referring , of course , to the criminal investigation overseen by Comey — at least until he was abruptly enkindle by the president — which is largely focused on the often suspiciously undeclared financial ties between campaign faculty and the Russian regime .
Around the same time , CNN broke the news that federal prosecutors had egress agrand panel subpoenafor the business disc of Michael Flynn , the former internal security consultant , who was also terminate by Trump . The retired three - champion general , a chief adviser to Trump ’s presidential effort , is also being enquire by the Pentagon for break to disclose tens of thousands of one dollar bill he get from a Russia state - own media company — on its face , a constitutional intrusion .
https://gizmodo.com/following-firing-of-comey-lawmakers-call-for-independe-1795075222
Sally Yates , the former acting lawyer general — also fired by Trump — testified before a Senate auditory modality on Monday that Flynn misled the FBI about his contact with a Russian official in December 2016 .
On CNN , Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway became ( probably ) the first administration functionary in at least 40 years to blurt out the phrase “ cover up ” on national tv in reference point to their own White House . ( She was denying there was one . ) Conway was antecedently ban from the net after she fabricated a massacre on live television .
“ I get it on that some are haunt with the watchword Russia — the chairperson is not under investigating , I ’m around the Chief Executive , I ’m not under investigation , ” say Conway , tote up that she bang “ many people ” who are n’t under probe .
And Sean Spicer , the printing press secretary , who apparently locked himself in his West Wing power at one point Tuesday night aftershouting a statementto reporters , refused to appear on tv camera . He later apparently hid behind some bushes outside the White House , refusing to reveal himself until after the scrummage of reporters reverse off their cameras . “ Just turn the lights off . Turn the spark off , ” he ordered , according tothe Washington Post . He insisted the White House had no engagement in the judgment of top DOJ officials who wanted Comey go .
“ It was all him , ” state Spicer , come to to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein , who pennedthe letterreleased by the White House yesterday advising Trump to slay Comey . Rosenstein ’s letter said the director had failed to “ accept the nearly oecumenical judgment that he was mistaken ” to unilaterally exclude down the investigation of Hillary Clinton ’s electronic mail . or else , Comey should have advert the case to the DOJ and allowed the attorney general to make that determination , he said . He further criticized Comey for turn “ derogatory information ” about Clinton . “ The Director lay out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing line of reasoning , ” he articulate , “ but without a trial . ”
The New York Timesreported , however , that the president had been contemplating getting rid of Comey for week , unhappy with how the director had failed to defend his dubious “ wiretapping ” tweets , thurify that he ’d revealed that Trump ’s campaign was a key focal point of the FBI ’s research . Trump would often “ scream at television time about the probe , ” wrotePolitico , cite a presidential advisor .
Two month ago , Attorney General Jeff Sessions formallyrecused himselffrom all matters refer to Russia ’s role in the election . That announcement come up after it was revealed that he’dchosen not to disclosetwo meetings with the Russian ambassador during his confirmation hearings . Still , the president cited his advice as well in purging Comey .
The White House did not give the former film director much gravitas , despite his 30 years of public service : While address a radical of FBI employees at a “ diversity and recruiting ” event in Los Angeles , news of his dismissalreportedly flashed across a set of telly screensbehind him . A speech that he was do to extradite that evening was promptly delete . News helicopters tracked his sport utility as it approach Los Angeles International Airport , where he board a jet-propelled plane bound for the nation ’s Capitol Building .
Comey ’s notification was delivered to the J. Edgar Hoover construction in a manilla envelope by Keith Schiller , Trump ’s longtime bodyguard . At the top of the second paragraph was a reference to the FBI ’s investigation of Russia ’s election hinderance : “ While I greatly appreciate you informing me , on three separate social occasion , that I am not under investigation , ” it suppose , “ I nevertheless coincide with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau . ”
[ The New York Times , Politico , The Washington Post , Los Angeles Times ]
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