White House Does Not Dispute Report
Minutes after Air Force One took off, headed for an eight-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Rome, and Brussels, two bombshell reports were published. One, from the Washington Post, includes the stunning news that the investigation into the Russians’ interference in the U.S. election now includes a current senior White House official close to the president as a significant person of interest.
LOOK: Senior White House Adviser Is Significant Person of Interest in Russia Investigation
The second is possibly even more staggering in the long-term.
President Donald Trump, in a closed-door Oval Office meeting, told top Russian officials that he had fired FBI Director James Comey the day before, and derided him as a “nut job.”
“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said, The New York Times reported Friday afternoon. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
(“Nut job” has been trending on Twitter ever since the news broke.)
Trump (above in photo taken during meeting with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, considered a top Russian spy by U.S. intelligence), reiterated his claim that he is not under investigation.
Trump’s statement “reinforces the notion that Mr. Trump dismissed [Comey] primarily because of the bureau’s investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russian operative,” the Times notes.
Also surprising, the White House offered no pushback.
On Twitter, many responded with outrage, while others expressed beliefs the news supports the case for impeachment and/or obstruction of justice:
U.S. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy:
Others:
UPDATE: 5:44 PM EDT –
Former Hillary Clinton Press Secretary:
CNN Senior Legal Analyst:
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