Trump Defends Firing of FBI Director, Calls Him 'Grandstander'
By Steve Herman, Michael Bowman May 11, 2017
President Donald Trump asserts in a NBC-TV interview Thursday that he would have fired FBI chief James Comey even if Justice Department officials had not recommended it, calling Comey a show-off.
"He's a showboat. He's a grandstander. The FBI has been in turmoil," Trump said to the network in his first interview since his surprise dismissal on Tuesday of Comey, who was directing an investigation into connections between the president's election campaign last year and Russian officials, along with possible Russian meddling in the election.
"I was going to fire Comey. My decision," Trump said. "I was going to fire regardless of [Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's] recommendation."
The White House on Thursday continued to defend its dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and denied the White House had tried to blame Rosenstein for the abrupt removal, which sparked a political firestorm.
"I don't think there was ever an attempt to pin the decision on the deputy attorney general" for Comey's firing, said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House principal deputy press secretary.
Rosenstein Memo at center of controversy
At the center of the scrutiny is whether Rosenstein, was instructed to draft a memo justifying the removal of FBI Director James Comey or whether he decided to write the document without direction.
Rosenstein was upset with suggestions made by the White House that his memo suggested he called for Comey's firing, according to the Washington Post and ABC News.
White House officials on Thursday denied any such reaction by Rosenstein, telling reporters the veteran prosecutor came up with the memo on his own and not necessarily at Trump's direction.
The president is expected to visit FBI headquarters as soon as Friday, according to White House officials.
Trump sent Comey a letter on Tuesday informing him of his immediate removal.
Accompanying memos by Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions mentioned Comey's mishandling of last year's investigation into Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
News media reports, however, have been quoting sources in Washington asserting Comey was ousted because he wanted to intensify the Russia investigation.
The firing has prompted Democrats to amplify their calls for an independent investigation of the Russia case. The attorneys general of 20 states are also calling for an independent special counsel.
Senate Democrats say they are seeking details from the Justice Department on whether Comey, before his firing, requested additional funds and personnel for the FBI's probe of Russia ties.
Some Republicans are also expressing concern about the timing and reason for Comey's abrupt removal.
Trump, Comey conversations on investigation
White House officials say Trump had been contemplating firing Comey since last November's presidential election.
In an interview Thursday with NBC News, Trump said that in a previous conversation, he had asked the FBI director if he was under investigation. Trump said the FBI director replied "no" to him.
Legal analyst Bradley Moss, who specializes in national security issues, called such an exchange "highly inappropriate" at a minimum.
"There is supposed to be a line that is not crossed, including asking the FBI if you yourself are the target of the investigation. Difficult to say if it is actually illegal, since Comey allegedly responded that Trump was not under investigation. If he had said he was, what was Trump going to do? What was the purpose of him asking? What was his motive? Did he ask him to back off on any other targets of the investigation? Did he ask who the targets were?" said Moss, who heads The James Madison Project, a Washington-based organization that promotes government accountability.
Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers is under consideration to succeed Comey, according to senior White House officials.
Rogers, a former FBI special agent, chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Acting FBI chief on Comey support
At a Senate intelligence hearing on Thursday, acting FBI director Andrew McCabe pledged to inform lawmakers about attempts to interfere with the bureau's investigation into Russia's meddling in the presidential election and potential ties to the Trump campaign.
"You cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing," McCabe added.
The agency's acting chief also rejected White House claims that Comey had lost support within the FBI.
"I can tell you also that Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day. We are a large organization," McCabe said. "I can confidently tell you that the majority, the vast majority of FBI employees, enjoy a deep and positive connection to Director Comey."
Several senators asked McCabe if he could confirm or deny Trump's assertion in his dismissal letter to Comey that the FBI chief had informed the president "on three separate occasions" that he was not under investigation. McCabe steadfastly declined to do so.
"I can't comment on any conversations the director [Comey] may have had with the president," McCabe replied.
The committee's chairman, Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina, asked McCabe about the president's letter to Comey, but did not comment on the dismissal or the resulting furor engulfing the administration. Burr said Wednesday he found it difficult to understand the timing of the FBI director's firing, but noted that Trump had full authority to do so.
The committee's vice chairman, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, expressed skepticism.
"It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the president's decision to remove Director Comey was related to this investigation [of Russian meddling]. And that is unacceptable," Warner said. "President Trump's actions this week cost us an opportunity to get at the truth – at least for today."
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