President Donald Trump told Russian diplomats last week his firing of “nut job” James Comey had eased the pressure on him, even as the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation had moved into the White House, according to reports that pursued the President as he began his maiden foreign trip.
White House hopes that Mr Trump could leave scandalous allegations at home were crushed in a one-two punch of revelations that landed shortly after his departure. A Washington Post report, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, said a senior Trump adviser is now considered a “person of interest” in the law enforcement investigation into whether Trump’s campaign associates coordinated with Russia in an effort to sway the 2016 election.
And The New York Times reported that the President had told Russian officials he felt the dismissal of his FBI director had relieved “great pressure” on him. The White House has said the firing was unrelated to the FBI’s Russia investigation.
The Times reported that Mr Trump told Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak of his decision to fire Comey. “I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” the Times reported that Mr Trump said during the May 10 meeting. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
White House spokesman Sean Spicer called the President’s rhetoric part of his deal-making. Meanwhile, Mr Comey has agreed to publicly testify about Russian interference in the US elections. He will testify in an open session of the Senate Intelligence Committee at some point after the Memorial Day holiday, May 29, though a date has not yet been set.
The ex-FBI chief has not spoken publicly since his surprise firing last week. “I am hopeful that he will clarify for the American people recent events that have been broadly reported in the media,” panel chairman Richard Burr said in a statement.
