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Trump Boasted To Russians That Firing ‘Nut Job’ Comey Lifted Russia Investigation Pressure On Him

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 16:29 PST, May 19, 2017

When President Donald Trump met with Russian officials in the Oval Office last week, he bragged that he had just fired the former FBI director James Comey, and that firing him eased “great pressure” he was facing “because of Russia.” Trump called his former FBI director “crazy” and a “nut job,” during the May 10 meeting with the Russians in the Oval Office, a day after he fired the Comey, according to a report by the New York Times.

“I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to a record of the meeting between Trump and the Russians that the New York Times obtained. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

“I’m not under investigation,” Trump added, according to the document.

The information that Trump called Comey a “crazy, real nut job” and that firing him eased investigation pressure on him came from notes taken during Trump’s meeting with the Russians last week. An official reportedly confirmed the contents of the notes as representing an official record of Trump’s meeting with the Russians in the White House Oval Office.

Critics of the Trump administration have alleged that Trump’s comments to the Russians provide the latest evidence that he fired Comey to impede investigation into allegations of collusion between his campaign aides and Russians operatives who worked to influence the outcome of the 2016 general election.

Trump held a meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, in the Oval Office the day after he fired Comey. U.S. media representatives were not allowed to cover the meeting, but representatives of a Russian news agency were allowed.

Multiple media reports later claimed that Trump disclosed sensitive intelligence obtained from the Israelis to the Russians during the meeting. Trump responded to the controversy sparked by the reports, saying that as president he had the “absolute right” to disclose information he wished to the Russians.

According to the New York Times, Trump’s comments to the Russians strengthen the theory that he fired Comey because he was directing the FBI investigation into allegations of contacts and collusion between his campaign aides and Russian operatives.

Trump Administration aides have reportedly not disputed the content of document, rather they have disputed the claim that Trump’s comments to the Russians provide evidence that Comey was fired to force an end of ongoing FBI Trump-Russia investigation.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer claimed that Comey was fired due to politically-motivated actions that impeded the ability of the president to engage diplomatically with the Russians on several pressing issues of U.S. foreign policy, such as in Syria and Ukraine, and the fight against the Islamic State.

“The President has always emphasized the importance of making deals with Russia as it relates to Syria, Ukraine, defeating ISIS and other key issues for the benefit and safety of the American people.”

“By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia’s actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia,” Spicer said.

According to Spicer, Trump’s comments about his FBI director, in which he called him “crazy” and a “nut job,” were part of “highly classified” conversation between Trump and the Russians which should not have been leaked.

“Once again, the real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations.”

However, critics claimed that Trump’s comments on several occasions, including during the White House meeting with the Russians, support the allegation that he may have obstructed justice by removing an FBI director who was conducting investigation into his alleged ties with Russia.

Critics also alleged that Trump may have also obstructed justice by requesting Comey to stop the FBI investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

The Inquisitr reported last week that Trump admitted in an interview with Lester Holt on NBC that his decision to fire Comey was influenced by ongoing FBI investigation into his alleged questionable ties with Russia.

Trump told Holt that he called Comey multiple times and asked him whether he was under investigation. He said Comey had assured him on three separate occasions that the FBI was not investigating him.

“When I decided to just do it [fire Comey], I said to myself, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should’ve won,'” Trump said, admitting that he fired Comey because of FBI investigation of alleged ties between his aides and Russia.

Pressure due to claims that Trump fired Comey to impede ongoing FBI investigation, forced the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel, Robert Mueller III, to conduct independent investigation.

Mueller, as special counsel, is “authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters,” CNN reported, quoting a Justice Department order signed by the Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein.

However, Trump has criticized the decision to appoint a special counsel, saying that it “hurts our country.” He also said that the appointment of a special counsel was part of what he described as the “single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history.”

[Featured Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]

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