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| U.S. to Expand Intelligence Cooperation With Turkey | |||
The U.S. is beefing up joint intelligence efforts with Turkey to help that government better target terrorists in the region, in an apparent bid to alleviate Turkish anxieties as the Pentagon implements a plan to arm Kurdish forces operating inside Syria.  | |||
| Trump, Top Russian Envoy Don't Discuss Alleged Meddling in U.S. Election | |||
President Donald Trumpdidnt raise the issue of Russias alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. elections during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, dismissing the hacking charges as not serious.  | |||
| Frank Underwood Has Some Thoughts On Why Donald Trump Fired James Comey - HuffPost | |||
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| President Trump's Approval Rating Has Dropped to a Near-Record Low - TIME | |||
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| FBI chief aimed to expand Russia probe before Trump fired him: source - Reuters | |||
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| More very bad news for Trump: His poll numbers just hit a bunch of new lows - Washington Post | |||
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| Comey sought more resources for Russia probe days before he was fired by President Trump, officials say - Washington Post | |||
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| The first 3 words that come to voters' minds when they hear 'Trump' are 'idiot,' 'incompetent,' and 'liar' - The Week Magazine | |||
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| Trump greets Russian diplomat at center of spying allegations - New York Post | |||
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| The Guardian view on Trumps behaviour: tyrannical not presidential | Editorial | |||
The man in the White House is governing like he is the president of a banana republic, not the leader of the oldest constitutional government in modern timesThe decision of Donald Trump to fire the person overseeing an investigation into him is a turning point in the tragedy of the United States 45th presidency. At least when Richard Nixon did so, it was a blatant and doomed attempt to save his presidency. Mr Trump says he sacked his FBI director, James Comey, because he was not doing a good job and that he had been unfair to Hillary Clinton over claims of misuse of a private email server. This is not remotely credible: Mr Trump spent last years campaign saying Mrs Clinton should be locked up for such carelessness, and kept Mr Comey in place for four months after taking office. No facts have changed. Instead Mr Trump has meddled in a federal investigation, which by all accounts was expanding rather than shrinking, into plausible claims that he owes his office to the clandestine intervention by a hostile foreign spy service. Mr Trumps act is a threat to US governance. It looks ominously part of a pattern of trespassing beyond constitutional boundaries. Mr Trump fires officials who cross him. He attacks judges when they find his policies unlawful. He refuses to release his tax returns, which might reveal conflicts of interest. He uses blind trusts that are not blind, while his children comingle private and public business. Power in the Trump presidency is held by the presidents family, and what appears to be incompetent followers whose main contribution is loyalty rather than expertise. In claiming that Mr Comey had given him three private assurances that he wasnt under investigation, Mr Trump broke a protocol long-observed: that presidents do not publicly comment on an ongoing investigation. Especially one that centres on them. In short, Mr Trump is governing like he is the president of a banana republic, not the leader of the oldest constitutional government of modern times. Continue reading... | |||
| How To Know if The Trump-Russia Story Has Momentum - FiveThirtyEight | |||
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| Comey requested more resources for Russia inquiry before firing, reports say | |||
FBI directors abrupt dismissal has shaken Washington and triggered questions and fears that the US is facing its biggest constitutional crisis since Watergate The FBI director, James Comey, Comeys abrupt dismissal has shaken Washington, triggering a torrent of unanswered questions and fears that America is facing its biggest constitutional crisis since the Watergate scandal. Related: James Comey fired 'days after requesting Russia inquiry resources' live Related: Russia infiltrates White House and toys with US media over talk with Trump Continue reading... | |||
| Trump's Been Talking About His Business Interests in Russia for 30 Years - The Atlantic | |||
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| Senate is now probing the Donald Trump Taj Mahal money laundering case we told you about last month | |||
Four weeks ago Palmer Report brought you the story of the U.S. Treasury department having busted Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal hotel for money laundering in the summer of 2015. The case was visible on the Treasury’s website all along, but had gone completely unreported by any news outlet until our research team managed to dig it up. Now the Senate Intel Committee is probing that same money laundering fine. Back on April 15th, we brought you the story of how the Taj Mahal, which was part-owned by Donald Trump at the time, had been fined $10 million by the FinCEN division of the U.S. Treasury for years of money laundering violations (link). Even though our source was the U.S. Treasury website (link), we were told by the peanut gallery that the story couldn’t be “real” or else it would have been all over cable news during the election cycle. But now CNBC is reporting that the Senate Intelligence Committee is in fact asking the Treasury for details on the $10 million money laundering fine (link). This is a crucial development because this wasn’t a mere allegation of money laundering, but rather a ruling that the Taj Mahal did launder money. The fine was a civil penalty, meaning that no judge or jury were involved. But in terms of civil law, Trump’s hotel did commit money laundering. As we previously documented, Trump himself owned a declining but significant stake in the hotel during the years in which his Taj Mahal was laundering money. This will serve to significantly weaken any attempt on Donald Trump’s part to believably fend off any upcoming money laundering charges as New York State comes after him on RICO charges. We don’t know if the Senate committee saw our reporting on the Taj Mahal money laundering and decided to follow up on it, or if this is a coincidence. But it points to the importance of independent political reporting. Help fund Palmer Report The post Senate is now probing the Donald Trump Taj Mahal money laundering case we told you about last month appeared first on Palmer Report. | |||
| Donald Trump Thought of as 'Idiot,' 'Liar,' and 'Strong,' Quinnipiac Poll Shows - U.S. News & World Report | |||
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| Robert Hanssen: American Traitor - History | |||
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| What US-Russia crisis? Trump seeks closer ties in WH meeting - GoErie.com | |||
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| U.S. Senator confirms grand jury is now underway in Donald Trump case in New York State | |||
For weeks, Palmer Report has been bringing you the story of multiple federal grand juries already underway in Eastern Virginia in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal, a fact which was finally acknowledged by CNN last night. We’ve also been bringing you the story of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s own case against Trump and now a U.S. Senator has confirmed that a grand jury is also underway in that New York Case. The revelation comes from U.S Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who conducted a television interview about the matter and then posted it to his own official Twitter account today. At around the 1:40 mark of the interview, Senator Markey first confirms what was already known: “Subpoenas have now been issued in Northern Virginia with regard to General Flynn and General Flynn’s associates.” But then he adds the detail about the separate state level case: “a grand jury has been empaneled up in New York.” Our earlier reporting on this matter, based on sourcing first shared by Democratic insider Claude Taylor and later confirmed by Republican insider Rick Wilson, is that there are two separate federal cases underway regarding Donald Trump. One is a RICO (money laundering) case and the other is a FARA (foreign agent) case. Taylor has gone on to reveal that New York AG Schneiderman is pursuing his own state level RICO case against Donald Trump and his organization and associates (link), and this appears to be the grand jury “up in New York” that Senator Ed Markey is now confirming. Watch the Senator reveal the New York grand jury information in the video below: 
The post U.S. Senator confirms grand jury is now underway in Donald Trump case in New York State appeared first on Palmer Report. | |||
| Comey firing roils Washington, prompts calls for independent investigation and divides Republicans - Washington Post | |||
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| Hourly News Summary: NPR News: 05-10-2017 5PM ET | |||
NPR News: 05-10-2017 5PM ET Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/npr.mc.tritondigital.com/NPR_500005/media/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2017/05/10/newscast170627.mp3?orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=527832272&t=podcast&e=527832272&ft=pod&f=500005 | |||
| Hourly News Summary: NPR News: 05-10-2017 4PM ET | |||
NPR News: 05-10-2017 4PM ET Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/npr.mc.tritondigital.com/NPR_500005/media/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2017/05/10/newscast160629.mp3?orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=527821036&t=podcast&e=527821036&ft=pod&f=500005 | |||
| With Awkward Timing, Trump Meets Top Russian Official - New York Times | |||
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| Stephen King's Anti-Trump Tweets Are Amazingly Relentless - HuffPost | |||
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| Russia probe: Senate requests Trump documents from agency that monitors money laundering - CNBC | |||
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| Trump meets Putin foreign minister & RUSSIA puts out photo - Daily Mail | |||
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The U.S. is beefing up joint intelligence efforts with Turkey to help that government better target terrorists in the region, in an apparent bid to alleviate Turkish anxieties as the Pentagon implements a plan to arm Kurdish forces operating inside Syria.
President Donald Trumpdidn’t raise the issue of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. elections during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, dismissing the hacking charges as “not serious.”
Reuters |
FBI chief aimed to expand Russia probe before Trump fired him: source
Reuters WASHINGTON FBI Director James Comey sought to expand his agency's probe into allegedRussian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election days before President Donald Trump fired him on Tuesday, a congressional source said on Wednesday. With the ... Behind Comey's firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about RussiaPolitico Ex-FBI chief James Comey 'requested more funds for Russia probe' just days before being sacked by Donald TrumpTelegraph.co.uk Trump's firing of Comey seems 'suicidal' - but it could 'energize' the Russia probeBusiness Insider The Independent -Salon -CNN all 4,652 news articles » |
Four weeks ago Palmer Report brought you the story of the U.S. Treasury department having busted Donald Trump’s Taj Mahal hotel for money laundering in the summer of 2015. The case was visible on the Treasury’s website all along, but had gone completely unreported by any news outlet until our research team managed to dig it up. Now the Senate Intel Committee is probing that same money laundering fine.
Back on April 15th, we brought you the story of how the Taj Mahal, which was part-owned by Donald Trump at the time, had been fined $10 million by the FinCEN division of the U.S. Treasury for years of money laundering violations (link). Even though our source was the U.S. Treasury website (link), we were told by the peanut gallery that the story couldn’t be “real” or else it would have been all over cable news during the election cycle.
But now CNBC is reporting that the Senate Intelligence Committee is in fact asking the Treasury for details on the $10 million money laundering fine (link). This is a crucial development because this wasn’t a mere allegation of money laundering, but rather a ruling that the Taj Mahal did launder money. The fine was a civil penalty, meaning that no judge or jury were involved. But in terms of civil law, Trump’s hotel did commit money laundering.
As we previously documented, Trump himself owned a declining but significant stake in the hotel during the years in which his Taj Mahal was laundering money. This will serve to significantly weaken any attempt on Donald Trump’s part to believably fend off any upcoming money laundering charges as New York State comes after him on RICO charges. We don’t know if the Senate committee saw our reporting on the Taj Mahal money laundering and decided to follow up on it, or if this is a coincidence. But it points to the importance of independent political reporting. Help fund Palmer Report
The post Senate is now probing the Donald Trump Taj Mahal money laundering case we told you about last month appeared first on Palmer Report.
For weeks, Palmer Report has been bringing you the story of multiple federal grand juries already underway in Eastern Virginia in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal, a fact which was finally acknowledged by CNN last night. We’ve also been bringing you the story of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s own case against Trump – and now a U.S. Senator has confirmed that a grand jury is also underway in that New York Case.
The revelation comes from U.S Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who conducted a television interview about the matter and then posted it to his own official Twitter account today. At around the 1:40 mark of the interview, Senator Markey first confirms what was already known: “Subpoenas have now been issued in Northern Virginia with regard to General Flynn and General Flynn’s associates.”
But then he adds the detail about the separate state level case: “a grand jury has been empaneled up in New York.” Our earlier reporting on this matter, based on sourcing first shared by Democratic insider Claude Taylor and later confirmed by Republican insider Rick Wilson, is that there are two separate federal cases underway regarding Donald Trump. One is a RICO (money laundering) case and the other is a FARA (foreign agent) case.
Taylor has gone on to reveal that New York AG Schneiderman is pursuing his own state level RICO case against Donald Trump and his organization and associates (link), and this appears to be the grand jury “up in New York” that Senator Ed Markey is now confirming. Watch the Senator reveal the New York grand jury information in the video below:
Our country could be careening towards a constitutional crisis. I spoke with @CNNnewsroom about #ComeyFiring. Watch here ↓
.
The post U.S. Senator confirms grand jury is now underway in Donald Trump case in New York State appeared first on Palmer Report.
NPR News: 05-10-2017 5PM ET
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Hourly News Summary
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Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
President Donald Trump approved plans to directly arm Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State in Syria, U.S. officials said Tuesday, paving the way for an offensive against the extremist group’s de facto capital.
President Trump met on Monday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who both voiced their concerns about James B. Comey, leading Trump to fire the FBI director a day later, according to White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The White House revealed the previously undisclosed Oval Office meeting […]
NPR News: 05-10-2017 4PM ET
Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/npr.mc.tritondigital.com/NPR_500005/media/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2017/05/10/newscast160629.mp3?orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=527821036&t=podcast&e=527821036&ft=pod&f=500005
Hourly News Summary
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New York Times |
With Awkward Timing, Trump Meets Top Russian Official
New York Times WASHINGTON — What a day for President Trump's first face-to-face meeting with a top Russian official. Only hours after dismissing James B. Comey as director of the F.B.I., amid an investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian officials ... Trump Russia meeting: Sergei Lavrov praises Trump and Tillerson after talksBBC News Trump Hosts Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov And Ambassador Kislyak At White HouseNPR Trump meets Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov amid Comey firestormFox News CNN -Politico -NBCNews.com all 383 news articles » |
The New Yorker |
Donald Trump's Firing of James Comey Is an Attack on American Democracy
The New Yorker On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump acted like a despot. Without warning or provocation, he summarily fired the independent-minded director of the F.B.I., James Comey. Comey had been overseeing an investigation into whether there was any collusion ... Donald Trump Is Lying Again, Now About James ComeyNew York Times In Firing FBI Director James Comey, Donald Trump Takes His Biggest Gamble YetU.S. News & World Report “Our Democracy Is in Danger”: Key Reactions to Donald Trump's Firing of FBI Director James ComeyThe Intercept Politico -The Boston Globe -TIME all 2,364 news articles » |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Things to know about President Donald Trump's firing of James Comey as FBI director:...
NPR News: 05-10-2017 3PM ET
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Hourly News Summary
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CBS News |
Comey "lost the confidence" of FBI employees, says Sarah Huckabee Sanders
CBS News Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said fired FBI Director James Comey had "lost the confidence" of the "rank-and-file" FBI employees, "politicized" his role and become a "distraction" in explaining the timing of the former ... and more » |
Trump and Comey: An Abrupt Ending That Was a Year in the Making by By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
The F.B.I. director’s ouster was the culmination of a toxic dynamic between him and the president that had unfolded slowly.
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Donald Trump’s Firing of James Comeyby By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Despite claims to the contrary, the F.B.I. director was clearly ousted for leading an investigation into Russian ties that could threaten the president.
Fallout From Comey’s Firing: Reaction Around Washingtonby By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Political responses came swiftly, with calls for an independent investigator to take over the inquiry into Russian election tampering.
Inside the F.B.I., Stunned Agents Wonder About Future of Russia Inquiry by By ADAM GOLDMAN and CHARLIE SAVAGE
Agents said they were still under a cloud from the F.B.I.’s role in the election and that President Trump’s firing of James B. Comey further hurt morale.
How Abnormal Was Comey’s Firing? Experts Weigh Inby By QUOCTRUNG BUI, CLAIRE CAIN MILLER and KEVIN QUEALY
A panel of governance experts said it was the most significant action so far in the Trump presidency, and among the most abnormal.
New York Times |
McConnell Defends Trump as Schumer Calls for Special Prosecutor
New York Times Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. “Today we'll no doubt hear calls for a new investigation,” Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday, “which can only serve to impede the current work being done.” Credit Eric Thayer for The New ... McConnell defends Trump decision to fire ComeyThe Hill McConnell Reminds Schumer How Democrats Felt About ComeyNPR McConnell: 'Too much is at stake' for new investigation after Comey firingCNN New York Daily News -ThinkProgress -TIME -Media Matters for America (blog) all 119 news articles » |
The dismissal ended the long-deteriorating relationship of Mr. Trump and Mr. Comey, who repeatedly collided publicly and privately. For Mr. Trump, a president who puts a premium on loyalty, Mr. Comey represented an independent and unpredictable director with enormous power to disrupt his administration.
Mr. Comey learned from news reports that he had been fired while addressing bureau employees in Los Angeles. While Mr. Comey spoke, television screens in the background began flashing the news. In response to the reports, Mr. Comey laughed, saying that he thought it was a fairly funny prank. Shortly after, Mr. Trump’s letter was delivered to F.B.I. Headquarters in Washington.
Mr. Comey was three years into a 10-year term, an unusually long tenure that Congress established to insulate the director from political pressure. Though the president has the authority to fire the F.B.I. director for any reason, Mr. Comey is only the second director to be fired in bureau history. President Bill Clinton fired William S. Sessions in 1993.
Mr. Trump had already fired his acting attorney general for insubordination and his national security adviser for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about contacts with Russians. But firing Mr. Comey raises much deeper questions about the independence of the F.B.I. and the future of its investigations under Mr. Trump.
In an instance of bizarre timing and optics, the White House announced late Tuesday night that Mr. Trump would meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office with Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister.
F.B.I. agents were enraged by the firing and worried openly that Mr. Trump would appoint a White House ally to lead them. Mr. Comey was widely liked in the F.B.I., even by those who criticized his handling of the Clinton investigation. Agents regarded him as a good manager and an independent director.
“It is essential that we find new leadership for the F.B.I. that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,” Mr. Trump wrote, a remark that particularly upset agents who saw it as an insult to them.
The White House has not said what precipitated the firing, a significant question because the Justice Department’s stated reasons were well known even when Mr. Trump decided in January to keep Mr. Comey on the job. Mr. Trump watched last week as Mr. Comey testified on Capitol Hill, offering his first public explanation of his handling of the Clinton email case. There, Mr. Comey said that he had no regrets about his decisions but that he felt “mildly nauseous” that his actions might have tipped the election to Mr. Trump.
The Clinton controversy centers on a news conference Mr. Comey held last July, when he broke with longstanding tradition and policies by publicly discussing the Clinton case and chastising Mrs. Clinton’s “careless” handling of classified information. Then, in the campaign’s final days, Mr. Comey announced that the F.B.I. was reopening the investigation, a move that earned him widespread criticism. At the time, though, Mr. Trump and his attorney general, Mr. Sessions, praised Mr. Comey for actions that are now at the heart of the F.B.I. director’s firing.
Mr. Trump “saw an opening” to fire Mr. Comey after the testimony, a White House official said. Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, argued against it, delaying — but not overruling — the decision. Mr. Trump received the documents from the Justice Department on Tuesday. Aides also compiled a stack of news clips criticizing Mr. Comey.
Mr. Comey’s firing came hours after the F.B.I. corrected his testimony last week about how classified information ended up on the laptop of the disgraced former congressman Anthony D. Weiner.
Mr. Comey had told the Senate Judiciary Committee that during the F.B.I.’s investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state, officers uncovered evidence that her aide, Huma Abedin, had “forwarded hundreds and thousands of emails, some of which contain classified information” to Mr. Weiner, her husband.
But the F.B.I. told Congress that only a few of the emails had been forwarded and that the vast majority were simply backed up to Mr. Weiner’s laptop.
Mr. Comey’s deputy, Andrew G. McCabe, a career F.B.I. officer, became acting director, the Justice Department said. The White House said the search for a director will begin immediately.
The firing puts Democrats in a difficult position. Many had hoped that Mrs. Clinton would fire Mr. Comey soon after taking office, and blamed him as costing her the election. But under Mr. Trump, Mr. Comey was seen as an important check on the new administration.
Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House adviser, said the firing was not related to Russia. “Today’s actions had zero to do with that,” she said in a contentious interview on CNN. Democrats were unconvinced.
“Any attempt to stop or undermine this F.B.I. investigation would raise grave constitutional issues,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois.
Mr. Trump’s decision to fire Mr. Comey marks the president’s latest law enforcement purge. In late January, Mr. Trump fired Sally Q. Yates, who had worked in the Obama administration but was serving as acting attorney general. In March, he fired Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, after assuring the prosecutor months earlier that he could stay on. But the president’s firing of Mr. Comey was far more consequential, as Ms. Yates and Mr. Bharara both were holdovers, and might only have served in the Trump administration for a matter of days or weeks.
A longtime prosecutor who served as the deputy attorney general during the George W. Bush administration, Mr. Comey came into office in 2013 with widespread bipartisan support. The defining moment in Mr. Comey’s career — until Tuesday night — came in 2004 during a hospital room standoff with White House officials who wanted to pressure the Justice Department to reauthorize a secret wiretapping program. Mr. Comey stood his ground.
Mr. Trump has been furious with news stories about his campaign’s ties to Russia. The White House has been critical of the leaks at the heart of those stories and tried unsuccessfully to enlist Mr. Comey in an effort to rebut the stories.
In a Twitter message last week, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Comey of being “the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton,” and said he gave her “a free pass for many bad deeds.” After the president accused former President Barack Obama of wiretapping his office, Mr. Comey publicly declared those claims untrue.
Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a post on Twitter that Mr. Comey “should be immediately called to testify in an open hearing about the status of Russia/Trump investigation at the time he was fired.”
Before announcing the firing, Mr. Trump called leaders on Capitol Hill to tell them of his decision. Mr. Schumer told Mr. Trump that he was making a “big mistake.” Mr. Trump paused.
“O.K.,” he said. “We’ll see.”
Continue reading the main story
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Of course, if Mr. Trump truly believed, as he said in his letter of dismissal, that Mr. Comey had undermined “public trust and confidence” in the agency, he could just as well have fired him on his first day in office.
Mr. Comey was fired because he was leading an active investigation that could bring down a president. Though compromised by his own poor judgment, Mr. Comey’s agency has been pursuing ties between the Russian government and Mr. Trump and his associates, with potentially ruinous consequences for the administration.
With congressional Republicans continuing to resist any serious investigation, Mr. Comey’s inquiry was the only aggressive effort to get to the bottom of Russia’s ties to the Trump campaign. So far, the scandal has engulfed Paul Manafort, one of Mr. Trump’s campaign managers; Roger Stone, a longtime confidant; Carter Page, one of the campaign’s early foreign-policy advisers; Michael Flynn, who was forced out as national security adviser; and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself in March from the Russia inquiry after failing to disclose during his confirmation hearings that he had met twice during the campaign with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
We have said that Mr. Comey’s atrocious handling of the Clinton email investigation, which arguably tipped the election to Mr. Trump, proved that he could not be trusted to be neutral, and that the only credible course of action would be the appointment of a special prosecutor. Given all that has happened — the firing of the F.B.I. director, on top of Mr. Trump’s firing of the acting attorney general, Sally Yates, and his dismissal of nearly all United States attorneys — the need for such a prosecutor is plainer than ever. Because Mr. Sessions is recused, the decision to name a special prosecutor falls to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whose memo, along with a separate one by Mr. Sessions, provided Mr. Trump with the pretense to fire Mr. Comey.
This is a tense and uncertain time in the nation’s history. The president of the United States, who is no more above the law than any other citizen, has now decisively crippled the F.B.I.’s ability to carry out an investigation of him and his associates. There is no guarantee that Mr. Comey’s replacement, who will be chosen by Mr. Trump, will continue that investigation; in fact, there are already hints to the contrary.
The obvious historical parallel to Mr. Trump’s action was the so-called Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973, when President Richard Nixon ordered the firing of the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, prompting the principled resignations of the attorney general and his deputy. But now, there is no special prosecutor in place to determine whether the public trust has been violated, and whether the presidency was effectively stolen by a hostile foreign power. For that reason, the country has reached an even more perilous moment.
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Can the president fire the FBI director? by Allison Michaels
On Tuesday night, news broke that President Trump had fired FBI Director James B. Comey. The White House said it acted on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Comey mishandled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails. The timing of Comey’s termination, though, has […]
NPR News: 05-10-2017 2PM ET
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The president made the remarks to reporters during a brief Oval Office photo-op with Henry Kissinger after Mr. Trump met with Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister.
Mr. Trump’s very brief comments to reporters were in response to a shouted question about his decision to fire Mr. Comey on Tuesday night.
— Michael D. Shear
Acting F.B.I. director to testify on Thursday
Andrew McCabe, the acting director of the F.B.I., will testify before Congress on Thursday, his first appearance since replacing Mr. Comey.
The topic of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing is worldwide threats, but Mr. McCabe is certain to be asked about the firing of Mr. Comey and the mood at the F.B.I.
Reporters barred from Lavrov meeting, but Russia tweets pictures
The White House barred reporters from witnessing President Trump’s meeting on Wednesday morning with Mr. Lavrov, an awkwardly timed visit given lingering questions about whether Mr. Trump dismissed his F.B.I. director in part to squelch the investigation into possible ties between his campaign and Moscow.
But Russia’s foreign ministry was quick to fill the vacuum with its own pictures of the meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Lavrov. It posted photographs on its Twitter feed of the two shaking hands, as well as images of the president grinning and gripping hands with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador.
Mr. Kislyak has figured prominently in the furor surrounding the Trump team’s contacts with Moscow. It was conversations between the ambassador and Michael T. Flynn, the president’s former national security adviser, that ultimately led to Mr. Flynn’s ouster in February, ostensibly because he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about whether the two had discussed United States sanctions on Russia.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Lavrov was listed on his schedule as “Closed Press,” meaning the news media would not have a chance to photograph or otherwise document the session, and no last-minute arrangements were made for such access.
When the pool was assembled unexpectedly, reporters thought they might catch a glimpse. But instead, they were allowed into the Oval Office for a few moments to cover another, previously undisclosed meeting: between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kissinger, the Nixon administration secretary of state.
— Julie Hirschfeld Davis
Putin says ‘we have nothing to do with that’
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, apparently about to play in a hockey game, was asked by a CBS reporter how Mr. Comey’s firing would affect relations between Russia and the United States.
“There will be no effect,” Mr. Putin said. “We have nothing to do with that. President Trump is acting in accordance with his competences and in accordance with his law and Constitution.”
McConnell addresses the Senate
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, addressed the Senate on Wednesday morning, largely sticking to the Republican party line and saying that partisan calls for a new investigation should not delay the “considerable work” already being conducted.
Watch his remarks here:
Pence says ‘it was the right decision at the right time’
Mr. Pence strongly defended Mr. Comey’s firing as sign of Mr. Trump’s solid leadership.
“Because of the president’s decisive action yesterday to restore the confidence and trust of the American people, we have an opportunity for a new beginning with the F.B.I.,” Mr. Pence said.
Mr. Pence was at the Senate on Wednesday, on standby in case he was needed to break a tie vote on a measure related to an oil and gas industry rule that Republicans are trying to repeal.
The Republicans turned out to be one vote short of a tie, so Mr. Pence did not get a chance to vote. But as he left, he took questions from reporters about Mr. Comey’s firing.
“This administration is very confident that with the appointment of a new director of the F.B.I., because of the president’s strong leadership we will be able to get this nation’s leading law enforcement agency a fresh start,” he said.
Mr. Pence also defended the timing of the dismissal, saying that “it was the right decision at the right time.”
Asked by a different group of reporters whether the removal was related to the Russian investigation, Mr. Pence cited the testimony on Monday of the former director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr. “There is no evidence of collusion,” Mr. Pence said.
— Eric Lipton
Trump accuses Democrats of hypocrisy
Mr. Trump defended his decision by accusing Democrats of hypocrisy for criticizing the dismissal of a law enforcement chief they too had assailed.
In a series of visceral posts on Twitter, the president said he was justified in dismissing Mr. Comey because Democrats and Republicans had lost faith in the F.B.I. director’s leadership.
The president went on to highlight Mr. Comey’s “scandals” and suggested that Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, be investigated moments after Mr. Blumenthal appeared on television condemning the president’s action.
Protests expected around Washington
Critics were swift to denounce Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey as a Nixonian move against the man overseeing a continuing investigation into possible collusion between Trump associates and Russia to sway the election.
Left-leaning MoveOn.Org held a protest in front of the White House on Wednesday.
Justice officials interviewing for ‘interim’ F.B.I. leader
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein are expected to interview at least four candidates on Wednesday to be “interim” F.B.I. director, a Justice Department official said. The person selected for that role would hold it until Mr. Trump’s eventual nominee for the position is confirmed by the Senate.
The four potential candidates are William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Paul Abbate, the executive assistant director for the bureau’s criminal, cyber, response and services branch; Michael Anderson, the special agent in charge of the Chicago field office; and Adam Lee, the special agent in charge of the Richmond, Va., field office.
The official cautioned that that list was not exhaustive. Andrew McCabe, the deputy F.B.I. director who is currently the acting director, is also under consideration for the longer-term interim director role, the official said.
— Charlie Savage
Lavrov laughs off questions about Comey
Mr. Lavrov appeared with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson on Wednesday morning in Washington, in what the State Department hoped would be a controlled setting.
After Mr. Tillerson thanked Mr. Lavrov for coming to Washington, the two men began to leave the diplomatic reception room. When a reporter shouted a question about whether Mr. Comey’s dismissal “cast a shadow” on the meeting, Mr. Lavrov, known for a puckish sense of humor, shot back: “Was he fired? You’re kidding! You’re kidding!”
He then turned and followed Mr. Tillerson into his office.
Mr. Lavrov met with Mr. Trump a short time later.
Dark mood at the F.B.I.
These are not happy times at the F.B.I.
The mood at country’s premier law enforcement agency had been dark for months, since Mr. Comey sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28 reviving the investigation into Hillary’s Clinton’s use of a private email server.
Mr. Comey’s decision to make public the examination of possible new evidence plunged him and the bureau into a political firestorm just as agents were trying to shake off Mr. Comey’s much-criticized announcement months earlier that he would not recommend charges in the case.
On Tuesday, after Mr. Trump fired Mr. Comey, saying he had mishandled the Clinton investigation, the mood was black.
Agents were floored that Mr. Trump would fire the director in the midst of an investigation into whether any of the president’s associates had conspired with Russia to swing the election in favor of Mr. Trump. Some said they were physically sickened.
They saw Mr. Comey as a widely respected director who many agents believed had the bureau’s best interests in mind and had tried his best to guide them through a difficult past year, even if he had misstepped in the Clinton investigation.
— Adam Goldman
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Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for Money for Russia Investigation by By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MATT APUZZO
James B. Comey asked for the resources during a meeting last week with Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general.
NPR News: 05-10-2017 12PM ET
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Firing Fuels Calls for Independent Investigator, Even From Republicansby By DAVID E. SANGER, MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
Democrats have said for months that an independent prosecutor should look into any links between Trump associates and Russia, but now Republicans are joining in.
Washington Times |
White House says no need for special prosecutor after Comey firing
Washington Times In the wake of President Trump's firing of FBI Director James B. Comey, the White House is rejecting lawmakers' calls for a special prosecutor to take over the agency's probe of possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. “There is clearly at ... and more » |
New York Times |
McConnell Defends Trump as Schumer Calls for Special Prosecutor
New York Times WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, on Wednesday defended President Trump's firing of the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, resisting Democratic calls to challenge the president and support a ... Schumer wants Sessions, Rosenstein to appear before SenateThe Boston Globe The last president to fire an FBI director? Bill ClintonLos Angeles Times all 85 news articles » |
By Mark Hensch - 05/09/17 09:33 PM EDT
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Comey timeline: Everything that led up to his firingby Julie Tate and Julie Vitkovskaya
President Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey on Tuesday. From the Clinton email investigation to the Trump-Russia probe, this is all of the major dates concerning Comey: July 5, 2016 — Comey says the FBI will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server when she was […]
Trump to sit down with Russian foreign minister, one day after firing Comey by Philip Rucker and Karen DeYoung
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