President Trump defended Press Secretary Sean Spicer during an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, saying, he is “a wonderful human being.”
In an interview that is set to air in full on Saturday, Pirro asked Trump if Spicer will continue to be his spokesman “tomorrow” on the heels of recent reports that the White House is not happy with the way the team handled news that now-former FBI Director James Comey was fired.
“Yeah, sure. He is. Well, he’s doing a good job but he gets beat up,” said POTUS.
Pirro then pressed, asking Trump if Spicer is “in the woods” at the moment.
“No, he just gets beat up by these people and again you know they don’t show the 90 questions that they asked and answered properly. I’m saying if they’re off just a little bit, just a little bit, it’s the big story,” Trump said.
The Washington Post recently issued a correction after originally reporting that Spicer was hiding out “in the bushes” on the White House lawn Tuesday night as he prepared to answer questions from reporters about the firing of Comey. It seems he was simply “among” the bushes.
The story painted a picture of a flustered Spicer who was not prepared to answer on-camera questions regarding Comey’s sudden dismissal. CNN’s Jim Acosta tweeted on Wednesday that President Trump was “evaluating” Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders after Spicer’s “disaster” among the bushes outside the White House.
Trump also discussed scrapping Spicer’s daily press briefing and doing it himself on occasion.
“We don’t have press conferences,” Trump said. “Unless I have them every two weeks and I do them myself, we don’t have them. I think it’s a good idea. First of all, you have a level of hostility that’s incredible and it’s very unfair. Sarah Huckabee is a lovely, young woman. You know Sean Spicer, he is a wonderful human being, he’s a nice man.”
Spicer has emerged as a household name because of his often-combative press briefings and high-profile gaffes. He is famously portrayed on “Saturday Night Live by Melissa McCarthy, who will host “SNL” this weekend.
The complete interview will air Saturday night on Fox News Channel’s “Justice with Judge Jeanine.“
James Comey Timeline: Events That Led to FBI Director's Firing (Photos)
For the first time since 1993, a U.S. president has fired a director of the FBI. Comey's final year as head of the Bureau before his dismissal Tuesday was wrought with controversy, as Democrats and Republicans alike criticized him for his handling of the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and possible connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. Here's how we got to this point:
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July 2013: Disgraced former NY Congressman Anthony Weiner sees his campaign for New York mayor derailed when screenshots of explicit conversations between him and several women are leaked. His wife, Huma Abedin, who was deputy chief of staff to Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State, stands by him.
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September 2013: President Barack Obama appoints James Comey as FBI Director. Comey served as U.S. Deputy Attorney General from 2003-2005 and had worked in the intervening years at Lockheed Martin and HSBC, among other private sector jobs.
April 2015: Hillary Clinton announces her campaign for the president just weeks after The New York Times reported that she used a personal email server as Secretary of State. Abedin is named vice-chairwoman of her campaign.
July 2016: After investigating Clinton's emails, Comey announces that the FBI does not recommend charging Clinton in connection to the personal server. Two days later, Comey is questioned by a Republican-led House Committee about his recommendation.
August 2016: Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin announce their separation after reports surface that Weiner had sent explicit text messages to another woman.
September 2016: Reports surface that Weiner had sent illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, prompting a federal investigation. During the investigation, authorities seize a laptop belonging to Weiner and Abedin.
Oct. 28, 2016: Comey sends a letter to Congress informing members that Abedin's laptop may contain emails linked to the Clinton investigation. Clinton calls on the FBI to release all the information they have.
Nov. 6, 2016: Comey writes another letter saying that nothing new was found on Abedin's laptop, with Newsweek reporting that most of the emails found were ones forwarded by Abedin so she could print them. Two days after Comey sends the second letter, Hillary Clinton loses the presidential election to Donald Trump.
March 2017: Comey reveals during a House Intelligence Committee hearing that the FBI is performing an investigation into possible connections between the Kremlin and members of Trump's campaign.
May 3, 2017: Comey testifies in Congress again, this time before a Senate Committee about the details of the FBI's investigation into Clinton's email server. He says that Abedin had forwarded "forwarded hundreds and thousands of emails, some of which contain classified information" to Weiner to print out of convenience.
May 9, 2017: ProPublica and the Associated Press report that Comey had exaggerated the number of emails found in the laptop and that none of the emails were classified when sent. Later that day, Comey is fired from his position by Donald Trump.
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Comey’s four-year tenure as FBI director ends 10 months after recommending Hillary Clinton not be charged for his email investigation
For the first time since 1993, a U.S. president has fired a director of the FBI. Comey's final year as head of the Bureau before his dismissal Tuesday was wrought with controversy, as Democrats and Republicans alike criticized him for his handling of the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and possible connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. Here's how we got to this point:
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Getty Images
