President Trump warned recently fired FBI Director James Comey not to leak to the press during a Twitter rant on Friday morning, hinting at “tapes” of their private conversations.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Trump is “dangerous” and he “may be obstructing justice” by tweeting about an ongoing investigation, which is a crime.
During an interview on Thursday with NBC News’ Lester Holt, the president described Comey, the former FBI director whom he fired on Tuesday, as a “showboat.” The president also said that Comey told him he was not under investigation for potential ties between his campaign and Russia.
“I actually asked him,” Trump said. “I said, if it’s possible would you let me know, ‘Am I under investigation?’ He said, ‘You are not under investigation.'”
During the interview, Trump claimed that Comey told him once over dinner and twice by telephone that he isn’t under investigation.
The president also contradicted an earlier White House statement claiming that Trump fired Comey after a memo recommending the dismissal was sent from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Instead, Trump told Holt that he had already planned the firing and requested a memo from the Department of Justice to support his decision.
Earlier this week, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said he thinks President Trump’s tweets are “really important” because they push “conversations out in the open rather than behind closed doors.”
“I believe it’s really important to hear directly from our leadership. And I believe it’s really important to hold them accountable,” Dorsey told NBC’s Willie Geist.
Trump was on a Twitter rampage Friday, also slamming the “fake media” and suggesting that he might cancel all future press briefings and replace them with written handouts “for the sake of accuracy.”
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:
Getty Images
Getty Images
