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U.S. NEWS Friday 12 May 2017
Trump: I was going to fire that ‘showboat’ no matter what

Unfazed, White House his own version of events
spokeswoman Sarah Huck- will come out, possibly in
abee Sanders insisted she an appearance before
had heard from “count- Congress, according to an
less” members of the FBI associate who has been in
who welcomed the presi- touch with him since his fir-
dent’s decision. ing Tuesday.
McCabe also pointed out Trump and Comey’s re-
the remarkable nature of lationship was strained
Trump’s version of his con- early on, in part because
versations with Comey. of the president’s explo-
McCabe told a Senate sive and unsubstantiated
panel it was not “standard claims that Barack Obama
practice” to tell an individ- wiretapped Trump Tower.
ual whether they are or are Comey found the allega-
not under investigation. tions confounding, accord-
Previous presidents have ing to his associate, and
made a public show of wondered what to make
staying out of legal matters, of what he described as
so as not to appear to be strange thoughts coming
injecting politics. Trump’s from his new boss.
comments demonstrated The president was no kind-
his striking deviation from er to Comey Thursday, call-
that practice. ing him names and saying
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 11, 2017, The ousted director himself he’d left the FBI in “virtual
during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on major threats facing the U.S. is said to be confident that turmoil.” q
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
By JULIE PACE ment memo criticizing
EILEEN SULLIVAN Comey’s handling of last
JAKE PEARSON year’s investigation into
Associated Press Hillary Clinton’s emails as
WASHINGTON (AP) — Con- the impetus for Trump’s de-
tradicting previous White cision. But Trump on Thurs-
House explanations, Presi- day acknowledged for
dent Donald Trump de- the first time that the Rus-
clared Thursday he had sia investigation — which
planned to fire FBI Director he dismissed as a “made
James Comey all along, up story” — was also on his
regardless of whether top mind as he ousted the man
Justice Department of- overseeing the probe.
ficials recommended the The shifting accounts of
stunning step. His assertions the decision to fire Comey,
came as Comey’s tempo- whom Trump derided as a
rary replacement joined in, “showboat” and “grand-
contradicting other admin- stander,” added to a
istration statements on the mounting sense of uncer-
snowballing controversy. tainty and chaos in the
In an interview with NBC West Wing, as aides scram-
News, Trump also said he’d bled to get their stories
asked Comey point-blank straight and appease an
if he was under investi- angry president. Not even
gation and was assured Vice President Mike Pence
three times he was not. was spared the embar-
Trump showed no concern rassment of having told a
that the request might be version of events that was
viewed as interference in later discredited by Trump.
an active FBI probe into his The White House’s expla-
2016 campaign’s possible nations continued to crum-
ties to Russia’s election ble throughout the day
meddling. Thursday. On Capitol Hill,
“I said, ‘If it’s possible, acting FBI Director Andrew
would you let me know McCabe strongly disputed
am I under investigation?’ the White House’s assertion
He said you are not under that Comey had been fired
investigation,” Trump told in part because he had lost
NBC. He said the discus- the confidence of the FBI’s
sions happened in two rank-and-file.
phone calls and at a din- “That is not accurate,” Mc-
ner in which Comey was Cabe said. “Director Com-
asking to keep his job. ey enjoyed broad support
The White House initially within the FBI and still does
cited a Justice Depart- to this day.”