Trump's Deputy Communications Director, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, subbing for Sean Spicer (who apparently hid in the bushes on Tuesday to avoid talking to the media and then left to fulfill a week of naval reserve duty) has been contradicted on several of her statements regarding Comey's firing.
She said, "the rest of the FBI" had lost confidence in Comey. She said the White House had heard from "countless" members of the FBI to that effect." (Any bets that Rudy Giuliani is the source of her information, relaying what former FBI agents told him?)
Testifying today, Acting FBI Director Adam McCabe flatly contradicted her:
"I hold Director Comey in the absolute highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity," McCabe told members of the Senate intelligence committee.
He said Comey... enjoyed "broad support within the FBI and still does to this day." He added, "The majority, the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey."
She also claimed that the FBI's Russia investigation was "probably one of the smallest things" on the FBI's plate."
According to McCabe's testimony today:
"We consider it to be a highly significant investigation," McCabe said,
Trump was asked by Lester Holt how Comey has assured him he is not under investigation:
"I said, if it's possible would you let me know, 'Am I under investigation?"
"He said, 'You are not under investigation'," Trump said.
No contradiction on that yet, but it's only noon. Trump is doubling down on this one, saying Comey told him this "once in person, at dinner, and twice over the phone." Trump said he called Comey once and Comey called him in another instance.
Mike Pence got thrown to the wolves again. He initially stated Trump acted after receiving the recommendation of Rosenstein and Sessions. Trump now says he had decided before their recommendations came in. The Washington Post says Pence knew exactly what Trump was thinking and going to do. Trump returned from his golf club in New Jersey Sunday night:
Back at work Monday morning in Washington, Trump told Vice President Pence and several senior aides — Reince Priebus, Stephen K. Bannon and Donald McGahn, among others — that he was ready to move on Comey. First, though, he wanted to talk with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his trusted confidant, and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, to whom Comey reported directly. Trump summoned the two of them to the White House for a meeting, according to a person close to the White House.
The president already had decided to fire Comey, according to this person. But in the meeting, several White House officials said Trump gave Sessions and Rosenstein a directive: to explain in writing the case against Comey.
Oliver Willis has more on Pence here. Others say Pence is not just a deer caught in Trump's headlights, he intentionally is lying to cover Trump. There are also reports Pence was in the room when Trump asked Rosenstein (in the presence of Sessions) to write a recommendation.
Finally, there are reports Rosenstein wanted to resign after Trump said his recommendation resulted in the firing. The Washington Post reports:
Rosenstein threatened to resign after the narrative emerging from the White House on Tuesday evening cast him as a prime mover of the decision to fire Comey and that the president acted only on his recommendation, said the person close to the White House, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Justice Department officials declined to comment.
According to a more recent report this afternoon, a reporter asked him if he threatened to resign and he denied it.
What it sounds like from this article is Rosenstein demanded Trump make it clear that his letter was not the catalyst for Comey's firing (or else he'd resign.) Maybe that's why Trump did the interview with Lester Holt saying he had already decided to fire him before getting Rosenstein's memo.
