President Donald Trump’s branding of ousted FBI chief James Comey as a “showboat” has been swiftly contradicted by US senators and the bureau’s acting leader, who has pledged a vigorous probe into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia.
In his first interview since firing Comey on Tuesday, Trump appeared to try to underscore that Comey’s dismissal was about his performance at the FBI and not about the Russia probe.
Trump faces accusations from Democrats that he fired Comey to hinder the FBI investigation into US intelligence agency allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump.
“He’s a showboat. He’s a grandstander,” Trump told NBC News on Thursday.
“The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everybody knows that.”
Trump’s characterisation was odds with that of the top Republicans and Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee.
At a hearing on Thursday, the Republican chairman of the panel, Richard Burr, and the top Democrat, Mark Warner, praised Comey.
Warner said he was offended at Trump’s remarks.
Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, testifying in place of Comey, contradicted Trump’s appraisal of turmoil at the FBI, saying Comey had “broad support” from the rank and file “and still does to this day”.
McCabe promised to tell senators of any White House meddling into the agency’s probe on Russia.
Democrats have called for a special counsel to look into the matter.
“It is my opinion and belief that the FBI will continue to pursue this investigation vigorously and completely,” McCabe told the senators.
Moscow has denied interference in the election and the Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russia.
In firing Comey, Trump said he knew he ran the risk he would “confuse people” and “lengthen out the investigation” into ties to Russia.
“In fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won’,” he told NBC.
Trump said in the interview he never pressured Comey into dropping the FBI probe, saying: “If Russia did anything, I want to know that.”
Trump said there was no “collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians” and “the Russians did not affect the vote”.
His explanation of why he fired Comey ran counter to previous administration explanations of Comey’s dismissal.
The White House and Vice-President Mike Pence had said Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and his Justice Department deputy Rod Rosenstein.
On Thursday, Trump said he would have taken the action regardless.
A White House spokeswoman on Thursday morning had said Trump was expected to soon visit FBI headquarters but MSNBC later reported that plan had been thrown out after agency officials told the White House that Trump would not be greeted warmly.
Source: Trump’s attack on Comey meets resistance | Perth Now
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