WASHINGTON Donald Trumps eldest son seemed to confirm fired FBI director James Comeys account that the president expressed hopeComey would end the FBI investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynns contacts with Russian officials, contradicting the presidents denial that he made such an appeal. <\/p>\n
While defending his father in a Fox News interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, a Trump ally, the younger Trump said there would have beenno ambiguity if the president had made the request to Comey during a Feb. 14 Oval Office meeting, despite the president and his personal lawyer disputing the exchange. <\/p>\n
When he tells you to do something, guess what? Theres no ambiguity in it, theres no, Hey, Im hoping, Donald Trump Jr. told Pirro on Saturday, trying to explain that it could not have been a direct request. You and I are friends: Hey, I hope this happens, but youve got to do your job. Thats what he told Comey. <\/p>\n
Comey immediately detailed the meeting in a memo, writing that Trump told him: I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go. <\/p>\n
The president has repeatedly denied Comeys account of the Feb. 14 conversation. <\/p>\n
Comeys account is central to the question of whether Trump obstructed justice by asking Comey to end the investigation and then fired him when he did not. <\/p>\n
The former FBI director on Thursday testified that he took it as a direction, given that the president had dismissed everyone else from the room to meet with Comey alone, before making the request. It also followed a previous one-on-one encounter in which Trump asked Comey to pledge his honest loyalty. <\/p>\n
Trumps son attacked Comey for not taking action if he felt threatened by the president. <\/p>\n
For this guy, as a politician, to then go back and write a memo: Oh, I felt threatened. He felt so threatened, but he didnt do anything, Trump Jr. said. <\/p>\n
Comey testified that he asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to not allow Trump to meet with him alone. But he did not feel it was appropriate to tell Sessions about Trumps request, fearing it would impede the larger FBI investigation into the Trump campaigns ties to Russian officials. <\/p>\n
Sessions, who met at least twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak last year, later recused himself from matters involving the Russia investigation. Comey revealed Thursday that at the time, he and FBI colleagues knew that Sessions would have to recuse himself because they may have discovered even more compromising information involving Sessions. <\/p>\n
In response to his testimony, Trump and his allies have continued to dispute Comeys detailed recollections and attack the fired FBI directors character, while simultaneously claiming that his testimony vindicated the president. On Friday, Trump accused Comey of committing perjury, and said he would be 100 percent willing to testify under oath to dispute Comey. <\/p>\n
This story has been clarified to note that Trump Jr. was explaining that his father could not have meant his possible comments to Comey as a direct request. <\/p>\n
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Donald Trump's Son Inadvertently Backs Up Comey's Account Of Conversation With President - HuffPost<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WASHINGTON Donald Trumps eldest son seemed to confirm fired FBI director James Comeys account that the president expressed hopeComey would end the FBI investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynns contacts with Russian officials, contradicting the presidents denial that he made such an appeal. While defending his father in a Fox News interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, a Trump ally, the younger Trump said there would have beenno ambiguity if the president had made the request to Comey during a Feb. 14 Oval Office meeting, despite the president and his personal lawyer disputing the exchange. Continue reading