Events that shook the Trump presidency
May 9
FBI director James Comey, the man in charge of investigating the Trump campaign’s connections with Russia, is fired by President Trump. Mr Trump says the decision was taken following recommendations from the Department of Justice that Comey was “not able to effectively lead the bureau” over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal.
May 10
Mr Trump meets with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister. Reports emerge that Mr Comey had sought more funding for the FBI probe into the Trump camp’s alleged links with Russia.
May 11
The New York Times reports that Mr Comey “refused to pledge loyalty to Trump” in a one-on-one dinner before Trump was sworn in as president.
May 12
Mr Trump warns Mr Comey not to leak to the press, suggesting he may have tapes of their conversations. He tells NBC he was thinking about “this Russia thing” when he decided to fire him, contradicting earlier statements.
May 15
Washington Post shared classified information with Russian representatives at their meeting on May 10.
May 16
Mr Trump is reported to have asked Mr Comey to end the FBI’s investigation into links between Russia and Michael Flynn, the president’s former national security adviser. The president defends his “right” to share classified information with the Russians.
May 17
Mr Trump proclaims that he is the victim of the greatest witch hunt in the political history of the US.
May 18
Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, is named as special counsel to lead the probe into the Trump campaign’s alleged links with Russia.
May 19
Reports say a member of the White House staff is under scrutiny by the FBI over possible links with Russia, as Mr Trump’s approval ratings hit a new low. Mr Trump calls Mr Comey a “real nut job” and claims that the pressure over his possible ties to Russia is now eased.
Mr Comey agrees to appear before the senate intelligence committee to testify on May 29 about Russian interference in the 2016 elections. IRAN has chosen the “path of engagement with the world” and rejected isolation and extremism, President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday after winning re-election in a landslide victory over his hardline opponent.
The reformist president won an unexpectedly decisive 57 per cent of the vote, giving him a strong mandate to try to ease Iran’s economic isolation, improve relations with Europe, and offer new freedoms to young Iranians.
“The message of our people has been very clearly expressed. The Iranian people have chosen the path of engagement with the world, far from extremism,” Mr Rouhani said in his victory speech.
Mr Rouhani soundly defeated his opponent Ebrahim Raisi, a 56-year-old former judge who is a disciple of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and supports a more confrontational approach to the West.
The 68-year-old Mr Rouhani claimed victory as Donald Trump and America’s Arab allies gathered in Riyadh for a summit focused partly on confronting Iran. The newly re-elected Iranian leader warned that his country wanted “to live in peace and in friendship with the rest of the world” but would “not accept any threat or humiliation”.
Turnout in the election was high at 71 per cent and voting had to be extended on Friday night to accommodate massive lines at polling stations.
Mr Rouhani’s victory was powered by a huge turnout of voters in affluent urban areas, many of whom waited in line for hours to vote. “We won. We did what we should do for our country. Now it is Rouhani’s turn to keep his promises,” said Arash Geranmayeh, a 29-year-old coffeeshop owner in Tehran.
The election debate centred around the aftermath of the Iranian nuclear agreement, which was struck in 2015 between Tehran and six world powers led by the Obama administration.
Mr Rouhani portrayed the agree- whether Mr Rouhani’s reforms go ahead, but 77-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei has shown increasing flexibility in response to calls for change.
There was relief from European foreign ministers at the result, as many EU officials feared having both Mr Trump and Mr Raisi in office would increase the likelihood of a military confrontation. Mr Trump promised on the campaign trail he would “rip up” the Iran nuclear agreement but he has continued with the deal since taking office.
Iran is a bitter rival of Saudi Arabia and Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, used the high turnout to mock Mr Trump’s meeting in Riyadh with a coalition of autocratic Arab states that do not have elections. “We derive stability not from ‘coalitions’, but from our people, who – unlike many – do vote. Iranians must be respected and are ready to engage,” Mr Zarif said.