Trump to Russians: Comey ‘real nut job’ ‘Someone close to president’ faces FBI inquiry
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told a pair of Russian envoys that his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, whom he described as “crazy, a real nut job,” had relieved “great pressure” on him because of the Russia investigation, according to a published report Friday.
Adding to Trump’s cascading legal and political woes, the FBI investigation reached into the White House for the first time Friday with a separate report that an unnamed Trump aide is under federal scrutiny as a person of significant interest.
The White House did not dispute either account, which created a new furor just as Trump was taking off from Andrews Air Force Base on his first official trip overseas, a nine-day visit to
five countries in the Middle East and Europe.
Until now, the FBI probe was only known to be focused on whether members of Trump’s campaign or other associates had colluded with Russian intelligence to interfere with the 2016 presidential race.
The designation of a person of interest does not signal that criminal charges are imminent, or even likely, for one of Trump’s aides. But it does suggest the probe has moved into a new phase, one potentially far more damaging for the president since it now appears in his direct orbit.
The investigation, which began last July, is accelerating. A federal grand jury in Virginia has issued subpoenas and the FBI is conducting interviews. On Wednesday, the Justice Department formally handed off the investigation to a special counsel, former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
Comey agreed Friday to testify in public to the Senate intelligence committee after the Memorial Day holiday, according to the committee. He has told associates that he kept detailed memos of his conversations with Trump.
Three other congressional panels are conducting separate inquiries. Former CIA Director John Brennan is scheduled to testify Tuesday to the House intelligence committee.
The latest two accounts appeared in The Washington Post and The New York Times.
The timing underscored that Trump will get no respite from the growing swirl of scandals he faces in Washington even as he meets dozens of heads of state in elaborate ceremonies and attends high-powered summits abroad.
The Washington Post story did not identify who in the White House the FBI now considers a person of interest, although it said the individual is “someone close to the president.”
In a statement, White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not confirm or deny that a White House aide has been caught up in the FBI inquiry.
The Justice Department declined comment.
The New York Times cast a new light on Trump’s firing of Comey last week, a dismissal that initially sparked political turmoil when the White House issued a series of conflicting reasons.
The Times was read what was described as the official White House memo chronicling Trump’s meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and its ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, in the Oval Office on May 10, the day after Comey was fired.
“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump told them, according to the Times. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
Some Republicans seemed astonished.
“Assuming it’s in context and assuming it’s accurate, it is a reckless thing for a president to say, particularly to Russian” officials, said Ari Fleischer, who routinely sat in on meetings with foreign dignitaries while serving as President George W. Bush’s press secretary.
Michael Allen, a former senior director on the National Security Council in the George W. Bush White House, said that transcripts of meetings with foreign leaders usually “are treated like the crown jewels.”
“This is an extraordinary release of what are intended to be private conversations,” Allen said.
In a statement Friday, Spicer did not deny the substance of The New York Times story. Instead, he suggested that Trump’s comment about easing “great pressure” on him referred to his ability to improve relations with Russia.
The developments came as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein spent his second consecutive day on Capitol Hill, delivering a briefing for all House members on his decision to name a special counsel to take over the Russia probe.