Nation Glance
Comey: “Possible” that Russians have leverage over Trump
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey says he thinks it’s possible the Russians have compromising information on President Donald Trump, that there is “some evidence of obstruction of justice” in the president’s actions and that Trump is “morally unfit” for office.
Comey’s comments in an ABC News interview that aired Sunday were almost certain to escalate his war of words with the president, who fired him last year and attacked him anew Sunday with a Twitter outburst that suggested the ex-FBI head should be put in jail. Comey’s televised remarks, coupled with his forthcoming book, offer his version of events surrounding his firing and the investigations into Russian election meddling and Hillary Clinton’s email practices.
The interview was tied to the release of Comey’s new book, “A Higher Loyalty.” Hours before it aired a vitriolic Twitter outburst from the president labeled Comey “slippery,” suggested he should be in jail and branded him the “the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!”
The FBI director, who until his firing last May led an investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, acknowledged that it was “stunning” to think that Russia could have damaging information about an American president. But he said that in Trump’s case, he could not discount the possibility.
“These are more words I never thought I’d utter about a president of the United States, but it’s possible,” Comey told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.
He also answered “possibly” when asked if the president was attempting to obstruct justice when he cleared the Oval Office of other officials last February before encouraging him to close the investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. The retired general pleaded guilty last December to lying to the FBI and is now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Comey also said he believed that Trump was “morally unfit” to be president and that he treated women like “pieces of meat.”
Spring storm moves east after blanketing central U.S. in snow
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota residents slogged through a mid-April storm Sunday that dumped 2 feet (half a meter) of snow on parts of the Upper Midwest, coated roads with ice and battered areas farther south with powerful winds and tornadoes before plowing toward the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S.
The storm system prompted Enbridge Energy to temporarily shutter twin oil and gas pipelines in Michigan that may have been recently damaged by a ship anchor strike.
The Line 5 pipelines were temporarily shuttered Sunday afternoon due to a power outage at Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy told The Detroit News.
At least three deaths were blamed on the storm system, which stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes.
At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where more than 13 inches (33 centimeters) of snow had fallen, 230 flights were canceled Sunday.