Trump likely to visit FBI headquarters in coming days - White House

Trump hosted Russia's USA ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the White House on Wednesday. "No, sir, that is not accurate", he said. 'I was going to fire regardless of recommendation'.

"FIRE COMEY", wrote O'Donnell on December 20, a month prior to Trump's inauguration, in response to a tweet from former Clinton campaign Press Secretary Brian Fallon criticizing the director's actions during the election.

The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday. "When you're under investigation, you're given all sorts of documents", he said.

Adding fuel to the controversy was Wednesday's meeting between Trump and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, one day after Comey was sacked. Schumer said he hoped that Sessions would also speak to senators separately on the firing of Comey. Ringel asked of Comey's sudden dismissal. "The integrity of our law enforcement agencies and their leadership is of the utmost importance to President Trump".

McCabe is now in charge of the investigation into Trump's supposed Moscow ties; meanwhile, his wife, Jill McCabe, accepted a $467,000 donation from an ally of Trump's presidential rival, Hillary Clinton, while running for Senate in 2015. Republican leaders brushed off the idea as unnecessary.

White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to questions about whether Trump had in fact taped his conversations with Comey. They are among almost a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.

The probe has hung over Trump's presidency since he took office in January and threatens to overwhelm his policy priorities.

But Trump himself has cast doubt on the investigation, suggesting any question of ties between his campaign and Russian Federation are a "hoax". The White House refused Wednesday to provide any evidence or greater detail.

"He's a showboat, he's a grandstander".

The interview marks Trump's first comments since Comey's termination on Tuesday.

Still, Trump maintained, "I know I am not under investigation".

At the Senate hearing, both Democratic and Republican senators pressed McCabe on whether the White House had attempted to squelch the Russian Federation influence investigation.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testifies before the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, US May 11, 2017.

Trump's communications team has scurried in recent days to explain the president's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.

In a general election debate a year later, he defended the remarks again.

But Rosenstein's own role in Comey's firing became increasingly murky Wednesday.

"They're trying to exploit whatever cultural fissures there are within a country", a USA official told VOA on condition of anonymity when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's evolving strategy for the US and its allies.

Officials familiar with internal Federal Bureau of Investigation politics said Trump's action has hurt morale and would make it hard to attract and retain staff.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores denied that Comey had asked Rosenstein for more resources for the Russian Federation investigation.

Reacting to the president's characterization just minutes after emerging from a meeting at the Capitol with Mr. Rosenstein, Sen.

Voters were about evenly divided on whether Trump did the right thing in firing Comey, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll, and their stance is heavily influenced by party identification.

Rosenstein authored the three-page memo recommending that Comey be fired, which was forwarded to the White House.

It is unclear whether Rosenstein was aware his report would be used to justify the director's ouster.

Or maybe they were happy they planted some sort of surveillance device in the White House?

Trump: What I did is, I was going to fire Comey. Among Republicans, 63 percent backed Trump's decision while two-thirds of Democrats said the firing was inappropriate. President Bill Clinton dismissed William Sessions amid allegations of ethical lapses in 1993. Justice Department leaders are interviewing other contenders for the position.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed the report, and said the president would "never even suggest the expectation of personal loyalty".