On Sunday President Trump charged Andrew McCabe, the newly-fired former FBI deputy director, with creating ‘fake memos’ of their conversations, while suggesting James Comey, the fired former FBI director, with lying under oath.
‘Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don’t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey,’ Trump tweeted. ‘Can we call them Fake Memos?’
Early Saturday morning, the president had called it a ‘great day for democracy’ when Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the decision to fire McCabe, a little over 24 hours before his 50th birthday – the date he was expected to retire, and eligible to start receiving his pension.
President Trump took to Twitter Sunday morning to lash out at Andrew McCabe, who was fired on Friday after serving as the FBI’s No. 2. Trump also criticized former FBI Director James Comey, who he fired in May, and Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is handling the Russia probe
President Trump charged that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired on Friday, ‘never took notes’ when the two spoke, and so his memos – which have been turned over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller – were likely ‘fake’
Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director, was fired on Friday, with a little more than 24 hours left before his 50th birthday, the date he was planning to retire, and would be eligible for his government pension
President Trump accused former FBI Director James Comey of lying under oath. During a May 3 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Comey answered ‘never’ and ‘no’ to Sen. Chuck Grassley when asked if he’d ever been an anonymous media source or ever authorized other officials to be one
Ex-FBI Director James Comey, seen at a Congressional hearing after his firing, knew that Andrew McCabe had green-lit two FBI officials to talk to the Wall Street Journal about the Clinton investigation, McCabe said. Comey testified in May he never authorized anyone to be an anonymous source
Trump continued beating this drum on Saturday writing, ‘The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired.’
‘How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!’ Trump charged.
For months the president had suggested that McCabe was biased because his wife had taken a campaign donation from the political action committee associated with ex-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat and a longtime ally of both Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The justification for firing McCabe was that he directed FBI officials to speak to the media about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation and then misled investigators about it, charges he denies.
The Associated Press reported that McCabe had kept personal memos detailing his interactions with the president, much like the memos Comey had kept on Trump.
He’s since handed those memos over to Mueller, who is investigating Russian inference in the 2016 presidential election and looking into whether there was collusion with the Trump campaign.
On Sunday, the president also charged Comey with lying to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee when he testified before the panel in May 2017.
President Trump also tweeted about Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Sunday morning, alleging that his team was made up of more Democrats than Republicans
‘Wow, watch Comey lie under oath to Senator G when asked “have you ever been an anonymous source…or known someone else to be an anonymous source…?” He said strongly “never, no.” He lied as shown clearly on @FoxandFriends,’ Trump wrote.
The exchange in question was between Comey, at the time still the head of the FBI, and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.
Comey first answered ‘never’ when asked by the Iowa Republican whether he had been an anonymous source in media reports related to the Clinton emails investigation.
In a follow-up, Grassley asked if Comey ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source.
‘No,’ Comey said.
That runs counter to what McCabe told the media this weekend, as he talked to outlets about his ouster.
‘It was not a secret, it took place over several days, and others, including the Director were aware of the interaction with the reporter,’ McCabe said, referencing how he authorized two FBI agents to speak to a Wall Street Journal reporter about the Clinton email investigation and a probe into the Clinton Foundation.
‘It was the type of exchange with the media that the Deputy Director oversees several times per week,’ McCabe continued. ‘In fact, it was the same type of work that I continued to do under Director Wray, at his request,’ McCabe said, name-dropping Trump’s chosen replacement for Comey, FBI Director Christopher Wray.
In a third tweet Sunday morning, the president swatted at Mueller’s team yet again.
‘Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added…does anyone think this is fair?’ the president asked.
‘And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!’ he added.