Trump asked Comey to end the investigation during a February meeting in the Oval Office.
President Trump reportedly asked former FBI director James Comey to end the FBI's investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn during an Oval Office meeting in February, according to a memo written by Comey, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Trump fired Comey last week.
Initially, the White House said that the Russia probe had nothing to do with the president's decision and that he had acted solely on the recommendations of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Trump said days later, however, that the investigation had been a factor in his decision and called Comey a "showboat" and a "grandstander." He tweeted on Friday that "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"
The Times noted that Comey's memo "was part of a paper trail Mr. Comey created documenting what he perceived as the president’s improper efforts to influence an ongoing investigation."
While the Times did not obtain the memo, portions of the document were read to a Times reporter by an associate of Comey's who had a copy.
The FBI is investigating Flynn's contact with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak as part of its probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The bureau interviewed Flynn about his conversations with Kislyak in January as part of that probe.
The Acting Director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that the FBI probe into Russian interference in the US election was "highly significant," contradicting the White House's assertion that it was a low priority for the bureau.
A White House official said in a statement that Trump "has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country," but he "has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn."
"The President has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations," the statement continued. "This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey."
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said that the report, if true, amounted to "obstruction of justice.”
The revelation that Trump tried to end the FBI's probe into Flynn comes one week after former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee that she warned the White House about Flynn's conversations with Russia's ambassador Sergey Kislyak in January so that the Trump administration "could take action." The Justice Department, which oversees the FBI, was concerned that Flynn could have been subject to blackmail by the Russians.
Flynn was asked to resign roughly 18 days after Yates first warned McGahn about his conversations with Kislyak. Democratic Sen. Al Franken asked during last week's hearing if Yates had any idea why Trump did not fire Flynn immediately, but she replied that she could not comment.
Trump asked Comey to end the investigation during a February meeting in the Oval Office. Read Full Story
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