MW: FBI Rejects White House's Requests to publish Lies about Trump-Russia stories: report
MW: FBI Rejects White House's Requests to publish Lies about Trump-Russia stories: report
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus speaks Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The White House asked the FBI to publicly refute reports of contacts between members of President Donald Trump’s camp and Russian officials, a request the FBI denied, according to a report Thursday by CNN. The request reportedly came after CNN and the New York Times reported Feb. 14 that high-ranking members of Trump’s campaign staff had ongoing contact with Russian intelligence officials before the November election. Those reports came a day after then-National Security Adviser Mike Flynn resigned over revelations over his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration. Citing multiple sources, CNN said Thursday that White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus reached out to FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Feb. 15, asking them to publicly dispute the reports of ongoing contacts. Comey reportedly refused to do so, because the FBI was actively investigating the matter. CNN also said Priebus wanted the FBI officials to speak to reporters “on deep background,” though days later he blasted the media’s use of anonymous sources. While not illegal, it is a breach of procedure for the White House to communicate directly with the FBI over an ongoing investigation. According to procedural memos from 2007 and 2009, contacts should be limited to the attorney general and deputy attorney general on the Justice Department side, and the president, vice president, counsel to the president or the principal deputy counsel on the White House side. Priebus himself vehemently denied contacts between the Trump team and Russians during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Feb. 19. “We don’t know of any contacts with Russian agents,” he said, calling the reports “total baloney.” Democratic lawmakers, joined by a growing number of Republicans, have called for a Congressional investigation into charges that Russia intervened in the U.S. election, and many are asking for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a major supporter of Trump during the campaign, to recuse himself from the probe.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus speaks Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. The White House asked the FBI to publicly refute reports of contacts between members of President Donald Trump’s camp and Russian officials, a request the FBI denied, according to a report Thursday by CNN. The request reportedly came after CNN and the New York Times reported Feb. 14 that high-ranking members of Trump’s campaign staff had ongoing contact with Russian intelligence officials before the November election. Those reports came a day after then-National Security Adviser Mike Flynn resigned over revelations over his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration. Citing multiple sources, CNN said Thursday that White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus reached out to FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Feb. 15, asking them to publicly dispute the reports of ongoing contacts. Comey reportedly refused to do so, because the FBI was actively investigating the matter. CNN also said Priebus wanted the FBI officials to speak to reporters “on deep background,” though days later he blasted the media’s use of anonymous sources. While not illegal, it is a breach of procedure for the White House to communicate directly with the FBI over an ongoing investigation. According to procedural memos from 2007 and 2009, contacts should be limited to the attorney general and deputy attorney general on the Justice Department side, and the president, vice president, counsel to the president or the principal deputy counsel on the White House side. Priebus himself vehemently denied contacts between the Trump team and Russians during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Feb. 19. “We don’t know of any contacts with Russian agents,” he said, calling the reports “total baloney.” Democratic lawmakers, joined by a growing number of Republicans, have called for a Congressional investigation into charges that Russia intervened in the U.S. election, and many are asking for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a major supporter of Trump during the campaign, to recuse himself from the probe.
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