US President Donald Trump has once again declared that he didn't fire FBI Director James Comey over the agency's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, contradicting prior statements he has made about the termination.
“Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia!” Trump tweeted Thursday. “The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true!” he added.
Trump has said at least twice that Comey's firing in May 2017 was related to the FBI's investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign aides coordinated with Russia in an effort to influence the US election.
A few days after Comey was dismissed, Trump said in an interview with NBC News that he was thinking of “this Russia thing” when he fired Comey.
The New York Times also reported that Trump told Russian diplomats in a White House meeting in May 2017 that Comey's dismissal had removed some of the pressure he faced over the Russia investigation.
“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said during the meeting, according to the newspaper. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off.”
Comey's firing led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as the US Justice Department's special counsel investigating alleged Russian meddling. The firing is now under investigation by Mueller for possible obstruction of justice.
The Justice Department inspector general is also preparing a report that is expected to criticize the FBI's handling of the investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
In announcing Comey's firing in 2017, the White House initially cited his handling of the Clinton email investigation, seizing on the FBI director's decision to disclose details of the probe to the public during her campaign against Trump.