Donald Trump: Another week of Russian Roulette in the US politics
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It's been another week of Russian Roulette in the USA. The latest casualty? FBI boss James Comey, fired because he wasn't doing a good job according to the President.
He also called him a "showboat" and a "grandstander" who mishandled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails last year. In the end the President's confidence was lost.
That's the gist of the official explanation anyway.
Why now though?
It was apparently Mr Comey's testimony before a Senate Intelligence Committee last week that was the straw that broke the camel's back for Mr Trump.
In it the FBI boss stood by his handling of the email investigation. He also said he believes Russia is still, to this day, trying to interfere in US politics.
He was apparently looking to escalate the FBI investigation.
White House officials said the President was acting on a recommendation from the Deputy Attorney-General when he sacked the intelligence chief.
But then Mr Trump unravelled the narrative when he told NBC that he had already planned to get rid of him.
"I was going to fire Comey… I was gonna fire regardless of recommendation," he said.
The President said Mr Comey had left the FBI in turmoil, and lacked credibility with both Republicans and Democrats as well as the American public.
To be fair there was plenty of criticism of Mr Comey last year when he said he was re-opening the Clinton email investigation just days before the election potentially affecting the outcome.
However in the New York Times' matrix of things Mr Trump has done and said on a scale of abnormal to important, this one rates above the rest — slightly ahead of his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud (there's a formal investigation into that now, by the way) and his unsubstantiated claims that he was wiretapped by his predecessor.
Esteemed company.
Carter Page, who is one of those Trump associates being investigated for his links to Russia said he was encouraged by Mr Comey's dismissal.
The responses from House members and Senators were fast and furious
Some Republicans were "troubled"; Republican Justin Amash said he found Mr Trump's letter to Mr Comey "bizarre".
Not surprisingly, Democrats were calling for a special prosecutor.
It is surprising, in part because last year Attorney-General Jeff Sessions said Mr Comey had done good.
(Although as the Attorney-General who recused himself from the investigation into Russia he probably shouldn't be involved.)
Mr Trump loved him when he was a candidate.
(Shout out to Kellyanne Conway calling this irrelevant and then the Anderson Cooper eye-roll at 1:27. These guys really must like each other.)
But the White House says we shouldn't conflate what then candidate Trump said with what Mr Trump does now as President.
Which is what exactly?
Meanwhile, the Russians were lapping it up
First, here's Sergei Lavrov feigning ignorance that he didn't know Mr Comey had been fired:
And then holding a press conference an hour later where he weighed in on US politics:
What does Russian President Vladimir Putin think? Well, he's just trying to play ice hockey, and he suggests you do the same:
I told you it was a weird week.
It didn't take long for the mockery to begin... Starting with the Nixon presidential library.
Yes, really.
Oh and amid Watergate comparisons, Mr Trump met with top Nixon-era official Henry Kissinger in the Oval office.
House of Cards were on the money with this timely tweet spruiking its next season:
Mr Trump wondered why everyone was so mad, suggested that eventually people would thank him for giving Mr Comey the boot and chastising Democrats who had previously called for Mr Comey's head:
The sacked director finally broke his silence on Wednesday night in a letter to his colleagues at the FBI.
So, we've got a new Acting FBI Director, what does he think about it all?
Giving evidence in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday, Acting Director Andrew McCabe said his former boss never lost the support of rank and file members of the FBI — like the White House suggested.
Related things you may've missed in amidst all this:
1. The Senate Intel Committee has subpoenaed disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as part of the ongoing investigation into Russia.
2. The President has hired a D.C. law firm to quash speculation from Senator Lindsey Graham that he has ties to Russia, according to Sean Spicer.
3. Former deputy attorney-general, Sally Yates, who was the target of the first big public firing by Mr Trump, revealed that she warned the Trump Administration repeatedly that Mr Flynn had been compromised:
Where's Spicer been in all this?
Not hiding in the bushes — as the Washington Post reported — just near the bushes. Get the prepositions right, people.
The Press Secretary is supposedly off on Navy duty. However, with Mr Spicer being off camera in a big week, rumours are rife that the President is considering sidelining him for good.
Despite his absence, the daily briefing continues to be prime time entertainment here in America:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is filling in. She's the daughter of prominent Republican (and former presidential candidate) Mike Huckabee, who is understandably proud.
But perhaps Sarah could spend some time running interference on her father's Twitter account.
Here's a couple of Mike's recent bizarre tweets:
Ah, OK.
Other weird things from outside Washington this week:
1. You won't die from lack of health care — according to Republican Raul Labrador:
2. Education Secretary Betsy Devos was booed and students turned their backs on her as she attempted to give a commencement address at a historically black college in Daytona Beach.
3. Vice-President Mike Pence holding a rabbit:
In this week's instalment of, "Did you know Trump won the 2016 election?", reporter Trey Yingst from One America Network spotted this in the West Wing on Thursday:
Between a rock and a hard place
If you're worried about the Trump Presidency so far — Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might be next up to run for the Oval Office. He's considering a bid in 2020. He told The Hollywood Reporter that poise and leadership would be important.
By the numbers
237 — That's the number of interviews Mr Trump and 29 aids completed over a seven-day period at the end of last month, according to the Washington Examiner.
He said
And, we've come full circle — with Rosie McDonnell back in the President's sights.
Until next week…
Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, foreign-affairs, united-states
