Giuliani: Trump fired Comey because he ‘would not, among other things’ say president not target

ABC News ^ | 4 May 2028 | KATHERINE FAULDERS

[Magnatron]

Former New York City Mayor and President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said on Wednesday that the president fired former FBI Director James Comey last May in part because Comey wouldn’t assure the president he wasn’t a target of the FBI's Russia investigation.

“He fired Comey because Comey would not, among other things, say that he wasn’t a target of the investigation,” Giuliani said on Fox News. “He’s entitled to that. Hillary Clinton got that and he couldn’t get that. So he fired him and he said, ‘I’m free of this guy.’”

Special counsel Robert Mueller told President Trump’s attorneys in March that the president remains under investigation but is not a criminal target, multiple sources familiar with the discussion confirmed to ABC News.

[Magnatron]

The phrase “among other things” are the “things” that puts the rest of his comments in context. ABC doesn’t want to talk about those “things”.

[Tax-chick]

The President can dismiss any executive branch appointee at any time for any reason. If he’d just said, “I fired him because it’s Tuesday, as the Constitution says I can,” it would have been much better.

[neverevergiveup]

‘I fired him because he is an obnoxious, incompetent, limelight-seeking dork who did a poor job.’

[Petrosius]

The only reason that should be given is “I am the president and I said that he should go.”

[BobL]

Comey was FLAT-OUT LYING to Trump when he ‘personally’ assured him (Trump) that he wasn’t under criminal investigation.

Why? Very simple, he wanted to keep his job and figured that the best path for doing that was to assure Trump that he was on Trump’s side - and then, later, INDICT HIM. That was their workaround for not having, or thinking they could get, a Special Prosecutor, at that time.

But, of course, Comey couldn’t say the same publicly, because that was a flat-out lie, and would be quickly contradicted by their actions.

[allendale]

Any rational person who watched Comey give that contorted rant why he was not recommending an arrest and indictment of Hillary Clinton immediately knew that he was a compromised man without honor. There was no way he should be trusted or serve as Director of the FBI. The nation needs selfless public servants, not bizarre commissars in positions of trust. Trump was kind just to fire him and not have him arrested on the spot.

[McGavin999]

Jeeze, ABC even got that wrong. Comey did tell him he was not being investigated. President Trump was mad because he wouldn’t tell the media what they told him.

When you fire someone it is seldom for a single reason. It’s because of a final straw that breaks the camels back.

[Flick Lives]

I would have fired Comey for thinking he could blend into the drapes.

[Beowulf9]

Guilliani sounds like Trump’s worst enemy. Up until now, the story has been told that Comey told Trump he saw no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion & that Trump was NOT under investigation. Trump wanted the Flynn investigation wrapped up & clarified publicly as having nothing to do with proving the media narrative of Trump-Russian-Wikileaks collusion, because the media was printing false stories claiming the Flynn investigation led straight to Trump-Russian collusion & stealing the election from Hillary. As many of us understood it, Trump fired Comey ONLY because he’d been assured by Comey that he was not under investigation & would NOT be accused of obstructing justice for firing Comey. Rosenstein’s memo basically says that Comey deserves to be fired for harming HILLARY, because he smeared her, then claimed he was opening up another investigation of her before the election. Actually, most GOP thought Comey told the TRUTH about Hillary & smeared the GOP......imagine if Hillary got elected & immediately fired Comey......and the press said “good riddance”, ignoring that fact that Comey was investigating Hillary & saw evidence of crime, cover up, bribery....but the press smeared Comey as a Republican partisan & illegitimate? That’s what WOULD have happened if Hillary was elected. Rudy Guilliani sounds like he’s changing the story to SUPPORT the Mueller investigation & make an obstruction of justice charge now sound more plausible. .....What is going on? Guilliani now seems to be saying that Trump fired Comey because Comey wouldn’t promise loyalty & wouldn’t promise not to investigate Trump-Russia collusion. How does this help Trump?

[Williams]

He did tell him privately more than once trump wanted him to say it publicly.

[drpix]

Hasn't both Trump & Comey agreed that Comey did tell Trump in private that he was not a target?

If so, that means he did not fire Comey for not saying Trump was not a target... BUT for weaselly not saying publicly what he was already saying privately.

[Arm_Bears]

I thought Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of Rosenstein.

Someone needs to shut Rudy up.

[drpix]

Sorry for the tailgate. I was distracted before completing my post.

Thanks for the answer. It shows how willing the MSM is to clearly take things out of context to distort and lie. Giuliani better be more careful and include the context in every sentence he utters.

[rrrod]

Rudy has to shut his big NYC mouth....

[MAGAthon]

4 May: ConservativeTreehouse: sundance: Why Did DOJ Deputy Asst. AG Rod Rosenstein Reauthorize FISA Warrant on July 18th, 2017? – Mueller and Rosenstein Timeline…
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/05/04/why-did-doj-deputy-asst-ag-rod-rosenstein-reauthorize-fisa-warrant-on-july-18th-2017-mueller-and-rosenstein-timeline/

Brennan:

4 May: WND: Congress blasts CIA’s politics in Russia probe
House reveals intel community’s ‘tradecraft failings’
http://www.wnd.com/2018/05/congress-blasts-cias-politics-in-russia-probe/

4 May: Lifezette: 40 Questions Special Counsel Robert Mueller Needs to Answer Now
A Republican lawmaker contends the prosecutor has a lot to explain about his present job and prior posts as well
by Rep. Louie Gohmert Updated 04 May 2018 at 7:49 AM
https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/40-questions-that-special-counsel-robert-mueller-needs-to-answer-now/

[silverleaf]

Lesson to future presidents
Get a signed resignation letter from every cabinet and agency head, at least 2 deep
On inauguration day , accept them all unless they’re vetted as supporting the new administration on behalf of we the people

[silverleaf]

” Not to mention I saw him trying to hide in the curtains rather than shake hands. Who keeps a dork like that in charge of the FBI?”

[Tax-chick]

TMI. “This is my Constitutional power.”

Nothing follows.

[Tax-chick]

That wouldn’t hurt.

[Alberta's Child]

None of that would make a difference. There would still be exposure to the same allegations of obstruction of justice in any situation involving a senior DOJ official and an active investigation.

Let's all remember the timeline of Comey's firing. Trump probably wanted to fire him on Inauguration Day, but the optics would have been terrible because of the ongoing investigation. This is why Comey was fired the day after his Senate testimony in May 2017 when he stated under oath that Trump was never the target of an investigation. Once that point was revealed in public, Trump was free to do as he pleased without any potential legal issue.

With each succeeding public appearance, Comey comes across as a bigger and more fouled-up misfit ... which further cements in the public eye that he was justifiably fired and probably never should have been hired even to clean toilets in the FBI offices.