James Comey Recounted Inappropriate Pressure From Donald Trump: NYT | Rachel Maddow

"THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW" STARTS RIGHT NOW.
>> THANKS TO YOU AT HOME FOR JOINING US THIS HOUR.
IT'S HAPPENED AGAIN. ALL SET TO DO A VERY SPECIFIC
SHOW TO DO A BLOCK B BLOCK C BLOCKS ALL PLANNED OUT SCRIPTS
IN. WE KNOW OUR REPORTING, WE'RE
READY. HAD IT ALL PLANNED OUT.
NEW BREAKING NEWS, THROW EVERYTHING OUT THE WINDOW.
THIS IS THE NEW SCHEDULE. THIS IS HOW WE WORK NOW.
YOU'LL FIND THAT SOMETHING BREAKS AND CHANGES YOUR PLANS.
MONDAY EVENING IT WAS PRESIDENT TRUMP PASSING ON CLASSIFIED
INTELLIGENCE TO THE RUSSIANS IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
TUESDAY NIGHT IT WAS THE EXISTENCE OF A MEMORY FOAM FROM
FIRED FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY DESCRIBING A CONVERSATION IN
WHICH HE SAYS THE PRESIDENT ASKED HIM TO BACK OFF THE FBI
INVESTIGATION OF FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER MIKE FLYNN.
LAST NIGHT IT WAS THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL
DOWNHILL TAKE THE OTHER TRUMP RUSSIA INVESTIGATION.
NOW IT'S THE FOURTH DAY OF THE WEEK SO NOW WE HAVE A NEW ONE.
TONIGHT EATS SCOOP COMES COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHMIDT AT
"THE NEW YORK TIMES." QUOTE, PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLED
THE FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY WEEKS AFTER HE TOOK OFFICE AND
ASKED HIM WHEN FEDERAL AUTHORITIES WERE GOING TO PUT
OUT WORD THAT MR. TRUMP WAS NOT PERSONALLY UNDER FBI
INVESTIGATION. MR. COMEY TOLD THE PRESIDENT IF
HE WANTED TO KNOW DETAILS ABOUT THE BUREAU'S INVESTIGATIONS HE
SHOULDN'T NOT CONTACT HIM DIRECTLY BUT INSTEAD SHOULD
FOLLOW PROPER PROCEDURES. AT THE TIME MR. COMEY WAS
OVERSEEING THE FBI'S INVESTIGATIONS INTO LINKS
BETWEEN MR. TRUMP'S ASSOCIATES AND RUSSIA.
THESE INTERACTIONS INCLUDED A DINNER IN WHICH ASSOCIATES AND
MR. COMEY SAY MR. TRUMP ASKED HIM TO PLEDGE HIS LOYALTY AND A
MEETING IN THE OVAL OFFICE, AND HE HOPED MR. COMEY WOULD SHUT
DOWN AN INVESTIGATION INTO MIKE FLYNN.
THE DAY AFTER THE FLYNN CONVERSATION, REINCE PRIEBUS
ASKED MR. COMEY TO HELP PUSH BACK ON REPORTS IN THE NEWS
MEDIA THAT TRUMP'S ASSOCIATES HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH
RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
MR. COMEY DESCRIBED HIS ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT
AND THE WHITE HOUSE INCLUDING THE PHONE CALL FROM MR. TRUMP IN
DETAILED MEMOS AT THE TIME. NOT JUST PRESSURE FROM THE
PRESIDENT TO THE FBI DIRECTOR ON THE FLYNN KARKS BUT PRESSURE
FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE FBI DIRECTOR ABOUT INVESTIGATIONS
INTO THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF, AND THEN THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF
STAFF, REINCE PRIEBUS, FOLLOWING UP ONE OF THOSE APPARENTLY
INAPPROPRIATE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE
DIRECTOR OF THE FBI OVERSEEING THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
EVER SINCE WE LEARNED ON TUESDAY NIGHT OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE
APPARENT COMEY MEMO ABOUT THE CONVERSATION IN WHICH THE
PRESIDENT ASKED HIM TO TANK INVESTIGATION INTO MIKE FLYNN,
EVER STHANS BOMBSHELL REPORT ON TUESDAY, WE HAVE HAD SUBPOENA
MENTAL REPORTING. THE MEMOS THING WAS FOR REAL,
NOT ONLY IS IT TRADITION AND PROPER IN THE FBI TO WRITE DOWN
THINGS AS THEY HAPPEN TO KEEP A DETAILED WRITTEN LOG OF EVENT
PARTICULARLY KROESHLS EVENTS, COMEY HIMSELF WAS A PROLIFIC
WIRE OF MEMOS, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE WAS INVOLVED IN MEETINGS OR
HE WAS AROUND EVENTS WHICH MIGHT COME INTO QUESTION LATER.
WE WERE TOLD WE SHOULD EXPECT MORE OF THOSE MEMOS TO BEGIN
SURFACING. NOW THAT HE'S BEEN FIRED BY
DONALD TRUMP. WE STARTED GETTING THOSE
WARNINGS TUESDAY NIGHT, HERE WE ARE THURSDAY NIGHT AND
APPARENTLY WE'VE NOW GOT A BEAT ON THE NEXT MEMO.
ACCORDING TO THIS NEW REPORTING FROM "THE NEW YORK TIMES," THESE
NEWLY REPORTED MODEMS DESCRIBE WHAT JAMES COMEY PERCEIVED TO BE
A PATTERN OF UNSETTLING BEHAVIOR FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, PEOPLE WHO
HAVE THESE MEMOS ARE DESCRIBING THEM TO, AMONG OTHERS, MICHAEL
SCHMIDT AT "THE NEW YORK TIMES." THIS STORY HE'S JUST BROKEN
TONIGHT THAT IN ADDITION TO THE ALLEGED DIRECT PRESSURE BY THE
PRESIDENT ON DIRECTOR COMEY TO KIBOSH THE MIKE FLYNN TRUMP
RUSSIA INVESTIGATION, APPARENTLY THE PRESIDENT CALLED THE FBI
DIRECTOR AND PRESSURED HIM TO PUT OUT PUBLIC WORD ABOUT TRUMP
NOT PERSONALLY BEING UNDER INVESTIGATION, THAT WAS FOLD UP
BY REINCE PRIEBUS ALSO PERSONALLY ASKING THE FBI
DIRECTOR TO PUSH BACK ON REPORTS IN THE NEWS MEDIA THAT TRUMP
ASSOCIATES HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH ASSOCIATES.
MR. SCHMIDT, I KNOW WE'RE GETTING YOU ON SHORT NOTICE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> FIRST OF ALL LET ME ASK IF
I'VE NUTTED UP THIS PART OF THE STORY.
>> YOU HAVE IT RIGHT. THE THING WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT
THIS THIS STORY THAT WE HAVE ONE OF MR. COMEY'S FRIENDS ON THE
RECORD, BEN WIT ADVERTISE TALKING ABOUT A LUNCH HE HAD
WITH COMEY IN MARCH WHERE HE DESCRIBED ALL THE FRUSTRATIONS
THAT HE HAD, BUT COMEY THOUGHT HE HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN THE WHITE
HOUSE TO A PLACE WHERE THEY UNDERSTOOD THE LANES OF THE ROAD
AND HE'S SITTING THERE AT THE END OF MARCH THEY MAY UNDERSTAND
WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO. >> WHY IS MR. WITTIS COMING
TOWARD NOW? IT'S PHENOMENAL AND WELCOME TO
HAVE A SOURCE PUT HIS OR HER NAME ON REPORTING RELATED TO
THIS STORY BECAUSE SO MUCH IS ANONYMOUS THESE DAYS, EVEN WHEN
IT IS ACTIVE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC OFFICIALS SERVING AS THE
CONTACTS FOR REPORTERS. DO WE KNOW WHAT MOTIVATED MR.
WITTIS TO DESCRIBE HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH MR. COMEY,
AND DO WE KNOW IF MR. COMEY GREEN LIT HIM TO DO THIS?
>> SO WITHES IS A FRIEND OF COMEY'S.
HELD HAVE LUNCH WITH HIM EVERY FEW MONTHS.
AND THE FACT THAT THE LOYALTY DINNER CAME OUT, AND ACTUALLY,
HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE SPECIFIC LOYALTY DINNER.
HE KNEW THERE WAS A QUESTION WHETHER COMEY WAS GOING TO GIVE
HIS LOYALTY TO TRUMP AND WITHES SAID THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH
COMEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE CONFIDENTIAL BUT SO MUCH
HAPPENED SINCE THEN I THINK THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT WAS
GOING THROUGH JAMES COMEY'S HEAD IN MARCH BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. THIS WAS WITHES'S IDEA AND I SAT
DOWN WITH HIM LAST FRIDAY IN HIS OFFICE AND SPOKE TO HIM A FEW
TIMES SINCE THEN AND HE PROVIDED IMPORTANT TEXTURE AND CONTEXT TO
WHAT COMEY WAS LOOKING AT. >> MICHAEL, IN TERMS OF THE
QUESTION THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO ASK ABOUT
POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE OR EVEN IN LESS LEGALISTIC
TERMS, WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS BY THE WHITE HOUSE TO
EITHER SHAPE OR STOP THE INQUIRIES INTO POLISH COLLUSION
BETWEEN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND RUSSIA.
IT'S VERY INTERESTING YOU'RE ABLE TO REPORT THIS PIECE ABOUT
HOW COMEY FELT LIKE HE WAS ABLE TO KIND OF TEACH THE PRESIDENT
WHAT WAS APPROPRIATE OR & WHAT WAS INAPPROPRIATE AND WAS ABLE
TO SORT OF CORRECT HIM WHEN THE PRESIDENT INAPPROPRIATELY
CONTACTED HIM AND PRESSURED HIM ABOUT THAT INVESTIGATION.
YOU ALSO DESCRIBE THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF, REINCE
PRIEBUS, WHO'S A POLITICAL PRO AS HAVING DIRECTLY CONTACTED THE
DIRECTOR AND ASKED HIM TO MAKE ESSENTIALLY PUBLIC OR AT LEAST
REPRESENTATIONS TO REPORTERS ABOUT THE TRUMP RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION OUTSIDE OF HIS LANE AS THE FBI DIRECTOR.
IS THAT SOMETHING THE DIRECTOR PUT IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS AN
INAPPROPRIATE COMMUNICATION OR IS THAT A TOTALLY SEPARATE
MATTER? >> WITHES SAID COMEY WAS
DISGUSTED BY APPROXIMATE WHAT PRIEBUS HAD DONE AND SAW IT AS
PART OF THE INAPPROPRIATE CONTACTS THAT WERE GOING ON
BETWEEN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, BETWEEN THE FBI AND THE WHITE
HOUSE. AND I TELL YOU, TROUBLED HIM
BECAUSE HE SAID THERE'S NO REASON THE WHITE HOUSE -- THE
DOJ -- OF YOU TO GO THROUGH DOJ. AND PRIEBUS WAS DIRECTLY
APPEALING TO COMEY WHO AT THE TIME WAS OVERSEEING THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION. SO THIS WAS PART OF THESE THINGS
PILING UP FOR COMEY. BUT BY TEND OF MARCH HE THOUGHT
MAYBE NOW THEY'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO.
THERE'S NO COHERENT ANSWER FOR WHY COMEY WAS FIRED.
SO THE QUESTION IS THAT DID THE WHITE HOUSE REALIZE BY TEND OF
MARCH THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO WIN COMEY OVER?
AND IS THAT WHEN THEY REALIZED COMEY WASN'T GOING TO BE THE
PERSON THEY WANTED RUNNING THE FBI.
>> BECAUSE IMPLICIT UNLESS CHOICE IS THAT IT WAS
UNACCEPTABLE AND IT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN THEY WOULD LEAVE
THE INVESTIGATION ALONE AND EXPECT SOMEBODY WHO COULDN'T BE
PRESSURED TO CONTINUE WITH IT. IF THEY EXERTED THE PRESSURE, HE
RESISTED AND THEN THEY FIRED HIM, THE QUESTION IS WHAT THEIR
EXPECTATIONS WERE IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH THEY COULD DIRECT THIS
INVESTIGATION, AND I GUESS THAT'S STILL THE UNANSWERED
QUESTION HERE. >> THIS ALL MAKES A LOT OF SENSE
IN HINDSIGHT. THE IDEA WE THOUGHT A
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAMES COMEY AND DONALD TRUMP WAS GOING TO
WORK IS LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING A LOT EARLIER.
DONALD TRUMP IS SOMEONE WHO PRIZES LOYALTY.
JAMES COMEY IS SOMEONE WHO PRIZES INDEPENDENTS.
THE IDEA THIS WAS GOING TO WORK WITH THE BACKDROP OF THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION, IN HINDSIGHT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE
BEEN A SURPRISE TO US AT ALL. >> MICHAEL SUBMIT FROM THE
"NEW YORK TIMES" HAVING BROKEN TONIGHT'S STORY, COMEY IS SAID
TO HAVE BECOME

James Comey Recounted Inappropriate Pressure From Donald Trump: NYT | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

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