MOSCOW (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump suggested Friday that former FBI chief Jame Comey’s decision to leak classified data illegally in order to prompt a special counsel probe into Russia meant that the appointment was made “based on an illegal act.”
“James Comey illegally leaked classified documents to the press in order to generate a Special Council? Therefore, the Special Council was established based on an illegal act? Really, does everybody know what that means?” he tweeted.
The US Justice Department is reportedly probing memos containing sensitive information that Comey handed over to his friend, Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor. The documents helped form the rationale behind appointing special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate President Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia to win the 2016 election.
In May 2017, Trump fired Comey, publicly stating that it was due to dissatisfaction with Comey’s performance. The New York Times reported shortly after the dismissal that Trump fired Comey for focusing too much on the probe into alleged Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election and not enough on leaks of classified information from executive branch officials to the press.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
