Pressure piles on pressure on Trump presidency

SBS World News Radio: Serious allegations and denials continue to dog the presidency of Donald Trump.

Pressure piles on pressure on Trump presidencyPressure piles on pressure on Trump presidency

Pressure piles on pressure on Trump presidency

The latest White House denial involves a report United States President Trump asked then-FBI chief James Comey to drop an investigation into links between Russia and ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"I hope you can see the way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy."

Those are reported to be the words President Trump used during a February 14th meeting with former FBI chief James Comey.

The New York Times says Mr Comey made a note of the conversation in a memo and shared it with some of his FBI colleagues.

The White House has issued a denial saying the President never asked Mr Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including an investigation involving General Flynn.

General Flynn stepped down as national security adviser after just 23 days in the job, after revelations he had discussed lifting sanctions on Moscow with the Russian ambassador before Donald Trump was sworn in.

General Flynn is facing multiple investigations over his suspected ties to Russia.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, says James Comey should tell Congress about his conversations with the president.

"We know enough now. There's been enough alleged publicly to want to bring the (former) director back to testify - ideally in open session either before our committee or the judiciary committee, but he should come back to the Congress and share what he knows in terms of the president's conversations with him on any of the Russian investigations. I also think that we ought to ask for the notes that were taken contemporaneously or shortly after those meetings, and of course if there are any tapes - as the president alleged - those should also be obtained by the Congress. If necessary, I think we should subpoena them."

The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz, has written to the FBI and demanded all correspondence related to communications between Mr Comey and the President be made available by May 24.

In other developments, Donald Trump has used Twitter to defend what he calls his absolute right to discuss sensitive security information.

Analysts suggest Israel is the ally that provided the information which Mr Trump discussed with the Russian foreign minister last week.

National security adviser HR McMaster says what Donald Trump shared during that meeting was appropriate.

"We don't say what's classified, what's not classified. What I will tell you again is that what the President shared was wholly appropriate."

And Donald Trump says the meeting with the Russians went well.

"We had, actually, a great meeting with the Foreign Minister. So, we're going to have a lot of great success over the next coming years, and we want to get as many to help fight terrorism as possible."

Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Shumer says complete transcripts of what was said in that meeting must be disclosed to Congress.

"We are only one day removed from stunning allegations that the President may have divulged classified information to an adversary. Concerns about national security, the rule of law, the independence of our highest law enforcement agencies are mounting."

 






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