Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed reporting that the FBI launched an investigation into whether President Donald Trump was a potential national security threat as “absolutely ludicrous.”
Former law enforcement officials told The New York Times that following the president’s firing of then-FBI director James Comey, law enforcement officials, “became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests.”
The secretary refuted the idea.
“The idea that’s contained in The New York Times story that President Trump was a threat to American national security is silly on its face and not worthy of a response,” Pompeo told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan for an interview to air Sunday.
The president, however, did feel the story was worthy of a response when he took to Twitter Saturday morning to express his outrage about it.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also called the reporting “absurd.”
“James Comey was fired because he’s a disgraced partisan hack, and his Deputy Andrew McCabe, who was in charge at the time, is a known liar fired by the FBI. Unlike President Obama, who let Russia and other foreign adversaries push America around, President Trump has actually been tough on Russia,” Sanders said in a statement.
The president continued his critique of the story on Twitter by adding that “Everybody wanted him [Comey] fired, Republican and Democrat alike.”
While some Republicans applauded the decision, following Comey’s dismissal there were also congressional members on both sides of the aisle who rebuked President Trump for his decision.
Asked if he knew about the investigation, the former CIA director did not offer a direct answer.
“Margaret, I’ve answered this question repeatedly indeed on your show,” Pompeo said.
However, there is no mention of the Russia investigation in any of the five transcripts from Pompeo’s appearances on Face the Nation – as both secretary of state and CIA director.
Pompeo maintains however “the notion that President Trump is a threat to American national security is absolutely ludicrous.”
More from Margaret Brennan’s interview with Secretary Mike Pompeo will air Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
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