Another trump administration official has apparently turned his back on the president after he revealed an order from the billionaire. The order was for Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats to intervene with then-FBI Director James Comey who was investigating Michael Flynn, Trump’s National Security Adviser.
The order confirmed that Trump has been doing everything to sweep under the rug the Russian investigation which could end his political career if it is proven he connived with a foreign government to win the 2016 election. According to Coats, Trump ordered him to intervene in a meeting on March 22.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo was also at the meeting, The New York Daily News reported.
Evidence of obstruction of justice
Coats’ revelation came just after Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly offered to resign from his post because of his rift with the president. Trump was angry at Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation which led to the appointment by the Department of Justice of Robert Mueller as special counsel.
Following Trump’s pressure on Comey to drop the investigation on Flynn, Comey approached Sessions to ask the AG to keep him from being left alone with the billionaire after their conversation. Trump’s conversation with Comey, according to legal experts, could be evidence of obstruction of justice.
Coats will testify on Wednesday when his conversation with Trump is expected to be discussed. On Thursday, another Trump conversation with Comey will be discussed by the Senate committee.
Post-briefing order
The March 22 meeting was less than a week after Coats was confirmed by the Senate. He and other officials from other agencies attended a briefing at the White House.
After the briefing ended, Trump asked Coats and Pompeo to remain in the room, The Chicago Tribune reported. The president complained about the FBI investigation and the way Comey handled it.
Officials who are familiar with what happened said Coats decided against intervening as Trump ordered him because it was not appropriate.
By asking Coats to intervene, Trump went beyond asking intelligence agencies to deny there is any evidence of collusion between Russian and Trump campaign staff, but the president wanted to stop the investigation.
Brian Hale, a DNI spokesman, said Coats was not pressured by Trump or anyone in the administration to influence any ongoing investigations or any intelligence matters. He added that the director does not discuss private conversations with Trump.
