Trump Says He Asked FBI Director If He Was Under Investigation

Trump To NBC: “I Actually Asked” Comey If I Were Under Investigation. NBC News reported that in an exclusive interview, President Donald Trump “revealed he asked Comey whether he was under investigation for alleged ties to Russia”:

“I actually asked him” if I were under investigation, Trump said, noting that he spoke with Comey once over dinner and twice by phone.



“I said, if it's possible would you let me know, 'Am I under investigation?' He said, 'You are not under investigation.'” [NBCNews.com, 5/11/17]

Trump Deputy Press Secretary Claimed It Wasn’t Improper For Trump To Ask About Being Under Investigation. During the May 11 White House press briefing, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said when asked if it was inappropriate for Trump to ask the FBI director if the FBI was investigating him, “No, I don’t believe it is.” She continued, “‘I don’t see it as a conflict of interest and neither do many of the legal scholars who’ve been commenting on it over the last hour.’” [The Guardian, 5/11/17]

Right-Wing Media Savaged The Former Attorney General For Meeting With Bill Clinton During Hillary Clinton Email Investigation

Fox’s Tucker Carlson: Lynch Meeting With Clinton “Undermines Our Confidence In The Rule Of Law” And Shows “The System Is Rigged.” On July 1, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson said that the meeting between Lynch and Clinton sent the message that “the system is rigged,” and that it “undermines our confidence in the rule of law, which is the most important thing we have.” From the July 1 edition of Fox & Friends:

TUCKER CARLSON (CO-HOST): They're telling us this was an accidental meeting, born of happenstance. And there you have reporting that suggests they coordinated while the plane was still in the air. They're lying.

 

[...]



And do you know what this says to the rest of us? It says the system is rigged. This undermines our confidence in the rule of law, which is the most important thing we have. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/1/16]

 

National Review: Lynch Meeting With Clinton Shows “Our Highest Officials” Know They’re Above The Law “And They Can’t Even Be Bothered To Hide It.” A June 30 National Review article about Comey and Bill Clinton’s meeting claimed that it showed “high-level Democrats aren’t even pretending to follow the rule of law.” Citing Lynch’s explanation of what she discussed with Clinton, the article continued:

If it was not already clear, it most certainly is now: It’s not simply that our highest officials are above the law. It’s that they know they are, and they can’t even be bothered to hide it. [National Review, 6/30/16]

Fox’s Eric Bolling: Lynch Meeting With Clinton “Stinks To High Heaven.” Eric Bolling said Bill Clinton’s meeting with Lynch “stinks to high heaven,” and claimed Lynch was “corrupting” the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. From the July 1 edition of The Five:

ERIC BOLLING (CO-HOST): Why would President Clinton wait for Loretta Lynch's plane -- 30 minutes, wait for it to land so he could board to talk about his kid for 30 years -- grandchild for 30 minutes? This is so -- this, this stinks. This stinks to high heaven. Yesterday I said it didn't seem like much.

[...]

BOLLING: You see, there is so much going on. I think she came out and said this today, because of the FBI outrage. FBI agents are furious that she is corrupting their investigations. [Fox News, The Five, 7/1/16]

Fox’s Kimberly Guilfoyle: Obama Should Have Fired Lynch For Clinton Meeting. After being asked by Hannity guest host Eric Bolling whether President Obama should fire former Attorney General Loretta Lynch for meeting with Bill Clinton, Guilfoyle replied “Well, yes, right, I’m sure,” before saying Lynch “should recuse herself” at the least from the email investigation. Guilfoyle also claimed that the meeting was “highly improper” and that both Bill Clinton and Lynch should have known better. From the July 1 edition of Fox News’ Hannity:

ERIC BOLLING (GUEST HOST): Should he fire her?



KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE: Well, yes, right, I'm sure. It seems like he was definitely sending a shot across the bow, face to face Clinton-style to exert influence.



But listen, this isn't even a close call for me. She should recuse herself, and I say this as a former officer of the court. I'm a former prosecutor. And I'll tell you, if we ever had the audacity to try and have an ex parte communication with a judge or a member of a jury, you would be in huge trouble. It is highly improper. It's not a close call. She knows better. He knows better as an attorney.



And there's already some impropriety in the fact that he has appointed her before, and yet she's supposed to impartially investigate not only his wife but his foundation? I mean, come on. He's certainly the subject that they would want to talk to, as well, as this proceeds forward. That's why the FBI is furious. [Fox News, Hannity, 7/1/16, via Nexis]

Fox’s Sean Hannity Repeatedly Asked If Lynch Should Recuse Herself. Before, during, and after an interview with Trump, Sean Hannity repeatedly asked if Lynch should recuse herself from the Hillary Clinton email investigation due to her meeting with Bill Clinton. Hannity also questioned whether there were “any legal/ethical issues here.” From the June 30 edition of Hannity:

SEAN HANNITY (HOST): Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately with Bill Clinton while the FBI is investigating Hillary Clinton's e-mail server scandal. Should Lynch now recuse herself? Donald Trump is here for reaction to all of this.

[...]

HANNITY: Loretta Lynch met with Bill Clinton while she potentially is weighing an indictment against his wife. Now, she claims that, you know, she boarded the plane. She was on the plane with Bill Clinton for 30 minutes. They were talking about their grandchildren and sports.

Is this an issue where you think the credibility -- for example, if a criminal referral comes from the FBI, do you think the attorney general needs to now recuse herself?

[...]

HANNITY: Now, while Lynch is trying to make it seem like this was just a casual social meeting, well, some members of her own party think it looks pretty bad. David Axelrod took issue with the meeting, tweeting, quote, “I take Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton at their word that their conversation in Phoenix did not touch on the probe, but foolish to create such optics.”

Here with reaction is the chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice Jay Sekulow, former Clinton pollster, FOX News contributor Doug Schoen, and FOX News analyst Peter Johnson Jr. Jay, is there any legal/ethical issues here that would force her to have to recuse herself? [Fox News, Hannity, 6/30/16, via Nexis]