Alliances and to form a Partnership Among nations devoted to the task of eradicating the terrorism that plagues our planet. President donald trump speaking at a military base overseas in italy before boarding air force one ending a fivenation, nineday swing and heading home into a cloud of new reports on the russian investigation. This time, involving the president s own soninlaw. Jared kushner accused of considering creating a secret communication back channel with the kremlin. Plus what the first lady revealed about herself and her marriage during this trip. Cnn newsroom starts now. All right. This is the cnn newsroom. Im fredricka whitfield. Thanks for being with me. This is cnn breaking news. This breaking news the white house responding to an explosive new report involving the president s soninlaw and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner as well as of russian official contact. Sources tell cnn kushner discussed setting up a secret communication line with the kremlin in a december meeting
Day on capitol hill. James comey under oath in front of the Intelligence Committee saying President Trump and the Trump Administration told lies to try to defame him and trying to defame the fbi that comey knew he had to document his meeting with President Trump even though he had not done the same with either president obama or president bush because he worried that president , there tru mr. Trump, may lie. He took the president s desire letting go of the Michael Flynn incident is a directive. He describes that as a very big deal. There is no other way to walk away from comeys testimony today, without thinking the former director of the fbi thinks the president of the United States is a liar who he could not trust and who took actions that he thought were attempt to under mine the integrity of the american Justice System itself. The white house is responding to these charges and well get to their response in a moment. First, jim sciutto is joining me. Some are suggesting that comey de
Talking about. This is a tweet the president posted yesterday morning around 9 00 a. M. He said, i am being investigated for firing the fbi director by the man who told me to fire the fbi director. Witch hunt. Now, witch hunt is a phrase weve been hearing the president use a lot. Whats so curious about this tweet it sounds as though the president himself is confirming that he is the subject of an obstruction of justice investigationpy special counsel bob mueller. That is something the Washington Post has reported. But a person familiar with that tweet says that the president wasnt confirming that hes under investigation. He was referring to news reports saying that mueller is now investigating him. So its a little complicated, but its important to note that the president has not, according to officials, been informed that he is under investigation. He was not referring to something specific there. Whats also curious, fred, you saw in that tweet, now the president s reasoning about the
Investigation of one of his former top aides. As comey writes, quote, i had understood the president to be asking we drop any investigation of flynn in connection with false statements about his conversations with the Russian Ambassador in december. It was very concerning given the fbi owes role as an independent investigative agency. The fbi Leadership Team agreed with me that it was important not to affect the investigation with the president s request which we did not plan to abide, unquote. As President Trump previously claimed the former fbi director notes three different times that comey told President Trump that the phone was not investigating him personally. Once on january 6th when comey first presented the summary of the salacious and unverified dossier of uncompromising information the russians claimed to have about President Trump, the second time during the january 27th dinner when comey says the president asked for loyalty and a third time in a march 30th phone call. Come
Just moments from now President Trump will leave the white house for his first memorial day visit to Arlington National cemetery. The president will lay a wreath and deliver remarks to honor the nations military men and women who have given their lives defending our freedom. In his first public event since returning home from the nineday overseas trip he does leave behind some bruised alliances including with german chancellor Angela Merkel who says europe can no longer, quote, completely rely on other countries. Pretty clear she was pointing to the United States. And the president lands in a deepening crisis at home. Multiple reports that his soninlaw and one of the top advisers Jared Kushner tried to set up a secret back channel communique with the kremlin. Athena jones is at the white house and has more. Finally last night we did hear from the president on this statement to the New York Times but the line out of the administration across the board just seems to be, this is not a big