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About is the timing of it and not the fact that he needed to be replaced. i think that's important to point out. again, there were republicans who called for director comey to be removed. there were democrats -- it daent matter regardless of party. last year there was an avalanche of calls wanting him removed. it should have happened last year or early in this administration but final by the right decision was made. >> the big question, as to whether this is a coverup -- perhaps it is -- the big question mark is why now? why today? why suddenly this afternoon does the president's bodyguard go ...

Dana? dana, let me go to you. the news that you have -- and mark we'll get your reaction -- they did not think there would be a political explosion. they are shocked tonight that this is happening. >> that's right. my understanding according to a source fam with white house discussions is that when this was initially going down and made public, that the -- some senior people in the white house did not think that this was going to be the political explosion that it obviously is. it's hard for us to believe but i was told. republicans argue, well, wait a minute. this is what democrats have been ...

Special independent prosecutor, look into the details of this. our colleagues on the intelligence committee, as you just heard, both democrats and republicans are not going to step away from investigating this. we are going to get the answers for the american people. >> and do you believe that this investigation can continue at this point? >> well, my colleagues in the senate are going to investigate. and the judiciary committee is going to continue to investigate. what we had hoped was that the fbi was going to continue to do their job in this investigation. and we -- this is very surprising ...

That the hillary clinton investigation had been stalled for so long that it was coming to fruition during the heart of the campaign, and 45that was as much hillary's fault as anybody else's if she would have cooperated earlier in the investigation. >> so in terms of the fbi and who is actually being investigated, i think this is crucial. in the letter from the president of the united states to director comey, donald trump writes, while i greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate occasions that i am not under investigation, i nonetheless concur with the department of justice that yo...

>> ever had a conversation like that with the president of the united states and assured him he was not under investigation yektly. >> there are guide lines in how investigations are to be handled with respect to the rest of the executive branch. those guidelines certainly do not allow the fbi director to go to the president and say you're clear. so i don't know what the president was basing that paragraph in his letter on, but if director comey said it, he would have been violating all sorts of norms and procedures in terms of how the fbi and the executive branch are to function. >> he should...