JAMES CLAPPER: Comey was 'uneasy' about having dinner with Trump
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said James Comey was "uneasy" about having dinner with President Donald Trump in January.
Clapper told MSNBC on Friday that Comey, the former FBI director whom Trump abruptly ousted on Tuesday, had mentioned he was invited to the White House for dinner shortly after Trump's inauguration.
"He said he was uneasy with that because of compromising — even the optics, the appearance of independence," Clapper said. "Not only of him, but of the FBI."
Clapper said Comey accepted Trump's invitation out of "professional courtesy."
"You're in a difficult position to refuse to go," Clapper added. "But I do know he was uneasy with it."
During the dinner, Comey refused to pledge his loyalty to Trump at least twice, The New York Times reported on Thursday. Comey said he'd pledge his "honesty," according to The Times.
Trump's abrupt dismissal of Comey has led to allegations, particularly from Democrats, that the FBI may have been closing in on compromising material while investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
In a letter announcing Comey's firing, Trump said Comey had assured him in three separate conversations that he wasn't under investigation. Trump reiterated this in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt on Thursday.
The FBI and the congressional intelligence committees are investigating Russia's election interference and the Trump campaign's ties to Kremlin officials. Clapper said on Friday that he didn't know whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was fired following the revelations that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence over conversations he had with Serge Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the US. Clapper said that he didn't think Flynn had the "skill set" to be national security advisor.
On Friday morning, Trump tweeted that the Russia investigation was a "witch hunt" and that there was "no collusion" with the Russian government.
"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump said.
Clapper added that "morale in the FBI was very high" under Comey's leadership. "I witnessed personally the very high esteem and respect people in the FBI have, and still have, for Jim Comey," Clapper said.
Andrew McCabe, the acting FBI director, echoed this sentiment in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, contradicting the narrative coming from the White House.
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