Within two days the president slipped off that rationale like he was falling off a Slippery Rock when he told lester holt that when he made the decision to fire comey he had the russia issue on his mind and he said the same thing to high ranking russian officials. He said i just fired the head of fbi. I faced great pressure because of russia. Thats taken off. James comey said it seemed he was getting fired because of the russia investigation. Do you believe the russia investigation played a role . In why i was fired . Yes. Yes ive seen the president say so. I take the president at his word that i was fired because of the russia investigation. Something about the way i was conducting it the president felt created pressure on him that he wanted to leavrelieve. James comey saw the president admit to lester holt, brag to russian officials that he fired the fbi director because of the russia investigation. Why wouldnt anyone think that was true . We then got lots of detail bolstering james
Daniels. And Rex Tillerson said Vladimir Putin was more prepared than President Trump when they first methe putting the u. S. At disadvantage. Good morning, everybody. It is thursday, may 23rd. Im Yasmin Vossoughian alongside nbc News White House correspondent jeff bennett. Were starting with that fight between houseng democrats and Trump White House and its reaching new heights. An infrastructure ming between President Trump and Democratic Congressional leaders came tocrn abrupt end yesterday after the president nd demanded that they e stop investigating him. Moments afternv walking out of e meetingt the president made a surprise appearance in the rose garden where reporters had been hastily gathered. Watch this. I walked into the room and told senator schumer, speaker pelosi, i want to do infrastructure. I want to do it more than you want to do it. I would be really good at it. Od. Thats what i do. But you know what . Youow cant do it under these circumstances. So get these phoney in
Body builders to hang a noose on his neck and poor which on him. Because that kind of thing happens a lot in Downtown Chicago and winter. He then told reporters he would bite assaulted by two white racist trump supporters. As of tonight, Police Believe he was long about all of that. So do prosecutors. They said so yet again today. And yet the state of illinois is somehow for some reason dumping the case anyway. In exchange for the 100,000 he has already paid and bond he will walk free. As record will be expunged and everything will be returned to normal. He described his decision as a victory, not just for him but for the broader cause of civil rights. Ive been truthful and consistent on every level. I would not be my mothers son if i was capable of one drop of what i was accused of. This has been a difficult time. One of the worst of my entire life. I am a man of faith and i have a man that has knowledge of my history and i would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through
Bleach on him, and scream this is maga country, because that kind of thing happens a o t in Downtown Chicago during the winter months. Smollett then told reporters he had been assaulted by two white racist trump supporters. As of tonight, police still believe that smollett was lying about all of that. So do prosecutors. They think he concocted the hoax. And they said so yet again today. And yet the. State of illinois s somehow, for some reason, dumping the case anyway. In exchange for the 100,000 he has already paid in bond, smollett will walk free. His record will be expunged. Everything will be returned to normal, like it never happened. Smollett described this decision as a victory, not just for him but for the broader cause of civil rights. Ive been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mothers son if i was capable of one drop of what i have been accused of. This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire l