PLUS: Sen. Schumer: Support for new FBI director is ‘very much related’ to a special prosecutor on Russia
EXCLUSIVE: State Sec. Tillerson: ‘Don’t think there’s any question that the Russians were playing around’ in U.S. election
New NBC News/WSJ Poll: Just 29 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s firing of FBI Director Comey
MAY 14, 2017 – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) exclusively told “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd this morning that the president’s choice for the next F.B.I. director should not be an elected official: “He has a duty and obligation to pick somebody beyond reproach outside the political lane.”
“It’s now time to pick someone who comes from within the ranks or has such a reputation that has no political background at all that can go into the job on day one,” said Graham when asked about his colleague Sen. John Cornyn’s interview yesterday for the role.
Sen. Graham also said “the president needs to back off here and let the investigation go forward” when it comes to looking into Russia’s interference in the U.S. election. Watch the full interview.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Todd the support for a new F.B.I. director is “very much related” to a special prosecutor for the Russia probe: “If you have an independent special prosecutor, then you really have the ability to get to the bottom of this, so it matters in terms of who the F.B.I. director is.” Watch the full interview.
“I don’t think there’s any question that the Russians were playing around in our electoral processes,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson exclusively confirmed to Todd. When asked about this in terms of our relationship with Russia, Tillerson said: “We’re not trying to start with a clean slate. I think terms like having a reset are overused. You cannot reset. You cannot erase the past.” Watch the full interview.
New NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll numbers debuted on this morning’s broadcast, revealing that just 29 percent of Americans approve of the president’s firing of F.B.I. Director James Comey.
Joining this morning’s roundtable for insight and analysis were Matthew Continetti of the Washington Free Beacon, Hallie Jackson of NBC News, Katty Kay of BBC News and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post. Axios’ Jim VandeHei also joined the panel for a discussion on a possible staff shake-up within the White House.
Read the full transcript of this morning’s “Meet the Press.”
For more from moderator Chuck Todd throughout the week, sign up for the “First Read” newsletter, and subscribe to the “1947: The Meet The Press Podcast” for on-demand interviews.
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