BROOKE BALDWIN (HOST): When you hear Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying -- she said the president lost confidence in [former FBI Director James] Comey, the [Department of Justice] lost confidence in Comey, and the rank and file of the FBI lost confidence in Comey. Is that true?
JIM SCIUTTO: Certainly not what I'm hearing. Certainly not what my colleagues Evan Perez, Pamela Brown, who speak to folks inside the bureau, as well. Sarah Huckabee said from the podium, really without offering any basis, that he had lost the confidence of the rest of the FBI. Then asked about that, she said well, we've talked to a lot of people in the FBI. It's certainly not what many people who cover the FBI hear from inside there. James Comey, widely respected, even beloved, figure inside the bureau. So it's difficult to see what that comment is based on.
She also made a statement that the Russia probe is probably, in her words, the least important of many hundreds or thousands of investigations the FBI is doing. Not clear what she bases that statement on because of the resources. We know, in fact, that James Comey was asking, not for less, but for more resources to investigate collusion, communication, Russian interference in the U.S. election. So again, a statement from the podium without, from what we can tell, basis.
The final thing I would say is this, it appears that now the White House has their story to explain the firing, confusion yesterday back and forth. They have their story, they’re saying this was brewing for months, the president lost confidence, finally pulled the trigger yesterday. To be clear, and my friends here, David and others who were listening yesterday, the story yesterday was, well, this came purely from the deputy attorney general. He worked this up. He came to the president with this report. The president listened to that report and then fired Comey. So we're hearing today a different story than we heard yesterday to explain the firing of the head of the FBI.
