CNN's Chalian: White House Spokespeople Were “Lying To The American People” About Why Trump Fired Comey

David Chalian: Trump “Created A Crisis Of Credibility With The American People And This White House”

From the May 11 edition of CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin:

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BROOKE BALDWIN (HOST): I just have one really simple question off the top here. And that is, did [Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders] say that she doesn't understand why this is all so complicated? 

DAVID CHALIAN: She did. She said, “It's very straight forward. The president fired the FBI director. It's simple.” No, it's not simple, because that's the man that's overseeing the investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia. 

BALDWIN: Thank you. 

CHALIAN: So, it's totally complicated. What we have here now, Brooke, is a White House in a crisis of credibility. And it is unbelievable to watch Sarah Huckabee Sanders, for now the third day in a row, needing to adjust her story because the president did not send his team out with all the information, so therefore, they were in the position of lying to the American people about why President Trump fired Director [James] Comey. The entire justification on Tuesday night when this happened, from Sarah, from [White House Press Secretary] Sean Spicer, from [Counselor] Kellyanne Conway, was about [Deputy Attorney General] Rod Rosenstein's letter. That was it. Today, in the interview with NBC News, we learned that President Trump, regardless of whatever the recommendation came from the deputy AG, was going to fire Jim Comey. So we were lied to by the communications staff. President Trump in that interview today threw his own team under the bus and in doing so, created a crisis of credibility with the American people and this White House.

Previously:

Former FBI Special Agent Clint Watts On Comey Firing: “When Trump Doesn't Get His Way, He Either Smears You Or Fires You”

Ari Melber Says “Former FBI Official” Described Comey's Firing As “Insane,” Questioned If It Is “Obstruction”

Dan Rather On Comey Dismissal: “What We Have Here Is Clearly A Cover-Up”

Ethics Expert Norm Eisen: Trump's Excuse To Fire Comey Is “The Latest In The Trump Big Lie Strategy”