WEBVTT

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SAVANNAH, MATT?                 
>> PETE WILLIAMS, THANK YOU.    

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>>> SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS IS   
DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS        

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SECRETARY AND IS JOINING US NOW.
SARAH, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.     

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>> GOOD MORNING, GREAT TO BE    
WITH YOU THIS MORNING.          

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>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.         
LET'S CLEAR ONE THING UP RIGHT  

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HERE AND NOW, IS IT STILL THE   
POSITION OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND 

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THE PRESIDENT THAT JAMES COMEY'S
FIRING HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO

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DO WITH RUSSIA AND HIS          
INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE     

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COLLUSION?                      
>> ABSOLUTELY.                  

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LOOK, SAVANNAH, IT'S REAL       
SIMPLE, ANY INVESTIGATION THAT  

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WAS TAKING PLACE ON MONDAY IS   
STILL TAKING PLACE TODAY.       

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THAT DOESN'T CHANGE BECAUSE     
DIRECTOR COMEY ISN'T THERE.     

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SO THIS ABSOLUTELY HAS NOTHING  
TO DO WITH ANY INVESTIGATION    

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INTO RUSSIA.                    
>> DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY SOME   

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PEOPLE ARE FRANKLY SUSPICIOUS?  
I MEAN, THE PRESIDENT TWEETED ON

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TUESDAY THAT THIS WAS A TAXPAYER
FUNDED CHARADE AND A HOAX, AND  

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HE FIRES THE FBI DIRECTOR THE   
VERY SAME DAY.                  

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IT ALSO IS REPORTED THAT IT     
HAPPENED JUST AS CONGRESS SAID  

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COMEY WAS ASKING FOR MORE       
RESOURCES FOR THE RUSSIA        

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INVESTIGATION.                  
SUBPOENAS WERE BEING ISSUED.    

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DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE
THINKING, HEY, THERE IS SMOKE   

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HERE, THERE MUST BE FIRE?       
>> AGAIN, ANYTHING THAT WAS     

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TAKING PLACE HASN'T CHANGED.    
LOOK, I THINK THAT DIRECTOR     

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COMEY HAD BECOME A GREATER      
LIABILITY, IF ANYTHING, I THINK 

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THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE 
MORE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY DON'T 

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HAVE SOMEBODY WHO IS CAUGHT IN  
THIS CROSSFIRE, WHO IS PART OF  

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THIS CONVERSATION, AND YOU HAVE 
AN INDEPENDENT INDIVIDUAL LIKE  

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THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO 
HAS BEEN APPOINTED BY BOTH OBAMA

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AND PRESIDENT TRUMP.            
THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO SETS THE   

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GOLD STANDARD WITHIN THE LEGAL  
SYSTEM.                         

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I THINK HE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE 
OF WHAT YOU WOULD BE LOOKING FOR

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AS TERMS OF AN INDEPENDENT      
PERSON TO COME IN AND BE THE    

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HELM OF THIS INVESTIGATION.     
>> LET ME FOLLOW-UP ON THAT.    

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"THE WASHINGTON POST" HAS A     
STORY THAT SAYS DEPUTY A ATTORN 

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GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN          
THREATENED TO QUIT, HE'S ONE OF 

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THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE          
THREE-PAGE MEMO OUTLINING THE   

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SHORTCOMINGS OF JAMES COMEY.    
HE THREATENED TO QUIT BECAUSE HE

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THOUGHT TOO MUCH OF THE CREDIT  
OR BLAME DEPENDING ON YOUR      

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PERSPECTIVE, TO THE FIRING OF   

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JAMES COMEY, WAS BEING LAID AT  
HIS FEET.                       

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DID THAT HAPPEN?                
DID HE THREATEN TO QUIT?        

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>> I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT        
CONVERSATION, BUT I DO KNOW THE 

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DECISION TO FIRE DIRECTOR COMEY 
WAS THE PRESIDENT'S AND THE     

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PRESIDENT'S ALONE.              
OBVIOUSLY, HE TOOK THEIR        

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RECOMMENDATION VERY SERIOUSLY.  
BUT THE PRESIDENT HAD BEEN      

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THINKING ABOUT THIS SINCE       
NOVEMBER, SINCE HE WAS ELECTED  

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PRESIDENT.                      
THIS WAS SOMETHING HE HAD       

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CONSIDERED.                     
HE HAD NEVER BEEN SOLIDLY ON    

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BOARD WITH KEEPING COMEY FOR THE
LONG TERM.                      

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AND THE EROSION OF CONFIDENCE   
HAD BEEN TAKING PLACE OVER A    

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LONG PERIOD OF TIME.            
LAST WEDNESDAY'S TESTIMONY WAS  

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ANOTHER, I THINK, EXAMPLE AND   
CATALYST THAT PUSHED THE        

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PRESIDENT TO THE POINT.         
HE ASKED FOR THEIR FEEDBACK,    

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THEY GAVE THAT TO HIM ORALLY.   
AND HE ASKED THEM TO PUT THAT   

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RECOMMENDATION, WHICH WAS A VERY
STRONG RECOMMENDATION AND VERY  

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CLEAR REASONS WHY THEY ALSO FELT
THAT THE DIRECTOR SHOULD NO     

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LONGER BE IN THAT POSITION.     
>> WHEN THE PRESIDENT WROTE THAT

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SHORT-TERM NATION LETTER TO     
DIRECTOR COMEY, I WANT TO ASK   

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YOU ABOUT ONE PARAGRAPH WHERE HE
SAID HE APPRECIATED COMEY       

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TELLING HIM ON THREE OCCASIONS  
THAT HE WASN'T UNDER            

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INVESTIGATION.                  
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL"       

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REPORTING THAT ASSOCIATES OF    
COMEY SAY THAT NEVER HAPPENED.  

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THEY CALL IT, LITERALLY FARCICAL
AND SAID IT WOULD VIOLATE       

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LONG-STANDING POLICIES ON       
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS.        

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WHY DID THE PRESIDENT FEEL THAT 
IT WAS NECESSARY TO INCLUDE THAT

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PARAGRAPH IN THATT LETTER?      
>> LOOK, I'M NOT SURE ON THE    

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REASONING BEHIND THAT EXACT PART
BEING IN THERE, BUT I DO KNOW, I

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SPOKE TO THE PRESIDENT DIRECTLY,
AND HE SAID THAT THOSE MOMENTS  

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AND CONVERSATIONS DID TAKE      
PLACE.                          

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>> DO YOU HAVE ANY PROOF OF     
THOSE CONVERSATIONS?            

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>> I MEAN, AGAIN, I SPOKE       
DIRECTLY TO THE PRESIDENT, I    

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THINK THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD      
SOURCE TO GO DIRECTLY TO.       

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>> DOES THE PRESIDENT HAVE ANY  
PROOF OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS?   

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>> YOU KNOW, THAT'S A QUESTION  
WE'LL HAVE TO ASK HIM.          

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>> REALLY QUICKLY, SARAH, ANSWER
A QUESTION FOR ME, IF THE       

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PRESIDENT REALLY BELIEVES THAT  
HIS CAMPAIGN HAS NOTHING TO     

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HIDE, HE CERTAINLY BELIEVES IN  
HIS OWN INNOCENCE, WHY NOT JUST 

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COME RIGHT OUT AND SAY, LET THAT
INVESTIGATION GO FORWARD?       

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THROW RESOURCES AT IT.          
NOBODY WANTS TO GET TO THE      

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BOTTOM OF THIS MORE THAN I DO.  
INSTEAD, HE CONTINUES TO CALL IT

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A HOAX AND A CHARADE.           
WHY NOT JUST CLEAR THE AIR?     

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>> I THINK WE HAVE.             
I MEAN, LOOK, WE'VE COOPERATED  

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IN EVERY PLACE WE COULD.        
YOU'VE GOT THE HOUSE COMMITTEE  

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LOOKING INTO IT WHERE THEY SAY  
THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING.        

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YOU'VE GOT A SENATE COMMITTEE   
THAT STARTED LOOKING INTO IT AND

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SO FAR THEY HAVE SAID THEY HAVE 
FOUND NOTHING.                  

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THE FBI'S BEEN LOOKING INTO IT, 
THEY HAVE SAID THEY FOUND       

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NOTHING.                        
WE HAVE COOPERATED IN EVERY STEP

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OF THIS PROCESS, BUT IT'S BEEN  
GOING ON FOR NEARLY A YEAR.     

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AND THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE TIME,
EVERYBODY HAS COME BACK WITH    

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THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF         
COLLUSION.                      

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AT SOME POINT, WE HAVE TO GET TO
A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE           

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COOPERATED, WE HAVE LOOKED      
THROUGH IT AND NOTHING IS THERE 

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AND IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.       
WE WANT THIS THING TO GO TO FULL

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COMPLETION.                     
WE ARE COMPLETELY SUPPORTIVE OF 

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THAT.                           
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY   

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THAT WANTS THAT MORE THAN THIS  
ADMINISTRATION.                 

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LET'S COMPLETE THIS SO WE CAN   
FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT I THINK

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MOST AMERICANS REALLY CARE      
ABOUT.                          

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>> SARAH HUCKABEE