The White House has started researching impeachment procedures to fend off attempts to remove President Donald Trump from office, even though they consider it a distant possibility.
Even as the U.S. President enjoys the backing of the Republican allies in Congress, the White House counsel’s office have began preparation to ward off any attempts to remove him from the office, reported CNN citing sources.
Earlier in the week, President Trump was visited by his close advisers including lawyer and surrogate Michael Cohen to determine his need for hiring personal attorneys for Trump.
These developments come in the wake of the Justice Department’s appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller who was the former FBI director to investigate into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Earlier, the New York Times quoted Trump reportedly telling Russian officials during a meet at the Oval office on May 10 that firing “nut job” FBI Director James Comey relieved “great pressure.”
“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” The New York Times quoted Trump. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
What President Trump told Russian officials about firing James Comey https://t.co/ZOn9BOLsWe pic.twitter.com/kKbaGQ7Pgt
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 20, 2017
Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak came one day after Comey was fired.
The conversation indicates that Trump’s decision of firing Comey was necessitated because of concern over the feds probe into Russia’s meddling in the election and possible collusion with team Trump.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not refute the Times story but said that it was Comey’s “grandstanding and politicizing” of the Russia investigation that put pressure on the administration’s ability to engage Moscow.
“The President has always emphasized the importance of making deals with Russia as it relates to Syria, Ukraine, defeating ISIS and other key issues for the benefit and safety of the American people,” Spicer said in a statement to CNN.
“By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia’s actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia,” he added.
During this meet with Russian officials, Trump reportedly shared highly classified conversations, after which the former head of Mossad’s intelligence directorate warned of its impact on the US-Israeli intelligence cooperation.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump along with his wife and first lady of the United States, Melinia Trump, embarked on his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, Israel and global summits in Italy and Belgium.
As he was leaving for Saudi Arabia, Trump posted a tweet “Getting ready for my big foreign trip. Will be strongly protecting American interests – that’s what I like to do!”
Getting ready for my big foreign trip. Will be strongly protecting American interests – that’s what I like to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2017
But the political turmoil in Washington over Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey and the simultaneous developments involving allegations of forcing Comey to stop investigating former security adviser Michael Flynn and the appointment of a special counsel to look into the allegations of Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections and his presidential campaign’s ties to Russia, threatens to overshadow his first overseas trip as President.
With his first stop at Riyadh, President Trump will focus on strengthening relations between the Saudis and America.
President Trump will then land at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Monday, May 22 where he will be received in a special ceremony on the tarmac.
President Trump will have meetings with President Reuven Rivlin at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump will be the first serving president to visit the Western Wall.
Both, Jerusalem and Riyadh, will question President Trump on the Iran nuclear deal.
In Europe especially, they want to know whether Trump will pull out of the Paris climate accord and want to test his true feelings for Russia, which is seen as a threat in much of Europe.