McMaster Can't Remember If Trump Called Comey A ‘Nut Job’ In Meeting With Russians
National security adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday he doesn’t really remember what President Donald Trump said in a meeting with Russian officials earlier this month.
McMaster was in the now-infamous Oval Office meeting with the president, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. But when pressed on whether Trump called former FBI Director James Comey a “nut job” in that meeting and bragged about firing him, McMaster said he couldn’t remember.
“Well, I don’t remember exactly what the president said,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”
“But the gist of the conversation was that the president feels as if he is hamstrung in his ability to work with Russia to find areas of cooperation because this has been obviously so much in the news,” he went on. “And that was the intention of that portion of that conversation.”
Notes provided to The New York Times on Friday by an administration official said that Trump told the Russians he felt “great pressure because of Russia.”
“That’s taken off,” Trump reportedly said, referring to his firing of Comey.
McMaster defended the president, saying notes on the conversation should not have been leaked at all.
“I’m really concerned about these kind of leaks because it undermines everybody’s trust in that kind of an environment where you can have frank, candid and oftentimes unconventional conversations to try to protect American interests and secure the American people,” McMaster said.
McMaster also repeatedly declined to answer a question about whether Trump confronted the Russian officials in person about their alleged interference in last year’s presidential election.
“I’m not going to divulge more of that meeting,” McMaster said. “Those meetings, as you know, are supposed to be privileged. They’re supposed to be confidential.”
This story has been updated with additional information about McMaster’s Sunday remarks.
Also on HuffPost
Nobody Lives Forever Unless They Conserve Their Finite Amount of Energy #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy
— Robert J Gorton (@threeseepeeyo) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond
Hand Shaken... Not stirred pic.twitter.com/9HSWao8hHn— Ɗєє ínαpprσpríαtєlч (@deedles420) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond Dr. No Doesn't Always Mean No
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) May 16, 2017
"I like martinis that didn't get stirred...okay?"@HuffPostComedy #BondTrumpBond
— Joey Bel (@TheRealJoeyBelz) May 16, 2017
The Spy who Didn't Love Me #BondTrumpBond pic.twitter.com/0tOed0I95g
— St Peter (@stpeteyontweety) May 16, 2017
Nothing Came From Russia with Love (with a few exceptions) #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy
— CK (@charley_ck14) May 16, 2017
License To Bryl #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/dWGFKMQGkY
— Jason Lefthand (@jasonlefthand) May 16, 2017
Diamonds Are For Eating #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/WcHmEDQuSG
— Donald J. Trump (@BiglyPrez) May 16, 2017
Peein' Fleming. @HuffPostComedy #BondTrumpBond
— Orangina Bo Beena (@LaNaranjaMala) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy
"When you're a Secret Agent, they let you do anything you want."— Frumpalumpagus (@SuperSillyUs81) May 16, 2017
"Look at my African-American over here. Look at him. Are you the greatest?" #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/ztF2KsaI6M
— Ben Hooper (@BenHooperWrites) May 16, 2017
""No Mr. Obamacare Recipient, I expect you to die" #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/gUmSWDoVnC
— Preston Porter (@pr3ston) May 16, 2017
Country. On the rocks. Shaken. Not stirred.#BondTrumpBond
— Gay Man Without Kids (@JohnLoosWins) May 16, 2017
Bankrupt Casino Royale #BondTrumpBond
— Aaron Weinbaum (@aaronsayswhat1) May 16, 2017
Goldführer#BondTrumpBond
— Corey Miller (@StopEatingBees) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond
The Wife Who Hated Me pic.twitter.com/0Lunn7a1Us— Paul Lander (@paul_lander) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond
No money penny? No Health coverage. pic.twitter.com/uFFxp1lGu8— Caput Rukahs (@DrggdRpdStrngld) May 16, 2017
PEW PEW PEW *finger guns* To a Kill #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/vNltgGCFd7
— View from my Office (@viewfrommyoffic) May 16, 2017
Dr. No Tax Returns #BondTrumpBond
— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) May 16, 2017
SkyFall of a nation #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy pic.twitter.com/y8YKFXejiX
— Jillian (@Pheramuse) May 16, 2017
(Re)Spect-her? #BondTrumpBond
— Martin Delaney (@1MartinDelaney) May 16, 2017
#BondTrumpBond For Your Eyes Only, But Hey, Come Take a Look at This It's Unbelievable.
— Geonn Cannon (@GeonnCannon) May 16, 2017
When you're a spy, they let you do anything. It's pussy galore. #BondTrumpBond
— Donald J. Drumpf (@RealDonalDrumpf) May 16, 2017
I'll take my martini with a steak. Burnt. Extra ketchup. #BondTrumpBond @HuffPostComedy
— Richard Jeter (@MilesToGo13) May 16, 2017
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.