The Media Asked A Russian Diplomat About Comey And Things Got Super Awkward
Russian diplomat Sergey Lavrov had an interesting response when asked by reporters about Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.
It was short and it was strange.
First, with Lavrov by his side, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced on Wednesday morning that he would be "continuing dialogue" with the Russian Diplomat.
Then, as Tillerson tried to walk away from questions about fired FBI Director James Comey, Lavrov took the time to seemingly troll reporters.
Here's the video from the exchange:
In the video, NBC's Andrea Mitchell can be heard asking,
Does the Comey firing cast a shadow over your talks, gentlemen?
Lavrov then responds, with apparent sarcasm,
Was he fired? You're kidding. You're kidding.
Lavrov then shakes his head dismissively before walking away with Secretary Tillerson.
Comey was abruptly fired by Trump on Tuesday evening.
Lavrov's gesture occurs while his country has very much been a big part of the discussion surrounding Comey's firing.
Comey had been leading an investigation into potential ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia.
That Comey's firing happened so suddenly -- and just days before he was set to testify before US Senators on Thursday -- raised eyebrows from both Democrats and Republicans.
Last week, Comey testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he felt "mildly nauseous" about potentially changing the outcome of the presidential election by sending a letter about the Hillary Clinton email investigation in late October.
It was Comey's poor handling of the email investigation that Trump used in explaining why Comey was being fired.
On Tuesday night, Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona tweeted out that he'd tried and failed to come up with a reasonable explanation for the timing of Trump's decision to fire Comey.
Meanwhile, fellow Arizonan John McCain expressed "disappointment" in Trump's decision, saying,
While the President has the legal authority to remove the Director of the FBI, I am disappointed in the President's decision to remove James Comey from office. James Comey is a man of honor and has led the FBI well in extraordinary circumstances.
McCain, who has been a consistent proponent of an independent investigation into Russia's involvement in the American electoral process, also repeated calls for just that.
I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The president's decision to remove the FBI Director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.
Whether a special committee is formed remains to be seen. In the meantime, Russia mocks.
