The Comey Rule (2020) s01e02 Episode Script

1
The guy from The Apprentice
is now president,
so that's cool.
Maybe Ivanka will tell him
what to do.
Everybody says she cares
about the environment.
He said,
"Grab 'em by the pussy."
"You can grab 'em by the pussy"?
When you
look around right now,
the Clinton chapter of
the Democratic Party is over.
We're gonna be okay.
America will figure this out.
I can't go
to school today, Daddy.
They're gonna kill me.
Are you okay?
I'm fine, sir.
These were so funny a month ago.
We should be looking
at likely scenarios now.
Hate crimes spiking.
White nationalism.
Maybe he surrounds himself
with people
who keep him in check.
I mean, they won't just
let him govern by tweeting.
I just
I keep thinking that we
were causal in some of this.
It was razor-thin
in some states.
You know what was causal?
She ran a horrible campaign.
What if none of that mattered?
What if we didn't matter?
What if the Russians
just handpicked
our next president,
and we just fuckin' missed it?
Good morning.
Morning.
I'm the guy
who got Donald Trump elected.
We're still responsible for
monitoring the Russian threat
and it just got
a whole lot worse.
We need to get
a better understanding
of what that means today.
Now, what's in the PDB?
- Morning.
- Morning.
Yeah, I saw the fucking memo.
The fuck are you yelling
at me for?
I'm not Jim Comey's boss.
That guy couldn't pick me
out of a fucking
All the formers are up my ass.
- Everyone inside?
- They think it's our fault.
The formers can think
whatever they want.
- They aren't here.
- Yeah, but you were.
And what you let that
fucking guy do is disgusting.
Could be the end
of the goddamn republic!
Morning. I saw
she was leading in Florida,
so I curled up with
a romance novel and went to bed.
How much did she win by?
Today is a day to remember
that this is a
politically agnostic
institution.
In that spirit,
we're gonna welcome
every lawyer sent here
by the new administration,
and we're gonna do
everything in our power
to ensure their success
in serving and protecting
the American people, right?
Meanwhile,
we have until January the 20th
to complete the projects
that are essential to us
before our tenures here
are finished.
What things do we most need
to get across the finish line?
Okay.
We've been attacked
on my watch.
I have to get my arms
around that.
I want
a complete I.C. assessment
of what just happened:
sources, methods.
I have to protect this country
for the rest of my term
and prepare
the incoming president
for the threat
he's about to face.
Mr. President, what if he is
a part of that threat?
Then I really need to get
my arms around it.
What are the questions
I need to be asking?
Well how deeply did they
penetrate our democracy?
Who in Russia directed
the effort?
Did any Americans conspire
to help,
and if so, how were they coerced
or enticed into doing so?
I want it largely unclassified.
I want it done
before I leave office.
John. What's your gut on this?
Mr. President, I don't know
enough yet to be sure.
I'm troubled
by President-elect Trump's
consistent unwillingness
to criticize Putin,
even in private.
That indicates to me
some sort of relationship,
some sort of
coercive pressure
being applied. I'm
trying to limit myself
to facts here, but
I think it's fair
to start asking
why Putin would want
Donald Trump elected.
I have to believe it's more
than just a personal animus
towards Secretary Clinton.
And what does Putin stand
to gain by having a friend
- in this office instead of me?
- Oh, sir,
at the very least,
end to the financial sanctions
you imposed on them
for invasion of Crimea.
A weakening of our most critical
Western alliances.
They're probably hoping
to collapse NATO.
An end to the Iran nuclear deal.
And we'll start
to allow drilling for oil
- in the Arctic.
- Pathway
for Turkish incursion
against the Kurds.
Trade war with China.
And most importantly
discord.
The U.S. government consumed
by hyper-partisanship
war with itself.
Republicans and Democrats no
longer able to govern together.
That was the goal all along.
Until we know better,
we would ask that
you give careful thought
to what intel
you're going to share
with the incoming
administration
about anything Russia-related.
All I've told him so far
is, uh
"Keep your eyes
on North Korea," and
"Don't hire Michael Flynn."
Obviously, uh,
I'll be imposing new sanctions
on Putin for this.
Okay, fellas, thank you.
Jim, can you stay for a minute?
Of course, Mr. President.
Thank you, Pete.
How's your family?
Fine, sir, thank you. Yours?
Shaken.
I have hated this whole year.
The last thing we wanted
was to influence the election
in any way.
- I know that.
- I'm trying not to prejudge.
I'm trying to be hopeful about
the next four years, but
That's good,
because for the next four years,
the Bureau is
likely to matter a lot.
Well, um,
you'll have to keep it
pointed in the right direction,
and I'm confident
you can do that.
Thank you, sir.
Only Jim Comey
could violate department norms,
throw an election,
and still get an "attaboy"
from the outgoing president.
Did you see this?
Yes. I saw it.
I-I'm as upset as you are.
I doubt that.
Sanctions strangle my country,
- not yours.
- I understand, Mr. Ambassador.
Expelling 35 diplomats,
closing two of our properties,
financial hardship.
Mr. Putin, my president,
views these as unwarranted
attacks on his people,
and a personal insult.
I understand.
But, please,
tell him not to react.
All right?
The president-elect and I
do not support
the Obama sanctions.
Just let us get in there.
We'll fix this.
In tab five
you'll find our conclusion,
which is this:
the Russian effort succeeded.
They achieved their aim,
the election of Donald Trump,
at minimal cost, without damage
to their own interests.
And at this point, they have
no real incentive to stop.
Meaning we can expect more
- of this kind of espionage.
- This was not espionage.
Espionage connotes,
at least to us,
a passive collection of intel.
This was an attack.
And it will be replicated
unless aggressive measures
are taken by this government
to stop it.
Did they hack only Democrats?
No, sir, they hacked
both parties successfully.
But they only weaponized
the info from the DNC.
What else?
Uh, sir, there is more material
in that report.
A dossier.
The I.C. did not commission
this material,
and it's not integrated
into our analysis.
But it comes
from a credible source,
and we thought
we should brief you on it.
The dossier alleges
a long history of financial ties
between Donald Trump and Russia.
Loans from Putin-run banks
and Russian oligarchs.
Of particular concern is
a long-proposed Trump Tower
in Moscow.
We know that
on October the 13th, 2015,
Donald Trump signed
a letter of intent
with a Russian billionaire and
close Putin ally, Andrey Rozov,
to build the tower,
money guaranteed by VTB.
He said a hundred times
on the campaign trail
he had no deals with Russia.
He said a lot of things.
There are other points
of coercion as well.
The dossier also alleges
that in 2013
And your confidence
in this intel?
Nothing in the dossier
has been disproven to date.
Okay.
So what's the plan?
We feel a duty to warn the
president-elect on all of this.
Even if the allegations
are false,
they could be used
as leverage over him
by Putin or his cohorts.
And, of course, any public
disclosure of them
could be highly impactful
to his presidency.
Briefing him tomorrow
in New York.
Jim is going to go over
the more salacious material
with Mr. Trump privately
to spare the president-elect
any undue embarrassment.
We drew straws.
I lost.
Jim.
Before you go
When you sit down
with Trump tomorrow,
it is vital that
you be very careful
how you present
this information to him.
I mean very careful.
- You ever met him?
- No.
What's your read on him?
Well, the thing about Trump is,
he can take a beating,
but he can't
actually take a punch.
Meaning if half the country
hates him, he doesn't
really give a damn,
but if one person insults him,
he never gets past it.
Now, you walk in there and
tell him what's in that dossier,
he might think you're trying
to leverage him in some way.
He has to be briefed, Jeh.
Just carefully, Jim.
He has three impulses that
drive his decision-making:
spite, spite and spite.
You have to be encouraging.
It's like giving a kid
a lollipop before a flu shot.
Yeah.
- Thanks, Jeh.
- Yeah.
Let's remember, we're here
simply to lay out the facts.
Good morning.
Mr. President-elect.
Jim Clapper.
I know who you are.
Saw your testimony yesterday.
You look good on TV.
No, sir.
I have a face made for radio.
Please meet Mike Rogers,
John Brennan
Mr. President-elect.
and James Comey.
Mr. President-elect.
The Russians' initial objectives
were to make Americans doubt
the validity
of our electoral process,
and weaken what they saw
as the likely presidency
of Secretary Clinton.
In July, once you'd
become the nominee,
the Russian objective changed.
At that point,
their focus became
helping you become president.
A part of the effort
was a social media campaign
using fake Facebook accounts,
fake YouTube videos,
false identities
on Instagram and Twitter,
all of it tightly coordinated
to duplicate propaganda coming
from Russia Today
and Sputnik Radio.
There was also an attempt
by the Russians
to attack
the voting process itself.
Voter rolls in 21 states
were targeted.
Do we have any evidence
that their efforts
met with any success?
- No, sir, we don't.
- Oh.
Oh, so, then,
there's no actual impact
from the meddling.
I think we should be
very careful with that word.
Meddling is what
my mother-in-law did.
We can also say
with a high degree of confidence
that this was not
a fishing expedition
conducted by low
or even mid-level GRU agents.
This was
a Putin-directed effort.
And that can be substantiated
by human intelligence,
signal intelligence
and cyber forensics.
How dumb were the Democrats
not to protect their cyber?
The RNC was a lot smarter
than that, a lot tougher.
And you said there was no impact
on the results, right?
Sir, we are not given
the charter, the authority
or the resources to make a call
on how much the Russians
impacted our electoral process.
We were simply tasked
with assessing
their methods and objectives,
namely, your election
a result that is now viewed
in Moscow as a success.
Here, too.
We should get ahead of this.
There's information
in the unclassified version
that should come from us
as opposed
to the unfriendly news outlets.
So, we should start drafting
a statement for the press.
"The chiefs
of the intel community
have found no evidence
that Russian meddling
affected the outcome
of the election."
Mr. President-elect,
there is additional material
in this assessment,
sensitive material.
We thought that Director Comey
should review it
with you more privately.
How private?
Uh, I thought the two of us
would be best.
- Can I join?
- Entirely up to you, of course.
I just didn't think
it was fitting
in front of a larger group.
Just the two of us.
Thanks, everybody.
Thank you, sir.
You've had one hell of a year.
I suppose I have, sir.
I thought you handled
the e-mail thing honorably.
First you saved her,
but you were tough on her
and they hated you for that,
but what choice did you have?
And I've asked.
You've got a great reputation
at the Bureau.
People there really like you.
I hope you'll stay on.
- I intend to, sir.
- Good.
Did anyone happen to notice
what they didn't ask?
"How do we keep the Russians
from doing this again?"
Maybe they know.
Mr. President-elect,
as Director Clapper mentioned,
there is additional sensitive
material in the assessment.
A few caveats.
Uh, this thank you
this material was collected
by a private intelligence firm
on behalf of private clients.
We have not independently
corroborated it.
But its source is a person
known to the Bureau
as a reliable former employee of
a friendly intelligence service
who collects information from a
layered network of sub-sources.
Okay.
On behalf of his clients,
he compiled a dossier
of 17 separate reports
on you and your past dealings
with Russia.
One of those reports
asserts that in 2013,
you spent a night
with Russian prostitutes
in a Moscow hotel room,
which was secretly videotaped
There were no prostitutes.
There were never prostitutes.
You'd have to be an idiot
to believe something like that.
I am not saying that the FBI
believes these accusations.
We simply have a duty
to make you aware of them.
Do I look like
I need to go there?
Like I need to go
to prostitutes?
Again, the Bureau
has not passed judgment
on the truth of the allegations.
Our endeavor is to protect you.
The dossier is out there
and will become public.
At least two members of Congress
have it, as does the press.
- CNN has it.
- CNN. Of course.
The Clinton News Network.
The dossier further states
that you had the prostitutes
urinate on a bed
that had been slept in
by President Obama
- and the first lady.
- This is what happens
when you're rich and famous.
It just happens more to me
because no one
has ever succeeded like I have.
Women come forward
saying I harassed them,
it's never true.
Lady sues me,
says I touched her at Mar-a-Iago
with her boyfriend in the room?
But guess what?
The whole thing was
her boyfriend was unhappy
with a business deal
he and I were in.
I give him
what he wants and poof.
She drops her suit.
Summer Zervos says I harassed
her on The Apprentice,
kissing her openmouthed
and touching her,
and she was so upset
and hurt by it.
So why is she inviting me
to dinner during the campaign?
Wait.
Another woman says I harassed
her on a plane from London,
except the people on the flight
say it never happened.
It's all these lies,
it's disgraceful,
and they never prove anything.
My ex-wife once said I raped her
in order to get
a better settlement out of me.
And then she retracted it.
Can you imagine that?
Accusing the father
of her children like that?
It's sad.
So now some guy steps forward,
probably paid by Hillary
people laughed when I first
called her Crooked Hillary,
but it stuck 'cause everyone
knew it was true;
a lot of people
always thought it,
but nobody ever said it
till Trump did.
And says the Russians
it's always the Russians lately,
they're the new boogeyman
the Russians say
I needed hookers?
Now, I-I know some people
in the Bureau have it in for me.
I could see that, the way
they gave Hillary a free pass.
But I'm the president now.
The FBI is not
investigating you, sir.
We're always trying to assess
what Russia is doing,
and what they might do.
Good.
If I were Russia, I'd be worried
about what Trump might do.
Okay?
My behavior
has been unimpeachable.
Do you want to cancel
your visit, boss?
You want to cancel?
Oh, no, Shaun, but thanks.
That-That's fine.
- How'd the recital go?
- Sir?
Your daughter had a recital
last night, right? How'd it go?
Fine. Thank you, sir.
According
to a statement released
by the Trump transition team
today, "The chiefs
of the intel community
confirmed this morning
that Russian meddling
had no impact whatsoever
on the outcome
of the election."
The statement went on to say
that while the servers
at the Democratic
National Committee
had been penetrated
by Russian hackers,
the systems at the Republican
National Committee
have proven impregnable.
Director Comey's office.
Of course. Please hold.
Sir, the president-elect
is on line one.
Boss, BuzzFeed just released
the Steele dossier.
Evening, sir. How are you?
I'm very concerned about
the leaking
of this phony Russian dossier.
I think it's a disgrace
that it could happen,
and I want to know how it did.
Sir, it's not entirely
accurate to call it a leak.
This wasn't a government
document, it wasn't classified.
It was compiled by private
parties and widely distributed
before the FBI ever learned
of its existence.
So we really can't
call it a leak.
Whatever we call it,
I think it's a disgrace.
It shows a great lack
of respect for the presidency,
and I think
it's a terrible thing.
Maybe that's how Obama
did things,
but as soon as I take office,
we're gonna run a tighter ship.
- No leaks.
- That would be ideal, sir.
I saw you on TV today,
on the Hill.
I thought your answers
were very sharp.
That's not easy, it's not easy.
People try to trip you up.
I hope you're gonna stay on.
That is very much my intention.
Good. Well, good night, Jim.
And the facts
that are competing here are,
what is the truth about what
these Russians claim they have
- on the president-elect?
- Right.
Is there anything there?
And how much communication was
there between the Trump campaign
and Russia,
and those are still unknown.
You.
Uh, on that
intelligence report,
the second part of
their conclusion was that
Vladimir Putin ordered it
because he was
Look, if Putin
likes Donald Trump,
I consider that an asset,
not a liability,
because we have a horrible
relationship with Russia.
Russia can help us fight ISIS,
which, by the way,
is, number one, tricky.
I mean, if you look at it,
this administration created ISIS
by leaving at the wrong time.
The void was created,
ISIS was formed.
So, if Putin likes Donald Trump,
guess what, folks?
That's called an asset,
not a liability.
Now, I don't know that I'm gonna
get along with Vladimir Putin.
I hope I do. But there's
a good chance I won't.
And if I don't,
do you honestly believe Hillary
would be tougher
on Putin than me?
Give me a break.
Russia will have far greater
respect for our country
when I'm leading it,
and I believe and I hope
maybe it won't happen,
it's possible.
But I won't be given a little
reset button like Hillary.
"Here, press this piece
of plastic."
Guy looks at her, he said,
"What are you doing?"
There's no reset button.
We're either going to go along
or we're not.
Yes.
We really should go to Paris.
- Amen.
- No, I mean now.
Do you mind if the girls and I
go to the Women's March
the day after the inauguration?
Nope. Just don't get arrested.
Well, I'll try my best.
Hey, Andy.
Boss, Michael Flynn
had five phone conversations
with Russian Ambassador Kislyak
on December 29th.
Say more.
The conversations
took place the day
after POTUS announced
the additional sanctions.
We were on Kislyak
for all of them.
And, boss, they discussed
those sanctions.
Flynn promised to remove them
upon taking office.
- Anyone else know?
- No.
We have it in a box
at the moment.
Keep it there. Thanks, Andy.
I-I talked to General Flynn
about, uh, that-that
conversation, and actually,
it was initiated when, uh,
on-on Christmas Day.
He had sent a text
to the Russian ambassador
to express, uh,
not only Christmas wishes
but, uh, sympathy
for the loss of life
in the airplane crash
that took place.
It was strictly coincidental
that they had a conversation.
They did not discuss
anything having to do
with, uh, the United States'
decision to, uh, expel diplomats
or-or, uh, i-impose
a censure against Russia.
So, did
they ever have a conversation
about sanctions ever
on those days or any other day?
Those conversations
that happened to occur
around the time, uh,
that the United States, uh,
took-took action
to expel diplomats,
uh, had nothing whatsoever
to do with those sanctions.
It's four siblings,
each living in separate homes.
So it's weekly home visits
for each kid,
weekly meetings
with each set of parents,
court reports,
family partnership meetings,
school visits and coordinating
with their social workers.
It's all tracking, but yes,
another set of eyes on this one
would be great.
No, why would I watch
the inauguration?
I didn't even know it was on.
So, courthouse at 2?
- Thanks, Abby.
- Thank you, ma'am.
Morning, Sally. How are you?
Another day.
What's up?
We intercepted five phone calls
on December 29th
between Sergey Kislyak
and Michael Flynn
in which sanction relief
was discussed.
The VP was just on television
proclaiming that not to be true.
It's true.
The new administration
needs to be alerted
about this immediately.
I don't think we can do that
at this moment.
- Why not?
- Flynn is the subject
of an open investigation
by the Bureau.
We need to interview him first.
The Russians have kompromat
on the incoming NSA.
That constitutes
a real threat
to national security.
We need to know
what he knows, Sally.
We also need to alert the
He reminds me of Sammy the Bull.
I see that.
The boss gets absolute power,
absolute loyalty,
and no one outside
the inner circle counts.
"My soul should burn
if I ever betray Cosa Nostra."
Let me think about it.
We were so close.
A woman president got so close.
I know, baby. I know.
Fucking James Comey.
No.
Today is not about that.
The people united
will never be defeated!
will never be defeated!
The people united
will never be defeated!
The people united
will never be defeated!
The people united
will never be defeated!
The people united
will never be defeated!
The people united
will never be defeated!
I do think
this raises real questions.
The Logan Act, Erin, has been
rarely invoked in our history.
- Yeah.
- But it lays down a clear line
that we only have one president
at a time
and that American leaders,
American citizens,
shouldn't be engaging
in their own foreign policy.
Uh, after January 20th,
once Trump becomes president,
General Flynn's free
to have any contacts he chooses
with foreign governments
and their ambassadors.
Uh, but it seems very suspicious
that three weeks in advance,
uh, he needed to have a call
in order to schedule a call
that wouldn't happen
for weeks hence.
Thank you all for coming.
We're gonna have
a great eight years together.
This is a good room for me
because
law enforcement people
all love Trump.
Military people, too.
Probably everyone in this room
voted for me.
I won't ask you
to raise your hands if you did,
but I guarantee
a big portion did.
Because guess what?
We're all
on the same wavelength, folks.
So, I want to thank you all
for the fantastic job you did
keeping
our inaugural events safe.
I know it wasn't easy
with all those people.
Biggest inaugural ever,
and you know better than anybody
how that's been distorted
by the dishonest media.
Fake news.
But you did your jobs.
And
James!
Jim Comey.
FBI director.
Let's take some pictures,
say hello to each other.
Okay? Where's a good spot?
Right here.
He's more famous than me.
That's your father's
"oh, shit" face.
I know.
Really looking forward
to working with you.
Let's take a picture.
Joe. Joe Clancy, Secret Service.
Get up here. Look at
He's the man.
Get over here.
There's been one call.
I talked to, uh, General Flynn
about this again last night.
One call.
Talked about four subjects.
One was the, uh, loss of life
that occurred in the plane crash
that took their military choir.
Two was Christmas
and holiday greetings.
Um, three was to facilit
or to talk about a conference
in Syria on ISIS.
And four was to set up a
to talk about,
after the inauguration,
setting up a call
between President Putin
and President Trump.
Um, that I don't believe
that that has been set up yet
because the call
was to say after
They did follow up
I'm sorry two days ago
about how to facilitate
that call once again.
So, there have been a total
of two calls.
- Morning.
- Morning.
- Thanks for your time, General.
- Not at all. Not at all.
I was just in the Oval.
Have you seen it
since we got in?
- I haven't, no.
- Oh, you should.
It looks really different now.
President has, uh, quite a knack
for interior design.
Hi, Jim.
I wanted you to hear it
from me personally.
We just sent two agents
over to the White House
to interview Mike Flynn.
- You what?
- They're in with him now.
Without notifying me first?
Sally, I don't know
where this is headed,
but it could be a place
where Flynn
or others in the White House are
- in big trouble.
- Exactly why chain of command
is so important here.
And if you signed off
on the interview,
it could be framed
as a final partisan attack
by an Obama appointee
on the new president.
- If I do it, it's not.
- I want you to stop doing this.
I want you to stop deciding what
I do and don't need to know.
You don't get to make
those calls for the rest of us.
I'm just trying
to get to the truth
with as little political
interference as possible.
You worry about
the truth part, okay?
I'll handle the rest.
I want to be briefed
as soon as they get back.
Of course. Thanks, Sally.
And by the way,
you're an Obama appointee, too.
I'm a lot of things now.
What happened was
it was Christmas Day.
There was a Russian plane
went down,
and
excuse me
it killed this choir
that I had seen perform
when I was in Moscow.
And I wanted to pass along
my condolences
to Ambassador Kislyak.
Did you discuss
any matters of substance
with the ambassador?
Uh, well, not many. Not many.
I was in the Dominican Republic
at the time,
and the, uh, cell reception
was not great.
Did you ask him at all
about the upcoming UN vote
on the Israeli settlements?
Uh, listen, Sergey,
while I've got you,
um, the upcoming UN vote
on the Israeli settlements
Just in a very general way.
You know, "What's your
what's your position on this?"
You know, that kind of thing.
I'm
I'm sure you know
all this already.
You-you were
probably listening in, right?
Did you ask him
to have Russia abstain
from the UN vote?
No. I did not.
Any chance that I can
talk you into abstaining or
Did you ask for help
in delaying the vote?
maybe delaying the vote
for a few days?
- No.
- Did you discuss with him
any of the new sanctions
that the Obama administration
had levied upon Russia
as punishment
for Russia's interference
in our election?
No. Uh
In fact, I didn't even know
about those at the time.
Um, I didn't have access
to, uh, television news
in the Dominican,
and my-my government-issued
BlackBerry wasn't working.
Were you concerned at all
about the Russian government,
that they might retaliate
for the sanctions,
perhaps escalate tensions
between the two countries?
Well, in a
in a very general way, sure.
Sure. But, um
But, like I said, I
You know, I was learning
about all of this, uh,
in real time, so
Did you ask of the ambassador
that Russia not retaliate
in any way to these measures?
No.
Did you say anything
along the lines of
- Just let us get in there.
- "Let us get in there
- and fix this"?
- We'll fix this.
"Please don't play tit for tat"?
That sort of thing?
So there's no need
for him to engage in any sort
- of reciprocal
- Um
tit-for-tat response.
Not really. You know
you know what, I don't remember.
Um, you know,
if the subject came up at all,
it-it certainly wasn't,
you know,
"Hey, don't do anything."
I see.
Yeah.
Boss
interview team is back
from the White House.
General Flynn denied
the whole thing.
Althea, get me the D.A.G.,
please.
They used whole sentences
from the conversations.
Unless he's recently had
a stroke,
he would have to know they
were working off a transcript.
Why would he do that?
He's got to know
he just lit himself on fire.
Who else was in the room?
Just our two agents and him.
He opted against having
White House Counsel there.
How fast can you get me
a draft 302?
Within the hour.
I have the D.A.G. on line 1.
Hi, Sally.
Thank you for your time, Don.
I asked Mary to join us
because she's career DOJ,
and I-I felt
it would be prudent
to establish
some institutional memory here.
How's everyone settling in?
Oh. We're remaking the place.
Even the Oval.
Have you seen it?
Well, you should.
The president has a real eye
for interior design.
What can I do for you?
In the last few days,
several members
of this administration,
including the vice president,
have made public comments
concerning General Flynn
and his calls
with the Russian ambassador
that we now know
to be materially untrue.
We believe this is the result
of General Flynn
having misled the White House
about the nature and content
of those calls.
I see.
Uh, are you permitted to tell me
how you know what you know?
We electronically surveil
Ambassador Kislyak
as a matter of routine.
So we were on all those calls.
They discussed sanctions,
diplomatic expulsions,
the UN vote
on Israeli settlements.
If General Flynn has told
the vice president
or anyone else
in the administration
that those calls
did not touch upon those topics,
then he has told an untruth.
And the vice president
has a right to know
that he has been propagating
that untruth
in the public square.
What are you planning
to do with this?
Y-You gonna notify Congress?
It is not our
intention
to embarrass the White House.
It is our intention
to protect the American people.
So, this is close-hold.
But we believe
General Flynn is now compromised
with respect to the Russians.
You'll have
to explain that to me.
He has lied.
And the Russians know
that he has lied.
They undoubtedly have
their own recordings
of those conversations.
That gives them leverage
over him.
The-the term of art
is "kompromat,"
meaning
they could now blackmail him.
And every single time
another member
of this administration
goes on television to say
Flynn and the ambassador
did not touch upon those topics
or discuss the sanctions,
the level of kompromat
increases.
General Flynn
was interviewed this week
by two FBI agents,
here at the White House.
Were you aware of that?
No.
How'd he do?
I'm sorry.
I'm not at liberty to tell you.
But an investigation is ongoing.
Think we should just fire him?
That is not our call.
Obviously, you don't want
the highest-ranking
National Security officer
in the U.S. government to be
blackmailable
by a foreign adversary.
Especially Russia.
Well
Thanks for bringing this
to our attention.
We appreciate it.
Thank you for coming back
on such short notice.
Of course.
I reported back to the president
after our meeting yesterday,
and there was one thing
we were unclear on.
Why does it matter
if one administration official
lies
to another
administration official?
I want people
to sit in the courtyard.
So, tables, umbrellas.
We're gonna build a gym
on the mezzanine.
And maybe a day spa?
Done.
Director Comey's office.
Of course.
One moment, please.
Sir, the president is calling.
Thank you.
This is Jim Comey.
Hi, Jim.
Would you like to come over
for dinner tonight?
Of course, sir.
- Hi.
- Hi.
I can't meet you
for dinner tonight.
- Sorry.
- Better offer?
No. But definitely
a bigger name.
The president.
Just the two of you?
I hope not.
Me, too.
Just the two of us?
Yes, sir.
I like that.
People who are on time.
I think a leader
should always be on time.
Good to see you,
Mr. President.
I hear things are going
very well at the Bureau.
You're gonna love Jeff Sessions.
Very smart.
First senator to endorse me.
Sit.
I look forward
to working with him.
He doesn't know I called.
I wanted this to be private,
just between us.
Reince Priebus
doesn't even know you're here.
They write these things
one at a time,
by hand.
Calligraphy.
They write them by hand.
So, what do you want to do?
Sir?
Lots of people want
to be director of the FBI.
But I tell everybody
how highly I think of you.
I have lots of friends there.
Nobody has better relationships
with the FBI than I do.
So people would tell me
if there was a problem.
But I know you're respected,
which is what I tell people
that say I could make a change
if I wanted to.
Press has been very unfair
to you.
I know about that.
Nobody gets treated
as unfairly as I do.
It's disgraceful.
So I'd understand
if you wanted to walk away,
go back to the private sector.
I know that's attractive.
But, um, I don't think it'd
be good for you, personally.
It'd make you look
like you'd done something wrong.
Who needs that?
I mean, doesn't matter to me
that I could make a change.
I, mm
I get along with everybody.
But I wanted to know
what you were thinking about it.
It's true, Mr. President.
You can fire the FBI director
at any time,
for any reason
or for no reason at all.
But I want to stay
because I love the Bureau
and I love my job
and I believe
I'm doing it well.
One thing I never had to think
about in the Trump Organization,
because I did so much myself
You know, people think
we were so big, but
truth is, I did everything.
But now I have
to rely on people.
I have all these
idiot advisors around
who think they got me elected.
You know
who I actually listen to?
TV people.
Because they got to get ratings
every day.
White House advisor
can guess wrong,
still keep his job.
Not the TV guys.
A lot of smart people
in that business.
Well, you can rely on me, sir.
To tell you the
I need loyalty.
I expect
loyalty.
You would think,
being a New Yorker
I'd be prepared
for how nasty this town is.
I mean,
I'm a tough guy, right?
But this town
they lie about the size
of my inauguration
biggest crowd ever
and they can't give it to me.
They lie about me mocking
some disabled reporter
which I never did.
Like I'm gonna grope
some unattractive woman
on an airplane
or pay some porn star
to come to my room.
It's all fake news.
And people
a lot of people
are saying that.
You know,
Hillary never understood
how good I was
at getting free media,
which I call "earned media"
because you got
to work to get it.
But it was just such
a nasty campaign.
There's a very fine book
about the political battles
between John Adams
and Thomas Jefferson
Yeah, somebody
gave me that book.
It's upstairs.
I'm gonna read it.
They make these jokes about me
Alec Baldwin
it's so terrible.
Like I can't read.
Who do they think writes
all my best-selling books?
As I see it,
you had three phases
with the Hillary e-mail thing.
Phase one, where you saved her
by announcing
you weren't gonna prosecute,
which a lot of lawyers have told
me was not the right conclusion.
Our investigators spent
a year on it before deciding
there was
no prosecutable case there.
Well, a lot of smart people,
very educated people, disagree.
Alan Dershowitz.
Anyways, then comes Comey Two,
where you did what you had
to do by telling Congress
you were reopening
the investigation.
Absolutely the right move.
Then comes Comey Three,
where you saved her again,
which she totally misplayed.
And then you get attacked,
I think very unfairly,
by the liberal mainstream media.
Partisan CNN.
How do you hold up
under the strain?
Same way you do, I imagine.
Family.
Oh, this is luxury.
And I know luxury.
I'm pretty great
at interior design.
This is nicer than Mar-a-Iago.
Does your guy McCabe have
a problem with me?
No, sir, of course not.
I was pretty rough on him
during the campaign.
Andy, like everyone else
at the Bureau,
is a professional
who puts country first.
Ours is an apolitical culture.
'Cause I'm still
very upset about
this golden showers business.
It would bother me if there
was even one percent chance
Melania would think it was true.
I'm a germophobe.
I didn't even stay over
that night.
People saw that.
You should investigate
the allegation
to prove what a lie it is.
Mr. President, we can do that,
but you should know
that if we did,
it would create a narrative
that we were
investigating you personally.
And it's very difficult
to prove that something
- didn't happen.
- Well, think about it.
Because it would be very
hurtful to me and my family.
Of course.
Would you ever like to have
your family here for dinner?
- You can.
- Mr. President,
I-I think it's
in your best interest
that we not socialize too much.
The country needs
to know that the FBI
is completely
divorced from politics.
Obama was very close with Holder
when Holder was
attorney general.
I thought that was a mistake.
He made a lot of them.
We're just starting to dig out
from some of his mistakes.
It's unbelievable how much
we're accomplishing.
You can make Reince Priebus
your contact.
He knows we're meeting here
tonight.
The point is
I need loyalty.
You will always get
honesty from me.
That's what I want
honest loyalty.
You will get that from me.
Damn it.
Am I overreacting?
No.
No, this is
how a mob boss talks.
A few takeaways
the independence of the FBI
doesn't mean anything to him.
He sees everything in terms
of personal loyalty.
He's fixated
on the hookers thing.
And he thinks you have
a problem with him.
I told him you don't.
Boss, you have to be
very careful here.
Memorialize any more
conversations you have with him.
There aren't supposed to be
any conversations with him.
Did he bring up
Michael Flynn at all?
Or acknowledge that we had
been to the White House
- to interview Flynn?
- No.
Possible he was respecting
a boundary there?
Hard to say.
He moves so fast
from one subject to another,
and so much of what he says is
factually and legally incorrect.
It's possible that he thinks
the conversation went well
and that I'm solidly on board.
This cannot happen again.
It is completely
inappropriate for the two
of you to engage like this.
He's the president am I
supposed to refuse his call?
He just asked you to put
loyalty to him above your duty
to investigate the threat
posed by Russia.
I'm aware.
Uh, boss?
He just fired Sally Yates.
Ma'am?
Can I get you anything?
Are you asking me if this is
a two-Diet-Coke day, Justin?
I guess I am.
I'll be fine.
But you could hand me
those couple of books
over there.
Justin
you ever start to feel shaky
go outside
and look at the buildings
up and down Pennsylvania Avenue.
They've been here a long time.
And they're gonna be here
a long time.
Because what they represent
is eternal
institutions,
the rule of law,
no matter who is in power.
Understand?
I do.
Yes, ma'am.
Go.
Sources report
that the president
will soon name Rod Rosenstein,
U.S. attorney for Baltimore,
to replace Yates
as deputy attorney general.
President Trump
telling Fox News in a brand-new
interview he respects Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
That's not new.
Here's what is new,
the president acknowledges
that Putin may be a killer,
but adds,
"We've got a lot of killers."
Even Republicans are perplexed
and some of them
have condemned those comments.
Why do you think the president
continues to praise Putin?
So
I understand your dinner with
the president went very well.
And that you're
interested in staying on.
Yes.
So how does that work, do we
make an announcement or?
That's not really necessary.
As I explained to the president,
I already have a ten-year term.
So there's nothing to announce.
Oh, well, I think he wanted to.
But let's talk about how you and
I are gonna be working together,
the rules for the FBI director,
White House chief of staff.
Did you talk
to Denis McDonough often or?
We talked about policy
and operational issues,
specific terror threats.
As I explained to the president,
there's a bright line
between DOJ and the White House.
Did you talk to him about
the Hillary e-mail thing?
Never, and he wouldn't ask.
We all thought that
that was so unfair
how that landed on you,
like it was your fault
that she set up
her e-mail system illegally.
Or that she decided
not to campaign in Michigan.
Listen, uh,
are we confidential here?
If you like.
Thank you.
Do you have a FISA order
on Mike Flynn?
Reince, that's the bright line
I'm talking about.
Question like that should go
to the White House Counsel,
then DOJ leadership, then to me.
Sorry, it's a rookie mistake.
Do you have a FISA order
on Mike Flynn?
No.
Thank you.
Do you want to see
the president?
I'm sure he's very busy.
Actually, he likes
impromptu meetings.
Uh, DOJ has a no-contact policy
with the White House.
- It's really in his best inter
- I'm sure he'd love to see you.
I'm gonna go see
if he's in the Oval.
Can I ask you a question, sir?
What did you guys
actually have on Hillary?
Can you keep a secret?
Yeah.
So can I.
Hello, Director.
General.
How are you settling in?
All fine, except for my,
uh, my workout routine.
I haven't found time
for that lately.
This place has plenty of stairs.
Might just come to that.
He'd love to see you!
Great.
I see you changed the curtains.
Obama's were horrible.
These are the same ones
Bill Clinton used.
I wonder how
I would've done against Bernie
if you'd charged Hillary
like you should have.
How do you think
I'd have done against Bernie?
We try to stay out of the
political realm, Mr. President.
So how come Andy McCabe's wife
ran for office?
Number two guy in the FBI,
taking a million dollars
from the Clintons.
A lot of people,
very educated people,
said I wasn't rough enough
on him.
Does he have a problem with me?
Mr. President, as I told you,
Andy is a pro.
I know you'll come to value him,
as I do.
Have you done any more thinking
about the golden showers thing?
'Cause it would really bother me
if Melania gave that
any credibility.
The hookers thing is nonsense,
although Putin once told me
they got the most beautiful
hookers in the world there.
But I didn't even stay overnight
in Moscow.
I stayed long enough to be nice.
I'm nice to everyone
when it's business.
No one here gets that
because no one here ever had
to make a business deal.
I sat down for an interview
with Bill O'Reilly.
Did you see it?
Yes, sir.
He insults the Russians,
and now he owes them an apology
because why is he
calling them killers?
And why is he trying
to get me to say it
when I'm trying to repair
all the damage Obama did
and get along with people again?
So I should say
I don't respect the leader
of a major country
I'm trying to get along with?
Putin is a strong thinker.
He speaks very powerfully.
And he never sent anyone
with a briefcase
and a billion dollars for Iran
like Obama did.
That nuclear deal is a disgrace,
another thing we have to fix.
If Russia can help us
in the region
and a lot
of my military people say.
Russia's going
to be very key for us there
why would I want to insult them?
You know,
everybody's crying for Ukraine.
The Ukrainians
aren't so terrific.
They've tried
to invalidate my election.
They're not nice people.
So I gave a good answer.
Really, it was a great answer.
I gave a really great answer.
You think
it was a great answer, right?
The first part of your answer
was fine, Mr. President,
but not the second part.
We aren't the kind of killers
that Putin is.
These aren't the curtains
Bill Clinton used.
Boss, you cannot keep
having conversations
with this man.
I'll say it again.
He's the president, our boss.
He won't invite me over again.
I really offended him this time.
Did he bring up Michael Flynn?
No, but he brought up you again,
and the Russian hookers
and Hillary.
This is not tenable, any of it.
Let's assume good faith
for a second,
that he just doesn't know
how a president is supposed
to act with DOJ, and no one
around him does, either.
It's our job to help him.
- How do we do that?
- You've explained it
- to him clearly?
- Yes.
Can we set up a briefing for
him? Someone else to explain it?
I'm not sure he's interested.
Have you seen any evidence
that he values the rule of law?
None.
Then why are we assuming
good faith?
What should I do?
Arrest him?
You've had worse ideas.
This is CNN breaking news.
Our breaking news on CNN,
the national security advisor,
Michael Flynn, has resigned.
Flynn's resignation coming
in the wake of news
that the Justice Department
warned the Trump administration
last month that Flynn
misled the administration
about his communications
with the Russian ambassador
to the United States,
and was potentially vulnerable
to blackmail by the Russians.
Again, that's our breaking news
here on CNN.
I want to get right to
all of our correspondents
Mr. President,
as you know, tracking.
ISIS and its penetration levels
on American soil is a big part
of the FBI's mission.
But there are other threats
that we don't talk about as much
that are equally dangerous
long-term,
requiring
an entirely different level
of vigilance and attention.
There is a sophisticated
Eastern European terror group
they call themselves the
"Chechen Islamic Brotherhood"
that has embedded
sleeper operatives
in the United States.
These people have been here
legally for years.
They speak fluent English
and look Caucasian.
They have families and jobs.
And they are time bombs.
We are devoting
enormous resources
to monitoring these people.
We try to jam them up
where we can on local charges,
in ways
that don't show our hand.
We've even tried to flip some,
but they are hard guys,
and they are, right now,
quietly preparing
with extraordinary patience
and disciplined tradecraft,
for something big.
Sir, our partners overseas
have picked up chatter
about an attack on an East Coast
American city this summer.
The Tsarnaev brothers
they were Chechen, right?
The, um They were
the Boston Marathon guys.
Yes, but we don't know that
they were connected
to The Brotherhood.
The Tsarnaevs
lacked the discipline
that this group
typically demands.
And we don't yet know the city?
No. We are watching now
to see where
they're allocating resources.
Okay.
Thanks, everybody.
I want to talk to Jim.
Thanks, everybody.
You know, I wrote a book,
a very, really successful book,
a year before
the World Trade Center,
said there's someone
named Osama bin Laden,
you ought to take him out,
he's big trouble.
I think I wrote 12 books.
Nobody listened to me.
Thanks, Jeff.
I want to talk to Jim.
Yes, sir.
That e-mail investigation
looked pretty tricky.
Okay, Jared. Thank you.
- It was.
- Thank you, Jared.
Did you see my tweet
this morning?
I didn't, sir.
I make calls
on this beautiful phone
to leaders in Australia
or Mexico or wherever,
and I expect those calls
to be confidential.
And then, I see leaks
in the fake news,
quoting me, saying things
I don't even remember saying,
I don't think
I even actually said.
And people say I've got one of
the world's greatest memories.
The leaks cost Mike Flynn
his job,
which I think is very sad.
Making calls was his job.
I want that,
especially with Russia.
But he lied to the
vice president so I let him go.
But he really is a good guy.
I have a good guy coming in
to replace him.
He enjoys a lot of respect
from very smart people, but
but you know better than anybody
how unfair the fake news can be.
Sir, leaks are terrible.
On our side of the street,
leaks can jeopardize
FBI operations,
put lives at risk.
Well, we can start
by going after the reporters
that get people to leak.
You know, ten or 15 years ago,
put reporters in jail
to find out what they knew.
It worked.
It worked on Judy Miller.
I am a fan of pursuing leakers
aggressively,
but going after reporters
is tricky
for legal reasons,
constitutional reasons.
Well, talk to Sessions about it,
see if we can be
more aggressive.
You know, they spend
a couple of days in jail,
suddenly they're ready to talk.
- Mr. President.
- Ah, we'll see ya, Reince.
Just-just a minute or two more.
Mike Flynn.
He's a good guy,
been through a lot.
He lied to Pence, but he didn't
do anything wrong on the calls.
I hope you can see your way
clear to letting this go.
He's a good guy.
Maybe he has some
judgment issues. I don't know.
But I hope you can let this go.
I agree he's been through a lot.
It's just these leaks.
They're really disgraceful.
He's a Republican.
He's always been a Republican.
But he is a D.C. guy.
And the president
does not like D.C. guys.
And he doesn't like
long briefings. I told you.
General Sessions,
can I have a word with you?
Course, Jim.
That can't happen.
You're my boss.
You can't get kicked out of the
room so he can talk to me alone.
You have to be between me
and the president
for the sake of the Bureau.
General?
That was a fine briefing
you gave, Jim.
You know,
you really are a good guy.
That's fucking
obstruction of justice.
The president just committed
a crime in your presence,
and he asked you
to break the law.
- I know.
- Did you tell the A.G.?
No. Pretty sure he's about
to recuse himself on all this.
- That'll go over well.
- Yeah.
Boss, uh,
I'm uncomfortable with this.
It looks too much like you're
being pulled into a conspiracy
by the president
of the United States.
Yes, that is his intention.
Now what?
Things will settle down
once Rod's in place as D.A.G.
He'll normalize our relations
across the street
and restrict our contact
to the White House.
You sound like a PowerPoint.
Rod's not gonna save you.
He's gonna cover his own ass,
as he always has.
Do you really not know
how screwed you are?
Of course I do.
Well, then stop
walking into the Oval
thinking
you can outwit this guy.
He's just gonna fire you.
He can't fire me. I'm running
the Russia investigation.
- It'd look horrible.
- That's ego.
That's fact.
Jim, Jesus.
Fact is dead now.
- Rod Rosenstein
- I, Rod Rosenstein
- do solemnly swear
- do solemnly swear
that I will support
and defend
that I will
support and defend
the Constitution
of the United States
the Constitution of
the United States
- against all enemies
- against all enemies
- foreign and domestic.
- foreign and domestic.
Looking forward
to diving in, Rod.
Discussing
department priorities.
Oh, I have prepared a list.
Good. Good.
Tell me, where on that list
would you put
firing James Comey?
I certainly
think it's something
we should discuss.
Okay.
that I will
bear true faith
that I will bear
true faith
and allegiance to the same.
and allegiance
to the same.
That I take this obligation
freely
That I take
this obligation freely
without any
mental reservation
without any mental
reservation
or purpose of evasion.
or purpose
of evasion.
And that I will well
- and faithfully discharge
- And that I will well
- and faithfully discharge
- the duties of the office
the duties of the office
which I am about to enter.
which I am about to enter.
So help me God.
- So help me God.
- Well done, Rod.
Okay.
He's gonna get
his head chopped off.
Isn't he?
We all are.
I'll see you at the ranch.
I'm not sure I can do this.
Yes, you can.
That one, honey.
Listen.
I'm here to tell you,
this Russia thing is a ruse.
It's a ruse.
I don't have
any deals in Russia.
I don't have any dealings
with Russia.
I could have, very easily,
but I didn't want
to carry any debt.
As a businessman,
I always had very little debt.
No debt.
Because I believe that's
the best way to do business.
Now, tomorrow you'll say,
"Donald Trump wants
to get along with Russia.
This is terrible."
It's not terrible it's good.
We had Hillary Clinton
give Russia 20%
don't be a bully.
of uranium in our country.
You tell your kids,
don't be a bigot.
We have a very
valuable man, Rex Tillerson,
who's gonna be
meeting with them shortly.
And I told him, I said,
"I know"
Greatest thing I could do
is shoot that ship
- that's 30 miles offshore
- But he's just a traitor.
But either way
If we could get along
with Russia
- he betrayed me.
- it's a positive thing.
Boss?
The president's calling for you.
Listen,
I'm trying to run the country,
and the cloud
of this Russia business
is making that very difficult,
very tough.
If I didn't have the cloud,
we would've won
the health care vote and a lot
of people are very upset
about that because that
should've gone through.
You know I have nothing
to do with Russia.
I have a letter here from
the biggest law firm in D.C.
saying I have
no income from Russia.
And I'm going to be
filing a personal lawsuit
against the author
of this horrible dossier.
And I'm not even sure
Steele is his real name.
It sounds like
a made-up name to me.
But it's gonna be a huge suit,
because the things he said
were very unfair
and very painful.
So I want to know
what you can do
to lift this Russia cloud.
Mr. President, we are running
it down as quickly as we can.
For now it's in your best
interest to let us do that work.
You know, nobody knows how many
problems I create for Russia.
I'm actually
very bad for Russia.
Much tougher on them than Obama.
I'm gonna be commissioning
more nukes, newer nukes.
Ours are 40 years old,
some of them.
I'm also making sure we're doing
more oil drilling,
which Russia hates,
but all I get is.
Trump, Russia, Trump, Russia
the same cloud.
And it's very unfair,
and very bad for the country.
So I think
there should be a way
for you to get out there
that you're not
investigating me.
Sir, I was just up on the Hill,
and I told
congressional leadership
that we are not
investigating you.
I'm trying to make
smart deals, tough deals.
And it's incredible
how well we're doing.
No one can believe it.
It's probably
the best first month
any president ever had.
And it's because I hire
all the best people,
only the best.
But I have this cloud
hanging over everything.
And now I'm supposed
to go to the G7,
so I only hope
that you can get out the fact
that I'm not being investigated.
I haven't brought up
the McCabe thing,
because you say
he's an honorable guy,
but he's very close
with Terry McAuliffe
and the Clintons.
And they gave him money.
But you say he's
an honorable guy, so
so I'm trusting you.
Yes, Andy is
an honorable person.
Okay.
Thank you, Jim.
Boss?
Do you want to go
to a diversity recruiting event
at the L.A. field office May 9?
You're really
trying to recreate
Okay, that's easy.
Your your grandmother
taught me.
- Okay, here we go with that one.
- Oh, good.
- And then there's that one.
- Ah.
- Thank-thank you.
- What's that?
The drama department
randomly decided
to do Guys and Dolls.
I'm trying out for Adelaide.
- Come here.
- Ah.
Like that.
Tonight, the Attorney General
Jeff Sessions explained
his decision to recuse himself,
and it came from his involvement
with the Trump campaign.
He said he felt it was
the appropriate thing to do
because of his ties
to the campaign.
He made no mention
of his meetings
with the Russian ambassador
as a factor in this decision.
And he said he did
nothing wrong.
Jim just checking
that you did
what I asked you to do before?
Get out the fact that
I'm not being investigated?
Sir, I passed that request along
to Dana Boente,
but I haven't yet
heard back from him.
Who's that?
Sir, with General Sessions
recused,
Dana Boente is now acting A.G.
with respect to this issue.
Well, Jeff shouldn't have
recused himself.
It was a dumb thing to do.
Because now every time
I sit down
with a foreign leader,
it's this cloud.
The Democrats keep
bringing it up,
and it's just an excuse
for losing the election,
when maybe I just ran
a great campaign.
The most effective way
for you to handle this is
to have your White House
Counsel, Don McGahn,
call the acting A.G.
to make all requests.
I have been very loyal to you,
very loyal.
We had that thing, you know?
McGahn should talk to Dana.
Anyway, the reason I called,
they just had the bombings,
the Coptic Church.
Three Americans killed
by an Egyptian soldier.
A lot of people are very upset.
So I spoke to
the Egyptian president.
- I know Obama never
- Sir, I think
you mean the Jordanian king.
The bombing incident occurred
in Jordan.
Just bring the killer
to justice.
You're doing a great job, Jim.
Smart birds.
You write it all down, boss?
I just noticed
you can't see the White House
from here.
That never bothered me before.
No. I guess you can't.
You okay?
Jim.
Thanks for coming.
Of course.
You settling in okay?
Eh, reasonably.
A few land mines strewn about.
Ha, that's surprising.
I thought I'd stepped on
all of them already.
What can I do for you?
I thought you might give me
a tutorial.
You know, how to do this job
as well as it can be done.
Also, I wanted to know
who you thought I should pick
for the Manhattan office.
I'll answer the second
question first.
I know the White House is
pushing Bob McRaven
for that position,
but I think he'd be a disaster.
I have serious questions
about his integrity.
Would urge you to talk
to Clark Derry.
Clark thinks Bob
perjured himself
on a case the Chicago office
prosecuted.
Well, that makes things easy.
As to running this office,
tell me
what was your favorite kind
of candy as a kid?
Someone comes into my office
to brief me,
they're often scared
by the myth of the place.
That limits their effectiveness.
One personal connection,
and they relax.
So what was yours?
- Reese's.
- Ah.
Mine, too.
Almond Joy was a close second.
Not sure I can imagine asking
someone that question.
Why not?
I'm not you.
The job is about
protecting people.
Every decision comes back
to that.
Everything the entire
department does
will run through this office,
so you need to be at your best.
You need to eat well, exercise,
get enough sleep.
You need to be with your family
to recharge yourself.
That goes for all
of your staff as well.
Try to get out of the office
by 6, 6:30 every night,
because no one will leave
before you do,
and you want them spending time
with their loved ones.
Workaholics make soulless
choices.
That must be why your staff
likes you so much.
I just treat 'em like people.
And the president?
How do you treat him?
Leaders like that throw you back
to first principles.
You just have to keep
remembering what they are.
Sir, I have the A.G. calling.
Should I ask him what
his favorite candy was?
The next day,
unbeknownst to me,
the president went to his hotel
in New Jersey
with Stephen Miller
to write a memo
designed to justify the firing
of Jim Comey.
It was called
the "Bedminster Memo,"
a four-page screed
excoriating Jim.
Jim Comey is
an Obama guy, okay.
I don't care how much he talks
about being a Republican,
he has never protected me
because he's an Obama guy,
and he's not on the team.
The president gave it
to Don McGahn,
who gave it to
General Sessions
who gave it to me.
And then I was summoned
to the White House.
What was your favorite?
As a kid?
I'm sorry?
Nothing.
That was stupid.
Rod.
- Don.
- Hey.
Mr. President
I don't think you can send this
memo out in its current state.
Why not? It's all true.
It reads like
personal animus instead
of a reasoned
executive decision
He lied to me.
He told me he would tell people
I wasn't under investigation.
And I was very specific
about that.
Very strong and powerful there.
And then he goes to the Senate,
and he doesn't say it.
A lot of people told me I should
fire him, but I kept him around.
He's not a good guy.
He's a dirty guy.
- A bad cop. And he lied to me.
- Well, nevertheless,
the language in this memo
is fairly incendiary
and very easy to misconstrue.
I think it would be bad
for the presidency
and bad for you legally
to-to have this out there.
What parts?
Well, for one,
you do not need to mention
and should not
the Russia investigation
as grounds
for firing Director Comey.
His mishandling of
the Hillary e-mails is enough.
He and I had an understanding
about what he was gonna tell
people, and he didn't do it.
The Trump-Russia cloud.
He told me he'd lift it
and then didn't.
People should know
he broke that deal.
Sir,
you would be exposing yourself
to unnecessary risk here.
Then you write it.
- I can do that.
- Great.
Would you put in
the fact
that he told me three times
I wasn't under investigation?
It's very important
that people understand that.
Again, that would be
conflating your decision
to fire him
with the Russia investigation,
which is what we're all
seeking to avoid.
He's got people thinking
I like golden showers.
Are you gonna keep
anything about it?
Jim Comey takes his
fucking initials too seriously.
Stephen keeps me tied
to my base,
which a lot of people forget,
and then they don't
get reelected.
I don't want your version
to go too easy on Comey.
He's a bad guy.
He's a dishonest guy.
I understand how you feel, sir.
Fine. Start writing.
But I want Russia in there.
Thank you for your work.
Thank you. Thanks
for being part of what we do.
President Kennedy
was touring a NASA facility once
when he came upon
a guy pushing a broom.
This was 1962.
And the president asked,
"What do you do here?"
And the guy replied,
"I'm putting a man on the Moon."
Exactly. Exactly.
I'm here in L.A.
for a diversity recruiting event
where I will try to convince
Is it 500?
- Five hundred and six.
- Five hundred and six.
Five hundred and six lawyers
and engineers
and business school graduates
that they ought to take
a cut in pay
and become special agents
with the FBI.
Now, oddly enough,
this isn't a tough sell,
because people
fundamentally believe
in the mission of this Bureau.
A mission every one of you
I'm gonna go figure out
what's happening.
Uh, but
Whether or not that's true,
my message to you won't change,
so let's just
Let me j
I'll finish that. Um
Every one of you
is personally responsible
for protecting
the American people
and upholding the Constitution
of the United States.
Thank you for doing it so well.
Deirdre?
Director Comey,
I have the deputy on the line.
Thank you.
Does that mean it's true?
A letter was delivered
from the White House, boss.
You've been fired,
effective immediately.
I see.
Can you read it to me?
You sure?
Yeah.
"Dear Director Comey,
I have received
the attached letters
from the attorney general
and deputy attorney general
of the United States
recommending your dismissal
as the director
of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation.
I've accepted
their recommendation,
and you are hereby terminated
and removed from office,
effective immediately.
While I greatly appreciate
you informing me
on three separate occasions
that I am not
under investigation,
I nevertheless concur
with the judgment
of the Department of Justice
that you are not able
to effectively lead the Bureau.
It is essential that we find
What do the attachments say?
From the A.G. and the D.A.G.
A.G.'s is pretty standard.
- Yeah. The one from Rod?
- Two and a half pages.
Read it to me, will you?
- Boss.
- Andy,
I can't order you to.
I'm just asking.
"The Federal Bureau
of Investigation
has long been regarded
as our nation's premier ".
Just skip to the gruesome parts.
This whole thing
is gruesome, boss.
"The current FBI director
is an articulate
and persuasive speaker
about leadership
and the immutable principles
of the Department of Justice.
He deserves our appreciation
for his public service.
As you and I have discussed,
however,
I cannot defend the director's
handling of the conclusion
of the investigation
of Secretary Clinton's e-mails,
and I do not understand
his refusal to accept
"the nearly universal judgment
that he was mistaken."
Deirdre, if you would,
I'd like you to conduct
the recruiting event for me.
Sure, boss. Course.
Well, it's true.
What you've heard.
President has fired me,
effective immediately.
Andy McCabe will now be
your acting director,
which means
you are in very good hands.
The FBI's values are bigger
than any single person,
so it's the same mission
no matter who's running it,
so I-I have no fear
for its future.
What saddens me
is leaving you.
The kind of people you are.
Honest.
Fearless.
Independent.
Patriotic.
That
I will miss.
I wish you all the best.
And?
It is the determination
of my team
that it would absolutely be
a lawful use of taxpayer funds.
He was traveling
on FBI business.
The government is obligated
to bring him home.
And the plane has to return
to D.C. regardless.
So do his protective
and comms teams.
The director wants
Jim would like to rent a car
and drive back.
- No.
- Three thousand miles?
There are security issues here.
What if some nut
decides to shoot him?
I can't believe we're
even having this conversation.
Okay.
Okay.
Put him on the plane.
Thank you for your service,
Shaun. And your friendship.
Boss, I have to say it.
You deserve better.
Get home to your family.
Thank you, sir.
What's new?
You tell me.
I had so much more left to do.
Yes or no, did the president
direct Rod Rosenstein to write
this memo on James Comey?
No, the president
had lost, uh
Again, like I said, he'd lost
confidence in Director Comey,
and, frankly,
he'd been considering
letting Director Comey go
since the day he was elected.
Uh, but he did have
a conversation,
uh, with the deputy
attorney general,
uh, on Monday
where they had come to him
to express their concerns.
The president asked
that they put those concerns
and their recommendation
in writing,
which is the letter
that you guys have received.
So it's
the White House's assertion
that Rod Rosenstein
decided on his own
after being confirmed
to review Comey's performance?
Absolutely. And I think,
uh, most of America
had decided on their own
that Director Comey
was not, uh, the person
that should be leading the FBI.
In short,
our investigation
is beginning to overlap
with the Senate Intel's
investigation.
It's creating some issues.
It's our feeling
that with public confidence
in both the Bureau
and the Senate now compromised,
the best option
the only option
is the appointment
of a special counsel.
Rod?
Are you okay?
I can't believe
they used me like this.
- But you wrote the memo.
- I
They asked me narrow questions,
and I answered them narrowly.
I didn't know that they were
going to use me like this.
I
Is your family okay?
Are you sleeping at all?
The president wants me to say
that firing Jim was my idea,
but that is a lie.
And there's no one in here
that I can talk to about this.
There's nobody in here
that I trust.
I wish I could talk to Jim
about this.
He'd understand
what I'm dealing with.
It's pretty funny, huh?
I think he's unwell.
The president.
I think if someone invoked
the 25th Amendment,
there would be support
from a lot of the cabinet.
Sessions would support it.
Kelly, too. Others.
But you'd need evidence
to convince the public.
I should wear a wire
next time I'm with him.
Then everyone would know.
I could.
I never get searched
when I go in there.
No one ever searches me.
I could record him.
It's so crazy in there.
Would it be helpful
to you if I
wore a wire next time
I'm with him?
I could record him.
Rod, can I
Can I get back to you on that?
Yeah, this is it.
Yeah. I just fired
the head of the FBI.
He was crazy, a real nutjob.
I faced great pressure
because of Russia.
It's taken off now.
You know, fake news
Fake news.
They keeps talking about,
"Election interference,
election interference.
The Russians meddled
in our election. Oh, no!"
And I think, first, who cares?
We got the right result.
Right? And second,
what do they think we do
to other people's elections?
We invented meddling.
How do you know
Putin wasn't our idea?
Here's what I see.
I see a president launching
an attack on this Bureau
to weaken it.
I'm not yet ready
to ascribe motives for this.
But when viewed in conjunction
with him inviting two Russian
intel operatives into the Oval,
and the firing
of Director Comey,
which was designed to slow
or stop an ongoing investigation
into Russia's malign activities
concerning our election
and our democracy more broadly,
I am forced to make
a very disconcerting call.
We have to expand the Crossfire
Hurricane investigation
to include
the president himself.
When the world learns of this,
the blowback will be immense.
"How dare they investigate
a sitting president?"
So let me be clear.
This investigation
is about Russia,
period, full stop.
It has always been
about Russia's attempt
to undermine our democracy.
Flynn, Manafort,
Papadopoulos, Carter Page
they all put themselves
within our line of inquiry.
So has the president.
We have adequate predication
to be investigating all of them.
Is everyone clear?
Sir?
The president is calling.
Secured line?
- No, sir.
- Thank you.
This is McCabe.
This is Don Trump. How are you?
I'm fine, sir.
How are you?
You know, boy, it's incredible.
Such a great thing.
People are really happy
about the fact that he's gone.
I mean, it's just remarkable
what people are saying.
I received hundreds of messages
from FBI people,
how happy they are
that I fired him.
People saying things on
the media. Have you seen that?
You know, I didn't actually know
how hated he was.
What's it like there in the
building? Have you seen that?
You need me, sir?
Why would I need you?
People here are very surprised.
But we're trying
to get back to work.
Yeah, I really want
to come over there to the FBI
and show all my FBI people
how much I love them.
So I think it'd be good for me
to come over there,
tomorrow or the next day.
Do you think
that'd be a good idea?
You're always welcome here, sir.
But I want to know
how he was allowed
to fly home on the FBI jet.
I watched that, and I want
an investigation opened
into how that happened
and who allowed that.
Mr. President,
I can look into that for you,
but it's really unnecessary.
I authorized it.
What?!
We had an obligation to bring
him and his staff home safely,
as well as the flight crew
and the plane.
I don't want that. I don't
approve that. I don't want that.
Nevertheless, sir,
I authorized it.
Well, I want it looked into.
And he's not to be allowed back
on FBI property again.
Ever.
You send him his stuff in boxes.
Is that clear?
- Yes, sir.
- I'm surprised at you.
I'd heard you were part
of the Resistance.
Sir?
That you didn't agree with Comey
on the Hillary e-mails,
you didn't like his decisions.
No, sir.
I was a part of those decisions.
Well, you just make sure
the courtyard is full
when I get there.
FBI people love me.
Same feeling I get in North
Carolina, which I won so big.
90% of the Bureau voted for me.
Who did you vote for?
Mr. President, I've been
a Republican all my life.
I have voted
for every Republican
presidential candidate.
But given the circumstances
present at the time,
I didn't feel it was appropriate
for me to vote in 2016.
You know,
your problem is your wife.
She lost her election
in Virginia, didn't she?
Yes, she did.
Ask her how it feels
to be a loser.
We will need
to be meticulous here.
I want a documentary record
of everything we find,
in indelible fashion
so that if I am removed
from office
or otherwise marginalized,
our work will go on unabated.
That is vital.
He can fire me,
but he cannot fire the FBI.
Let's begin.
Fired FBI
director James Comey says
the president tried
to convince him
to end the investigation
of former national security
advisor Michael Flynn.
The story was first
reported by The New York Times
and then confirmed by CBS News.
James Comey wrote a memo
about an Oval Office meeting
with the president.
This was the day after General
Flynn was forced to resign.
The former FBI director
was known for
taking detailed notes
of meetings,
but these Comey memos
allegedly show a pattern
and raise
additional questions
about whether
the president was trying
to interfere
in the Russia investigation
and why.
On Friday evening,
the Senate Intelligence
Committee announced
that James Comey has agreed
to testify in open session
before the committee.
Hey, boss.
You drove all the way
from Atlanta just to say hello?
Heck no.
I'm private sector now.
I flew all the way from Atlanta
just to say hello.
First class.
It stinks,
what the White House is saying
that you weren't loved
and respected inside the Bureau.
I wanted you to hear it from me.
You were.
You still are.
Really wanted to have my opening
memorized for this one.
Having trouble this morning.
You'll be fine.
Thanks, Mark.
Appreciate it.
The American people
see right through
the blatant lies
of a self-admitted leaker.
the nickname that Donald
Trump has given James Comey,
that nickname being.
- "Slimeball."
- This is a man
who's a narcissist.
A horrendous error
of judgment, and he did it,
I think, 'cause
he's kind of an arrogant guy
who was trying
to protect his own reputation.
In conclusion, Senators,
I want the American people
to know this truth:
the FBI is honest.
The FBI is strong.
And the FBI is
and always will be independent.
Now, I'd like
to take this opportunity
to say something to
my former colleagues, if I may.
I am so sorry
that I didn't get the chance
to say goodbye to you properly.
It was the honor of my life
to serve beside you,
to be part of the FBI family,
and I will miss it
for the rest of my life.
Thank you for standing watch.
Thank you
for doing so much good
for this country.
Do that good
as long as ever you can.
And, Senators, I look forward
to your questions.
He does speak beautifully.
I will give him that.
And he he shakes hands
with all the janitors.
But for all his theatrics,
Jim Comey got himself fired,
while I stuck around
to keep the ship afloat.
You ever think of that?
Me.
Those people out there
may not love me,
but they respect me.
Shouldn't that be enough
for a public servant?
Sir, I really should
get started.
I have to get the place ready
for the new D.A.G.
Of course.
You know,
every day before I come in,
I spend some time outside
looking at all the buildings
on this street.
You should do that.
Why's that?
'Cause they've always been here.
Doesn't matter
who the president is,
which party is in power.
The institutions,
the rule of law.
Nothing ever knocks them down.
That always comforts me.
Good for you.
And it's 3 Musketeers.
My favorite candy bar.
I guess this is where
Jim Comey would turn around,
help you build those boxes
and ask you for your life story.
Yeah, probably.
Goddamn showboat.