United States President Donald Trump was hit by more “leaks” on Friday, just as he left for Saudi Arabia as part of his first official trip abroad. According to a report by The Washington Post, a senior adviser to Trump was being treated as a “person of interest” in an investigation into Russia’s alleged role in the president’s election campaign last year. The report also said Trump had boasted about getting rid of the person who headed the probe.
The report did not reveal the name of the senior adviser but said he was close to the president.
Meanwhile, Trump told Russian officials that Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey’s sacking had taken the “pressure off him” and that it was a “great relief”, The New York Times reported. “I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” the president was quoted as saying.
The White House has been in turmoil since May 9, when Trump fired Comey, who was heading the probe into Russia’s role in the US presidential election. The unceremonious sacking invited allegations of Trump interfering with the probe. The crisis was compounded by a report in The Washington Post that said Trump had shared highly classified data on the Islamic State with a Russian minister during a meeting. Calls for an explanation, investigation and even Trump’s impeachment have only grown since then.
On his nine-day tour to Europe and West Asia, Trump is scheduled to visit Italy, The Vatican, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Israel.
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