President Trump has long been irritated with fired FBI Director James Comey, unnamed White House officials told Reuters in a story published Thursday, and he was particularly peeved when Comey would not give the administration a preview of his then-forthcoming Senate testimony. Comey was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee about his agency's investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, as well as alleged Russian manipulation of the 2016 election.
The president, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein asked Comey to tell them what he would say at his May 3 hearing, Reuters reports. Comey refused, which "infuriated" Trump, who labeled the denial "insubordination." Offering a preview of congressional testimony to higher-ups is "generally considered courteous" in Washington, Reuters notes.
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