At about this point. he turned to what he called the "golden showers thing"and recounted much afwhat he had said previously on that tupic, He repeated that it was a completn fabrication and "fake news." l explained again why i had thoughtli important that he knnw aboutlti l also explained that one aftlie reasons we told him was that the media, CNN in particular, was telling us they were about to run with it, He said it bathered lnrn if his wife thought there was even a one pemem chance it was true in any respefl. He said he had spoken to people who had been on the Universe trip with him and they had reminded him that he didn’t stay over nightin Russia l'brlhatr He said he arrived in the morning, did evens, (hen
slmwe red and dressed for the nageant a: the hotel [he didn’t say the hotel name) and left M the pageants Afterwards he returned only to get his Khlngs because they departed for New Mark by plane that same night. He said he thought maybe he should ask ma (:1 investigate the whole thing on pmve it was a lie. laid notask any questions, I replied that itwns up to him. but i wauldn‘t wanna create a narrative that we were investigating him because we are notand l worried such a thing would he mlscunsn-ued. [also said. that it is very difficult to disprove a lien He said "maybe you‘re right," butstvel'al times asked me ta think aboutit and said he would also think abuulili
We returned in the‘wplc of my Job and In response to his question I explained howl had ended up withihe position and tharl had been pleasantly surprised that President Ohama thought of the role the way i did: He wanted competence and independence and ’didn’t wantthe FBI involved in policy He wanted to be able to sleep at night knowing the FBI was well run
The President modspokc again about belngglad I wanted to stay. lie said Mattls said great things aboutme,as did Sessions He explained he had aakrd a lot of
people about me arid heard great things He then returned in loyalty, saying "i need loyalty" l replied dial: he would always get honesty rram me. He paused and said that's what he wants, "honest luyalty " l replied "you will gel: that from me." [It is pnsslble we understood that phrase differently, butl chosc zo‘undersra nd it as consistentwith what i had said throughout the conversation: i will serve the Pmsidencwuh loyalty Lo the office, the country. and the truth, i decided it wmild not be pradncrive to push the subject further]
At about this point he asked again about "your guy McCabe" and whether he was “guing m be okay." I again affirmed Andy; ability and professlolmllsm and Said the President would Come to see and benefit from both,
He then asked whorl though I should "deal with" and he suggested Reince Priebus, l explained that in the prior administrntlnn my WH cantams were with the ms, or the people in Mike Flynn‘slnl'l and ‘l'ol-n Bosseri‘sjab. He said “Relnce dmtsn'l know we we havingdlnner." but he will (all him and (hatl should deal with Raince. He then went on to explain that he has SBrlDuS reservatiuns about Mike Flynn's ludgment and illustrated with a story from that day in which the Pi usidentapparently discovered during his mastlo Teresa May chat—had called foui'llays
