U.S. Department of Justice
Attorney Work Product // May Contain Material Protected Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)
frustrated at times.[1] Christie also told the President that he would never be able to get rid of Flynn, "like gum on the bottom of your shoe."[2]
Towards the end of the lunch, the President brought up Comey and asked if Christie was still friendly with him.[3] Christie said he was.[4] The President told Christie to call Comey and tell him that the President "really like[s] him. Tell him he's part of the team."[5] At the end of the lunch, the President repeated his request that Christie reach out to Comey.[6] Christie had no intention of complying with the President's request that he contact Comey.[7] He thought the President's request was "nonsensical" and Christie did not want to put Comey in the position of having to receive such a phone call.[8] Christie thought it would have been uncomfortable to pass on that message.[9]
At 4 p.m. that afternoon, the President met with Comey, Sessions, and other officials for a homeland security briefing.[10] At the end of the briefing, the President dismissed the other attendees and stated that he wanted to speak to Comey alone.[11]
Sessions and senior advisor to the President Jared Kushner remained in the Oval Office as other participants left, but the President
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 3-4.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 3. Christie also recalled that during the lunch, Flynn called Kushner, who was at the lunch, and complained about what Spicer had said about Flynn in his press briefing that day. Kushner told Flynn words to the effect of, "You know the President respects you. The President cares about you. I'll get the President to send out a positive tweet about you later." Kushner looked at the President when he mentioned the tweet, and the President nodded his assent. Christie 2/13/19 302, at 3. Flynn recalled getting upset at Spicer's comments in the press conference and calling Kushner to say he did not appreciate the comments. Flynn 1/19/18 302, at 9.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 4.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 4.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 4-5,
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 5.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 5.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 5.
- ↑ Christie 2/13/19 302, at 5.
- ↑ SCR012b_000022 (President's Daily Diary, 2/14/17); Comey 11/15/17 302, at 9.
- ↑ Comey 11/15/17 302, at 10; 2/14/17 Comey Memorandum, at 1; Hearing on Russian Election Interference Before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, 115th Cong. (June 8, 2017) (Statement for the Record of James B. Comey, former Director of the FBI, at 4); Priebus 10/13/17 302, at 18 (confirming that everyone was shooed out "like Comey said" in his June testimony).
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