Article snippet: FBI director James Comey, despite the official administration line that Comey’s removal had nothing to do with it. Until this evening, the White House had publicly denied that Trump was considering the handling of the investigation into his campaign’s possible ties with Russia when he decided to fire Comey. “When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by Hillary Clinton’s use of private email servers. “I cannot defend the Director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken,” Rosenstein wrote. In a visit to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence dismissed questions about the Russia probe, saying “that is not what this is about.” Administration spokespeople Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway echoed similar sentiments earlier this week, stressing that Trump was taking Rosenstein’s advice in firing Comey. “The American people expect a president to act on the recommendations of those within the administration who are charged with oversight. In this case, the deputy attorney general provides the oversight to the federal bureau of investigation,” Pence said yesterday. “When [Rosenstein] brought the recommendation to the president, that the director of the FBI should be removed, President Trump provided the kin... Link to the full article to read more