Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had “nothing to do with” the firing of FBI Director James Comey, adding that the controversial termination will have “no effect” on U.S.-Russia relations.
“Your question looks very funny for me. Don’t be angry with me. We have nothing to do with that,” Putin told CBS News Wednesday, just before he took the ice at a hockey game in Sochi.
“President Trump is acting in accordance with his competence, in accordance with his law and Constitution,” Putin added. “What about us? Why we?”
Prior to his firing, Comey had been leading the investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign.
President Donald Trump, who issued the order to fire Comey and informed him with a letter directly addressed to him, said that the decision came down to the former bureau chief “not doing a good job.”
But Democrats were quick to claim that Trump’s firing of Comey was intended to strip the powers of the man who was leading the probe on Russia’s possible influence, and once again called for an appointment of a special independent prosecutor to head the investigation going forward.
Putin, however, didn’t seem too worried about the allegations.
“You see, I am going to play hockey with the hockey fans,” the Russian president told the CBS correspondent. “And I invite you to do the same.”
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