:00:11. > :00:12.Hello and welcome to One Hundred Days Plus.
:00:13. > :00:15.Washington is in uproar after the sudden and highly unusual
:00:16. > :00:21.The White House says the firing wasn't because of the bureau's
:00:22. > :00:26.Russia probe, but Democrats smell a rat.
:00:27. > :00:28.Amid new reports that Comey recently requested more funds
:00:29. > :00:31.for the Russia investigation - President Trump says he was fired
:00:32. > :00:46.The sacking has led Democrats to call for an independent
:00:47. > :00:48.investigation into ties between the Trump
:00:49. > :00:53.Nothing less is at stake than the American people's faith
:00:54. > :00:56.in our criminal justice system and the integrity of the executive
:00:57. > :01:05.And Comey first thought the news that he'd been fired was a joke.
:01:06. > :01:07.Then he had to fly home from the West coast
:01:08. > :01:12.Spicing up the drama today, the Russian foreign minister
:01:13. > :01:17.is in Washington, with a trip to the White House on the itinerary.
:01:18. > :01:19.After the meeting Sergei Lavrov called allegations that Russia
:01:20. > :01:22.tampered in the US election fake, accusing American lawmakers
:01:23. > :01:31.Is Washington's political scene more chaotic than ever,
:01:32. > :01:47.We delve into the archives to our coverage from the past.
:01:48. > :01:49.I'm Katty Kay in Washington, Clive Myrie is in London.
:01:50. > :02:00.In the firing of FBI director James Comey,
:02:01. > :02:02.Donald Trump either showed strong and decisive leadership,
:02:03. > :02:03.or he demonstrated undemocratic Nixonian tendencies.
:02:04. > :02:07.James Comey had no idea his pink slip was on the way,
:02:08. > :02:12.But Mr Trump says he has his reasons for firing Mr Comey now,
:02:13. > :02:14.right in the middle of the Russia investigation into his
:02:15. > :02:22."Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington,
:02:23. > :02:25.When things calm down, they will be thanking me!"
:02:26. > :02:30.From Washington, here's our North America editor, Jon Sopel.
:02:31. > :02:34.FBI director James Comey has been fired by the President
:02:35. > :02:39.The term breaking news is bandied about with abandon but last
:02:40. > :02:44.At FBI offices the first they knew their director had been
:02:45. > :02:47.fired was when it flashed up on their TV screens.
:02:48. > :02:49.And James Comey, who was in Los Angeles addressing
:02:50. > :02:59.about it either until and aide handed him a note.
:03:00. > :03:01.The letter sent by President Trump was brutal.
:03:02. > :03:03.You are hereby terminated and removed from office,
:03:04. > :03:06.At least they left him the government jet to fly
:03:07. > :03:11.A private citizen, a turbulent career cut short.
:03:12. > :03:14.And today the president was unrepentant.
:03:15. > :03:23.Because he wasn't doing a good job, simply wasn't doing a good job.
:03:24. > :03:26.James Comey, the six foot eight tall director confirmed in March
:03:27. > :03:28.that the Trump campaign was under investigation
:03:29. > :03:32.for its links to Russia during the election.
:03:33. > :03:35.The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission,
:03:36. > :03:37.is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere
:03:38. > :03:46.The president has railed consistently that it's fake
:03:47. > :03:49.news and there has been no improper contact.
:03:50. > :03:52.Last night he fired the man heading the inquiry.
:03:53. > :03:57.It's caused fury and dismay among some Republicans, and all Democrats.
:03:58. > :04:01.If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted
:04:02. > :04:06.a special prosecutor, it is right now.
:04:07. > :04:09.But the White House is seeking to persuade people that the decision
:04:10. > :04:12.to fire Comey had nothing to do with Russia or the FBI
:04:13. > :04:22.It is time for a fresh start at the FBI.
:04:23. > :04:25.I think the president did as he has done in many other cases,
:04:26. > :04:28.He provided strong leadership and to act on the recommendation
:04:29. > :04:38.The White House says the loss of confidence stems
:04:39. > :04:40.from James Comey's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use
:04:41. > :04:43.of a private e-mail server when she was Secretary of State.
:04:44. > :04:44.I made a mistake using a private e-mail.
:04:45. > :04:47.He decided last July there'd be no prosecution,
:04:48. > :04:58.Then, stunningly, he reopened his inquiry 11 days before polling.
:04:59. > :05:01.It took guts for Director Comey to make the move that he made.
:05:02. > :05:03.But if it's all about the way the FBI conducted
:05:04. > :05:06.the Hillary Clinton investigation, why sack him now?
:05:07. > :05:10.Why not do it when Donald Trump first came to office?
:05:11. > :05:16.And how do you reconcile it with the praise heaped upon James Comey?
:05:17. > :05:19.Whatever, it's left the FBI feeling very sore about the way
:05:20. > :05:25.And into the Washington maelstrom who should arrive today
:05:26. > :05:28.for his first visit to see the Trump administration than Sergey Lavrov,
:05:29. > :05:42.the Russian Foreign Minister, in jokey mood.
:05:43. > :05:47.He then went to meet Donald Trump at the White House, but curiously,
:05:48. > :05:50.for the camera loving president, the press was kept away.
:05:51. > :05:54.This feels like house of cards on steroids.
:05:55. > :05:57.The White House deputy press secretary has been speaking -
:05:58. > :06:03.here is what she said on the firing of James Comey.
:06:04. > :06:10.The president over the last several months lost confidence in director
:06:11. > :06:14.Komi, the Department of Justice left -- lost confidence in director Comey
:06:15. > :06:18.and bipartisan members of Congress made it clear they had lost
:06:19. > :06:22.confidence in director Comey. And most importantly the rank and file
:06:23. > :06:26.of the FBI had lost confidence in their director.
:06:27. > :06:28.Throughout the program we will talk to Democrats, Republicans and law
:06:29. > :06:32.Opinion of the sacking falls largely on party lines.
:06:33. > :06:36.Let's start with the Democrats who are apoplectic about this -
:06:37. > :06:40.even though many had themselves called for Comey to go.
:06:41. > :06:45.One of them is Senator Chris Van Hollen he tweeted this...
:06:46. > :06:47."The you're fired approach doesn't work when you're President.
:06:48. > :06:49.@POTUS you're creating a crisis of confidence
:06:50. > :06:56.I spoke to Senator Van Hollen a little while ago.
:06:57. > :07:02.You did not especially like the way that James Comey treated Hillary
:07:03. > :07:07.Clinton during the election campaign so why are you so upset about the
:07:08. > :07:13.fact that he has been fired? There is no doubt there were concerns
:07:14. > :07:17.about the way that Comey handled the Clinton investigation but it is
:07:18. > :07:22.absolutely laughable to try to believe that Donald Trump fired
:07:23. > :07:26.Comey because of his handling of the Clinton e-mail investigation went
:07:27. > :07:29.right after the election Donald Trump praised Comey for that
:07:30. > :07:33.investigation. If that were the case of course he could have fired Comey
:07:34. > :07:39.his first day in office. The reality is the timing smells to high heaven,
:07:40. > :07:42.Comey has been in the middle of an investigation into the collaboration
:07:43. > :07:47.potentially between tram campaign and the Russians. Just yesterday the
:07:48. > :07:53.issued grand jury subpoenas to some of Michael Flynn's associates. This
:07:54. > :07:57.has been heating up and he gets fired, it looks like a blatant
:07:58. > :08:03.attempt to interfere with an ongoing investigation. Are you suggesting
:08:04. > :08:07.the FBI was getting too close to the Russian, Trump ties and that is why
:08:08. > :08:13.Comey was fired? I'm suggesting that the fact that the investigation was
:08:14. > :08:17.heating up and that they were pursuing it more vigorously than
:08:18. > :08:23.they had been in fact it has just been reported that Comey asked for
:08:24. > :08:28.additional resources from the Justice Department within the last
:08:29. > :08:32.ten days to conduct the investigation and the guillotine
:08:33. > :08:36.comes down on him. So I think this smells to high heaven. What does
:08:37. > :08:41.this do to America's democratic institutions? I think it really
:08:42. > :08:47.makes it more difficult for the United States of America first of
:08:48. > :08:53.all to talk with moral authority around the world. Here at home we
:08:54. > :08:57.are going to demand the appointment of a special prosecutor, that is the
:08:58. > :09:00.only way we can restore any kind of faith and integrity in the process
:09:01. > :09:07.to make sure someone can come in without being accountable, without
:09:08. > :09:10.having to be fired by the Trump administration or their political
:09:11. > :09:15.appointees. But in my view it makes it much more difficult for the
:09:16. > :09:21.United States to ask the leaders of other countries to abide by the rule
:09:22. > :09:25.of law, to respect the integrity of the judicial process. We've seen a
:09:26. > :09:31.rise of authoritarianism around the world. And this hurts our efforts in
:09:32. > :09:35.that respect, it does not help. Thank you very much.
:09:36. > :09:37.Rajini Vaidyanathan has been on Capitol Hill, speaking
:09:38. > :09:40.to the Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
:09:41. > :09:47.He believes a fresh start at the bureau, was overdue.
:09:48. > :09:56.We need new leadership in the FBI. It is strange that were wondering
:09:57. > :09:59.about firing the guy when both parties at one time wanted him
:10:00. > :10:03.removed. Did Russia have our part to play in the decision in your view?
:10:04. > :10:08.Not according to the letter but let me tell you about Russia. Russia
:10:09. > :10:15.interfered in our election, I want to punish Russia. I'm 100% convinced
:10:16. > :10:18.that the interfered and try to undermine the 2016 election, that it
:10:19. > :10:25.was Russia intelligence services that acted and changed the outcome,
:10:26. > :10:28.creating discord and I want to punish Russia. I get to see any
:10:29. > :10:31.evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians but
:10:32. > :10:37.we need to keep looking until we can find out one way or the other. When
:10:38. > :10:40.it comes to unmasking American citizens that were talking with
:10:41. > :10:43.foreign agents or leaders, that information makes its way into the
:10:44. > :10:48.press, I want to look at that as well. I want to do all things
:10:49. > :10:51.Russia. You want to look at that many are saying, even some
:10:52. > :10:55.Republicans, that the best way to have done that would be to keep
:10:56. > :11:00.Comey in the role to continue the investigation because anyone who
:11:01. > :11:05.follows him now will be an appointee of President Trump. You said that
:11:06. > :11:11.the pleasure of the President. As the FBI director. You serve the
:11:12. > :11:16.pleasure of the President. And the deputy Attorney General suggested
:11:17. > :11:22.that we need new leadership. All I can say is that both parties, just
:11:23. > :11:27.look at the record of what Democrats have said about Comey. I find it odd
:11:28. > :11:31.that all of a sudden now he is removed, there is something wrong
:11:32. > :11:34.with him being removed when everybody at different times have
:11:35. > :11:39.called for him to be removed. What is important is to pick someone that
:11:40. > :11:44.we all have confidence in. How much confidence do you have in President
:11:45. > :11:49.Trump picking a replacement who will be able to hold the Russians to
:11:50. > :11:54.account, or that investigation? I think we're going to hold Russia to
:11:55. > :12:00.account in the Senate, the FBI is made up of professional people who
:12:01. > :12:02.will do their job and if you think dismissing director Comey blend
:12:03. > :12:06.investigation into Russia you are wrong. You need to look at all
:12:07. > :12:11.things Russia and it is incumbent upon President Trump to pick
:12:12. > :12:18.somebody that we all can rally around within reason. Let me say
:12:19. > :12:22.this, it is possible to pick and FBI Director was just Republican votes,
:12:23. > :12:31.I hope we can pick someone that will get democratic support as well.
:12:32. > :12:32.And joining us now is former strategist
:12:33. > :12:37.to President George W Bush - Ron Christie.
:12:38. > :12:44.What is the mood in the White House? Pretty frantic. Last night when the
:12:45. > :12:48.initial announcement was made in a frantic e-mail that said to all of
:12:49. > :12:51.those going on television today please check with the White House
:12:52. > :12:54.immediately. I thought that is interesting and then today there has
:12:55. > :13:03.been a flurry of information as to why this was legal and proper, it
:13:04. > :13:08.clearly seemed to be much on the defensive, the way it was unveiled.
:13:09. > :13:12.You said it is the White House did not anticipate the blowback on this
:13:13. > :13:16.but in some respects this present throughout his career has embraced
:13:17. > :13:20.controversy. He thinks it is an asset for him. So perhaps he likes
:13:21. > :13:25.all of this. In some secret way I think he loves the attention, loves
:13:26. > :13:28.the fact that we're sitting in Washington and folks around the
:13:29. > :13:34.world are watching us and talking about him. What he needs to
:13:35. > :13:38.recognise, yes, was proper for him to fired the FBI director,
:13:39. > :13:43.certainly. You serve at the pleasure of the President of the United
:13:44. > :13:48.States. Your service could end much more quickly than you want. But
:13:49. > :14:02.doing this now, it is going to be a bad week for him. Clive is in
:14:03. > :14:05.London. Fire away. To be clear, and you made this point and the White
:14:06. > :14:10.House is making the point, every president has the right to fired the
:14:11. > :14:14.head of the FBI. Bill Clinton did it in 1993. But as you say it is the
:14:15. > :14:19.optics, as a strategist, if you were had been advising President Trump,
:14:20. > :14:26.which suggested that he do it now? Absolutely not. If you're going to
:14:27. > :14:29.fired the FBI director, and have a clean sweep, a clean break from the
:14:30. > :14:35.previous administration, you fire the US attorneys, around 90 of them,
:14:36. > :14:41.that our political appointees, and the FBI director. But the FBI
:14:42. > :14:46.director has a 10-year tenure so they do not get embroiled in
:14:47. > :14:50.partisan conflict. What we have here is a partisan conflict, clearly the
:14:51. > :14:57.President did not like what Comey had done and he made that decision.
:14:58. > :15:01.The mistake is the fact that now the Democrats are going to call for a
:15:02. > :15:05.special prosecutor and the White House will have weeks and weeks of
:15:06. > :15:12.political fallout from this. Stay with us. Just to pick up on
:15:13. > :15:17.something said earlier, the impact that this will have on the American
:15:18. > :15:20.reputation around the world. I spoke with civil rights activists last
:15:21. > :15:25.night from developing countries and they said they have always look to
:15:26. > :15:28.America as a moral of Unite of how to do the rule of law properly and
:15:29. > :15:33.they were surprised that this should happen in this country. The other
:15:34. > :15:36.point they made was something mentioned earlier, they get that
:15:37. > :15:40.this would empower autocrats around the world. Would give them if you
:15:41. > :15:47.like a licence to act as the president has just done. The optics
:15:48. > :15:52.letters they are not good in the US and clearly around the rest of the
:15:53. > :15:55.worlds most are asking if this passes the smell test. What would
:15:56. > :15:59.your own common sense say about this kind of issue. If the president is
:16:00. > :16:04.suggesting he fired Comey because of the way he handled the investigation
:16:05. > :16:08.into Hillary Clinton then did he believe that Comey was being too
:16:09. > :16:13.soft on Hillary Clinton and in which case why did the President during
:16:14. > :16:20.his campaign say, lock her up at every rally. If we believe that
:16:21. > :16:24.Comey was being too soft on Hillary Clinton, then is he possibly now
:16:25. > :16:27.going to reopen an investigation into Hillary Clinton and her
:16:28. > :16:34.e-mails. It is all very murky indeed. Does exactly the questions
:16:35. > :16:40.people are asking in Washington and especially about the investigation.
:16:41. > :16:43.The Russians right on cue are in Washington.
:16:44. > :16:46.Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov met President Trump this
:16:47. > :16:50.And Mr Lavrov was full of praise for President Trump.
:16:51. > :16:53.He said this was an administration full of action, though one suspects
:16:54. > :16:56.he wasn't blessing the recent cruise missile attack on an
:16:57. > :16:59.Anyway Mr Lavrov rejected allegations, Russia
:17:00. > :17:11.TRANSLATION: Regarding this noise about our contacts, but fake
:17:12. > :17:17.information according to which we are allegedly in control of the
:17:18. > :17:21.domestic policy of the US. Yes it is an abnormal background for our
:17:22. > :17:24.relations. I believe it is even humiliating for the American people
:17:25. > :17:28.to think the Russian Federation is controlling the situation in
:17:29. > :17:34.America. How can it be possible for such a great power and such a great
:17:35. > :17:37.country, I believe some politicians are damaging the political system of
:17:38. > :17:38.the US, trying to pretend someone is controlling America from the
:17:39. > :17:40.outside. Sergei Lavrov being invited
:17:41. > :17:43.to the Oval Office was rare - it's an honour usually reserved
:17:44. > :17:46.for heads of state. Over the last few months we have
:17:47. > :17:49.seen the relationship between Russia and the United States change
:17:50. > :17:51.dramatically. Jonny Dymond is in Moscow
:17:52. > :18:04.and explained how this meeting plays Just does one swallow doesn't make a
:18:05. > :18:07.summer one meeting does not make a relationship. There's no doubt
:18:08. > :18:11.people will want to know what comes out of this, people will try to
:18:12. > :18:17.judge the mood music of it. But what you have here is two sides groping
:18:18. > :18:22.their way, still, in his early days, towards a relationship. We know that
:18:23. > :18:26.there was considerable excitement, even elation in Moscow at the
:18:27. > :18:31.election of President Trump. We heard from President Trump about his
:18:32. > :18:34.admiration for the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rex Tillerson the US
:18:35. > :18:38.secretary of state was here in Moscow in April and had a long
:18:39. > :18:42.meeting with Sergei Lavrov and with Vladimir Putin, a man he knew from
:18:43. > :18:48.his old days as head of Exxon-Mobil. We heard almost nothing from those
:18:49. > :18:53.meetings. So you have these two sides, a fair amount of talk about
:18:54. > :18:58.the relationship but we're waiting for the meet, to see for example
:18:59. > :19:02.will the US supported the Russian plan for de-escalation zones in
:19:03. > :19:07.Syria. Will there be any movement on sanctions, will the two countries
:19:08. > :19:13.confront Isis, a stated aim of both. We've heard the talk, we wait to see
:19:14. > :19:14.what happens if and when there is the walk.
:19:15. > :19:16.I'm joined now by Charles Kupchan the Former director
:19:17. > :19:18.of European Affairs at the National Security Council
:19:19. > :19:31.What did you make of Sevilla Blair-Brown and his meeting with
:19:32. > :19:33.Donald Trump this morning and his fulsome praise of this
:19:34. > :19:40.administration on this particular day? -- Sergei Lavrov. The timing of
:19:41. > :19:43.strange in the sense that firing Comey the evening before you bring
:19:44. > :19:48.Sergei Lavrov into the Oval Office just puts more and more light and
:19:49. > :19:53.suspicion on this whole question of what went on between the Trump
:19:54. > :19:57.campaign and Russia. But I do think that President Trump and Rex
:19:58. > :20:01.Tillerson have in their DNA a desire to improve relations with Russia.
:20:02. > :20:05.That is not necessarily a bad thing. The world would be a safer place if
:20:06. > :20:10.the US and its allies got along with the Russians. But it is an uphill
:20:11. > :20:16.battle. One because of Syria and because of Ukraine and also because
:20:17. > :20:19.the political climate in this city right now, the knives are out on the
:20:20. > :20:22.question of Russian interference in the American election. It is not a
:20:23. > :20:28.situation in which it would be easy for Trump to reach out and make some
:20:29. > :20:31.concessions to Putin. What do you think President Putin is making of
:20:32. > :20:37.what is happening here in Washington at the moment, is this emboldening
:20:38. > :20:45.him with his public showing that Russia somehow muddying the waters
:20:46. > :20:50.in American politics? I think he really is doing two things. He is
:20:51. > :20:54.just trying to create confusion and disruption because in the end of the
:20:55. > :21:00.day he wants to weaken the West. Internally as well as
:21:01. > :21:04.institutionally. Nato and the European Union, he's not doing a bad
:21:05. > :21:07.job of that. Although in the recent French election we saw the tide
:21:08. > :21:12.turning against the populists. I also think he wants to show that he
:21:13. > :21:17.has leveraged, that he can stand up to the United States. One-on-one.
:21:18. > :21:21.And build a strong relationship with the US president. But actually he is
:21:22. > :21:27.making that harder because of the degree to which there is this world
:21:28. > :21:34.going on in Washington about Russian interference, about hacking, about
:21:35. > :21:38.collusion. Clive? It is curious, we had that press conference with Rex
:21:39. > :21:44.Tillerson in Moscow not that long ago and it was incredibly frosty
:21:45. > :21:49.standing next to Sergei Lavrov. Now we have Sergei Lavrov in Washington
:21:50. > :21:53.cracking jokes, it is if the Syrian cruise missile attack launched by
:21:54. > :21:59.President Trump never happened. It is all very odd and you know the
:22:00. > :22:05.fact that Sergei Lavrov came here on the way to the Arctic meeting and he
:22:06. > :22:09.had an Oval Office meeting, that says that something is going on and
:22:10. > :22:13.that both Rex Tillerson and Trump want to try to reach out to the
:22:14. > :22:16.Russians. I do think they're going to focus mostly on Syria, that is
:22:17. > :22:21.where the low hanging fruit is and that is because Russia is in a
:22:22. > :22:25.commanding position now that Alaba has fallen in the Syrian regime has
:22:26. > :22:28.control of most of the populated areas of western Syria. The key
:22:29. > :22:36.question I think that the Trump administration is are they going to
:22:37. > :22:39.support this deal, is there when it comes to de-escalation, and the
:22:40. > :22:44.situation just got more complicated yesterday because the United States
:22:45. > :22:46.announced it is going to train and arm the Syrian Kurds and that is
:22:47. > :22:50.going to strain relations with Turkey just before President Erdogan
:22:51. > :23:01.arrives next week to see Mr Trump. I want to pick up on what Charles
:23:02. > :23:06.was saying. The White House is going to give heavy arms to the Kurds, we
:23:07. > :23:12.have the announcement of another 3000 American troops being sent to
:23:13. > :23:17.Afghanistan. All this happening and totally overshadowed by a story in
:23:18. > :23:22.Washington which really is of the White House's own choosing. It is
:23:23. > :23:27.incredible. The reinsertion of US troops in Afghanistan is very
:23:28. > :23:32.serious and significant. Arming the Kurds, very serious, but has serious
:23:33. > :23:38.geo- strategic implications for the US and yet it is up their own
:23:39. > :23:41.choosing, for a reason only President Trump knows, they decided
:23:42. > :23:44.to take this action with the FBI director. The timing is bad, and
:23:45. > :23:49.that will be the big sucking sound in this city, all the oxygen leaving
:23:50. > :23:53.the room. Looking at President Trump and Comey when there are so many
:23:54. > :23:58.other things going on around the globe. How does this all muck from
:23:59. > :24:01.London? All looking very strange indeed. For instance the president
:24:02. > :24:06.made it clear during the campaign that he was going to focus on
:24:07. > :24:11.American politics, domestic issues. It seems to be wanting to engage now
:24:12. > :24:19.further and further afield. Is this in order to take emphasis away from
:24:20. > :24:22.what is going on at home? I think Frank retakes emphasis away from
:24:23. > :24:25.what is not going on in Capitol Hill, the President came in and
:24:26. > :24:29.thought he was going to have an easy time of getting his health care bill
:24:30. > :24:33.through Congress. That has been derailed. He thought he would have
:24:34. > :24:36.an easy time getting his tax package through to reduce taxes here in the
:24:37. > :24:40.US and that is not going so well. I think what you're seeing is the use
:24:41. > :24:43.of executive power in the one area where the president does not have to
:24:44. > :24:49.go to Congress or negotiate and he can take these steps on his own. So
:24:50. > :24:51.I anticipate that we will see a lot more foreign policy muscle from the
:24:52. > :25:02.present of his domestic policy agenda is still derailed. Thank you.
:25:03. > :25:05.South Korea has started a new politcal era as a new
:25:06. > :25:08.Moon Jae-In has been sworn in as President.
:25:09. > :25:10.His victory ends almost a decade of conservative rule.
:25:11. > :25:13.The new president has promised to arrive in office and leave office
:25:14. > :25:16.The Le Pen family has suffered another loss in France.
:25:17. > :25:18.French far-right MP Marion Marechal-Le Pen has
:25:19. > :25:20.decided to quit politics - her aunt was defeated in Sunday's
:25:21. > :25:26.The niece of Marine Le Pen said she was leaving political life
:25:27. > :25:31.She is one of the National Front's two deputies in the National
:25:32. > :25:35.Assembly and had been seen by some as a future leader of the party.
:25:36. > :25:40.You're watching 100 Days Plus from BBC News.
:25:41. > :25:43.Still to come for viewers on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News -
:25:44. > :25:46.we continue our look at Donald Trump's firing
:25:47. > :25:48.of the FBI director Jim Comey and we'll hear form former
:25:49. > :25:51.Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the timing of this decision.
:25:52. > :25:54.And we'll be looking at some other rocky moments in the recent
:25:55. > :25:57.history of US politics - I was a correspondent in Washington
:25:58. > :26:01.during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998.
:26:02. > :26:13.That's still to come on 100 Days Plus, from BBC News.
:26:14. > :26:19.We promise beautiful sunny weather across most of the UK and that is
:26:20. > :26:23.exactly what we had. Now it is all change, over the next they're so we
:26:24. > :26:27.see cloud increasing, humility is going to go up and there is a risk
:26:28. > :26:31.of thunder. All this warmth and humidity coming in from the south
:26:32. > :26:36.and it could stick around into Saturday. In the short term it is
:26:37. > :26:41.quiet, clear skies across the UK through this evening and overnight.
:26:42. > :26:55.But the early hours of Thursday, we start to see that
:26:56. > :26:58.humidity and even some showers creeping into southern parts of the
:26:59. > :27:01.UK. There may already be the odd downpour across the South first
:27:02. > :27:03.thing in the morning. But it will not be until later in the morning
:27:04. > :27:06.and into the afternoon before some of the showers get heavy and they
:27:07. > :27:09.will be very hit and miss. So first thing in the morning, there could be
:27:10. > :27:11.the odd heavy shower or else little rainfall. Very difficult to
:27:12. > :27:15.forecast. The basic message is that most of us and certainly most of
:27:16. > :27:20.that, a great start to the state with a lot of sunshine. But again
:27:21. > :27:23.Walkley, perhaps some rain and a lot cooler. Let's focus on the cloud and
:27:24. > :27:28.humidity coming in from the south. By the time we get to lunchtime
:27:29. > :27:33.onwards is when the threat of thunder increases. The showers will
:27:34. > :27:37.be very few and far between, most of us will have a hazy and one day with
:27:38. > :27:42.perhaps some spots of rain. Better further north. Then it looks like
:27:43. > :27:48.Thursday evening into Friday, more substantial rain coming in from the
:27:49. > :27:52.south. This could be sundry as well. Then Friday, the south-westerly wind
:27:53. > :27:56.scooped up by the low pressure just keep on sending the cloud and
:27:57. > :28:00.outbreaks of rain in our direction. So some rain around on Friday
:28:01. > :28:04.morning across central areas, there could be thunderstorms through the
:28:05. > :28:08.Midlands and further south. This is tricky to forecast and they will be
:28:09. > :28:16.dotted around almost anywhere across the southern half of the UK. Heading
:28:17. > :28:19.into Saturday, cloudy and wetter weather moving into northern parts
:28:20. > :28:25.of England and Scotland. Then this weather front with fresh air behind
:28:26. > :28:29.will move in the direction of the UK and by the time we get to Saturday I
:28:30. > :30:10.think it is going to be fresher across most of the UK. Goodbye.
:30:11. > :30:30.Welcome back in days. Donald Trump has fired James Comey saying he
:30:31. > :30:37.hasn't done a good job. The timing of this smells to high heaven. He's
:30:38. > :30:47.been investigating a potential collaboration between the Trump
:30:48. > :30:52.campaign and the Russians. You heard it there. Many Democrats didn't like
:30:53. > :31:01.James Comey that they don't like the argument that he was fired over the
:31:02. > :31:10.way he handled Hillary Clinton's e-mails. And some Republicans agree
:31:11. > :31:17.it looks a bit odd. We now speak to the Dean of Belmont University of
:31:18. > :31:24.law. Judge Gonzales, what you make of the way in which James Comey has
:31:25. > :31:27.been fired? If you are referring to the fact that he was on the west
:31:28. > :31:34.Coast as the announcement was being made on the east, and found out by
:31:35. > :31:39.receiving the news from the television, I think it was frankly
:31:40. > :31:46.disappointing. Someone in that position, giving his long public
:31:47. > :31:50.service deserved more. There are questions about the timing of the
:31:51. > :31:57.firing and that is something we will have to work through. It was --
:31:58. > :32:04.whether it was based upon interference in an investigation
:32:05. > :32:12.into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, then if that is the case
:32:13. > :32:19.it was totally improper. But if it is to do with what was in the letter
:32:20. > :32:28.given to Donald Trump about his back catalogue of maladies, then that
:32:29. > :32:34.could be except a ball. People in the department of justice are
:32:35. > :32:38.unhappy about the way it was carried out. Isn't the perception of
:32:39. > :32:43.reality, and the perception is that here is the guy heading the
:32:44. > :32:51.investigation into Trump's campaign links with Russia and here he is
:32:52. > :32:56.being fired? Many are asking whether this was away for the White House
:32:57. > :33:04.stopped the investigation, and again, what I have tried to reassure
:33:05. > :33:10.people that if that is a motivation, it will fail, if anything it raises
:33:11. > :33:16.the stakes even higher. The FBI will find out, Congress and all the press
:33:17. > :33:23.will find out. This is just too big an issue today, made even more
:33:24. > :33:27.sensational by what happened yesterday and people are very
:33:28. > :33:30.interested in learning exactly what, if anything, happened between the
:33:31. > :33:36.Trump campaign and the Russian Government. I'm not aware of any
:33:37. > :33:40.kind of collusion between the two of them but that was the purpose of the
:33:41. > :33:49.investigation, to try and find out. What do you make up the way that the
:33:50. > :33:54.role of the current Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, here was a
:33:55. > :33:59.man who had had to excuse himself from the Russian investigation
:34:00. > :34:02.because of things he didn't reveal jury in the investigation, but here
:34:03. > :34:05.he is deciding the fate of the man leading that enquiry will? I'm not
:34:06. > :34:29.sure what Jeff Sessionss involvement was with this. You would
:34:30. > :34:30.probably get advice before participating, I don't know if he
:34:31. > :34:47.had done that I assume he had. He still has some responsibilities
:34:48. > :34:52.within his department and it's hard to differentiate between the two.
:34:53. > :35:00.What would this do to the relationship between the FBI and the
:35:01. > :35:06.White House? I'm not sure what it tells us. They may not be much of a
:35:07. > :35:13.relationship, because the FBI reports to the department of
:35:14. > :35:23.justice. There are limitations as to who can talk to who. The deputy
:35:24. > :35:33.Attorney General, Soviet shouldn't be much of a relationship at all. --
:35:34. > :35:40.so there shouldn't be. The White House briefing has just wrapped up
:35:41. > :35:45.and we join our correspondent, Nick. Why was he really fired and why now?
:35:46. > :35:52.Did the White House spokesperson answer either those questions? What
:35:53. > :35:58.she said, Sarah Saunders, deputising for Sean Spicer on naval reserve
:35:59. > :36:02.activities at the back end of this week, she said that the president
:36:03. > :36:06.had been considering getting rid of James Comey from his first day in
:36:07. > :36:13.office, and over time he gradually lost confidence in him, partly
:36:14. > :36:17.because he had thrown a hand grenade into the FBI headquarters. She said
:36:18. > :36:23.he committed atrocities. She didn't actually say what they were. They
:36:24. > :36:27.are sticking to the reasoning in those letters, that it was over the
:36:28. > :36:29.handling of the Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal and had nothing to do
:36:30. > :36:44.with the investigation into Russian meddling and possible
:36:45. > :36:52.collusion with Trump will stop why now? She said they wanted to give
:36:53. > :37:01.him a chance but he carried on making missteps. One question she
:37:02. > :37:07.was asked about was that did Trump direct Rosenstein to go away and
:37:08. > :37:16.write a letter asking for a decision that had already been made. She
:37:17. > :37:34.denied this. She said it was on the deputy's recommendation. We have our
:37:35. > :37:41.correspondent now on Capitol Hill. A director at the FBI who is posted be
:37:42. > :37:46.not political has become so politicised, and judging from the
:37:47. > :37:52.people you been talking to on Capitol Hill, they are responding to
:37:53. > :38:01.type over this sacking. It's like what one senator said to be earlier.
:38:02. > :38:05.This feels like the election all over again. Let's start with the
:38:06. > :38:09.mood among the Democratic senators. They are reeling. I have spoken to
:38:10. > :38:15.several today who are really angry about the timing of this. They don't
:38:16. > :38:19.tidy arguments from the White House and they are calling for a special
:38:20. > :38:24.prosecutor to look into the Russia allegations. The Trump campaign
:38:25. > :38:32.colluded with the Russians, they want that to be taken away from the
:38:33. > :38:40.FBI so whoever is the replacement will be impartial to President
:38:41. > :38:46.Trump. Interesting, when we have looked at the Republicans, even
:38:47. > :38:52.people like Senator Lindsay Graham and Rand Paul, they have supported
:38:53. > :38:58.Trump's decision to fire James Comey. They are saying that the
:38:59. > :39:01.Democrats are being critical, because it was something that they
:39:02. > :39:12.called for when Hillary Clinton's investigations were in into her
:39:13. > :39:23.e-mails -- into her e-mails, that was something they called for.
:39:24. > :39:32.Clyde, where you not hear for Bill Clinton's diplomatically eventful
:39:33. > :39:36.presidency? Let's take a trip down to memory lane and have a look at
:39:37. > :39:51.you all those years ago at the Democratic election. We should say
:39:52. > :40:04.to America in a loud, clear voice, Senator John Kerry! The former
:40:05. > :40:13.president is one of the star attractions of John Kerry's run for
:40:14. > :40:22.presidency. How times have changed. They have, and my hair has changed
:40:23. > :40:27.also. I was on shift when I found out about the firing of James Comey,
:40:28. > :40:33.and now I feel that American politics is mixed up and crazy, and
:40:34. > :40:39.that's part of the democracy. Things change all the time. It's not an
:40:40. > :40:45.autocracy, a dictatorship. But I cast my mind back to 1998. Bill
:40:46. > :40:51.Clinton's impeachment. He had to address the American people where he
:40:52. > :40:59.talked about his sex life! There were conversations about the proper
:41:00. > :41:07.use of a cigar. The proper meaning of the words is in depositions. It's
:41:08. > :41:11.got crazier in American politics over this and what will be
:41:12. > :41:18.interesting is what will happen after the firing of James Comey. Who
:41:19. > :41:28.will be his replacement? That could potentially set the cat amongst the
:41:29. > :41:38.pigeons, and the editor of the US magazine weekday, has suggested that
:41:39. > :41:43.they may not be a quick replacement. The most important thing for
:41:44. > :41:47.America's democratic institutions is who replaces James Comey, not the
:41:48. > :41:52.fact that he has gone. They have to be seen to be independent. I'm glad
:41:53. > :42:02.today that we don't have to talk about sex scandals. We are now going
:42:03. > :42:11.to talk about Japan. I remember when we were reporting from Japan in the
:42:12. > :42:23.1990s. Here is a report you did about auditions in Japan about
:42:24. > :42:30.finding a girl group for British pop singers Shampoo. This girl will
:42:31. > :42:37.indeed be a star. Her backers will see to that. Here on the streets of
:42:38. > :42:43.Tokyo, there is constant pressure to satisfy demanding and wealthy
:42:44. > :43:00.audience. Tomorrow, we look at auditions facing various strains.
:43:01. > :43:08.BBC News, Tokyo. Bats and there! You haven't changed and I look 100 years
:43:09. > :43:09.older. That's all from us.