US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Thursday that he did not fire former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey because of the Russia investigation.
In an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt in May 2017, Trump said he was thinking about "this Russia thing" when he decided to fire Comey.
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Comey's firing ultimately led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate allegations of Russian interference into the 2016 election and collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations of interference, calling the accusations groundless and absurd. Trump has also denied any collusion with the Kremlin and has called Mueller's investigation "a witch hunt."