Wisconsin's Reince Priebus to President Trump before pivotal Comey meeting: 'Don't talk about Russia'

Reince Priebus, the Wisconsin Republican who was President Donald Trump's first chief of staff, said he gave his boss a simple message before a pivotal private meeting with then-FBI Director James Comey in early 2017. 

"Don't talk about Russia, whatever you do," Priebus recalled telling Trump during an interview with investigators in the Mueller probe.  

This was one of a number of incidents that directly involved Priebus, who rose from being the Wisconsin Republican Party chairman to Trump's chief of staff for the first seven months of his administration.  

The long-awaited Mueller report has Priebus at the center of such events as the ouster of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, the failed attempt to force then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign and the Comey dinner — a major focus of the special counsel's probe. 

Priebus comes across as someone who is overwhelmed by the number of fires he is forced to try put out. At one point, Priebus told investigators, White House counsel Donald McGahn threatened to quit because Trump was asking him to "do crazy s---," including firing special counsel Robert Mueller.

In July 2017, in fact, Priebus and McGahn even discussed resigning rather than follow the president's order to fire then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately. 

"Even though Priebus did not intend to carry out the President's directive, he told the President he would get Sessions to resign," the Mueller report says. Trump later backed off his demand.

 Among other major disclosures involving Priebus:

• Priebus sided with Comey in saying that it was the president who initiated the private dinner with the former FBI director. 
• In the week of Comey's firing, Priebus called Department of Justice officials "screaming" at them in an effort to get Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to hold a news conference on the matter.
• Priebus and another White House official determined Flynn had been lying about discussing Obama administration sanctions with the Russian ambassador.
• Priebus found out about the infamous Trump Tower meeting — where key Trump officials met with a Russian attorney — from Fox News host Sean Hannity. 

Priebus left the Trump administration in July 2017 and was interviewed by investigators three months later. He was also interviewed at least two other times, in January and April 2018.

The Comey dinner

Trump had told NBC's Lester Holt that Comey requested a private dinner with Trump to discuss his job.  

In his testimony to Mueller investigators, however, Priebus sided with Comey in stating that the president had initiated the one-on-one dinner, saying Trump didn't know much about Comey and wanted to ask him if he wanted to stay on as FBI boss.

Both Priebus and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon asked to sit in on the crucial meeting, but Trump turned them down, insisting on a private dinner.

Priebus said he warned Trump not to bring up Russia with Comey.

"Priebus briefly opened the door during the meeting, prompting the President to wave him away," the report says.

When Comey was later fired, Priebus reportedly was not pleased with how the announcement was handled.

"DOJ notes from the week of Corney's firing indicate that Priebus was 'screaming' at the DOJ public affairs office trying to get Rosenstein to do a press conference, and the DOJ public affairs office told Priebus that Rosenstein had told the President he was not doing it," the report says.

Firing Flynn

The report said it was Priebus and McGahn who determined Flynn had been lying about discussing Obama administration sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition before Trump took office. 

Priebus and McGahn then spoke with Flynn, concluded he should be fired and made the recommendation to Trump.

"On Feb. 13, 2017, Priebus told Flynn he had to resign," the report says. "Flynn wanted to meet with the president so Priebus accompanied him into the office."

Priebus told investigators that Trump "hugged Flynn, shook his hand and told him, 'We'll give you a good recommendation. You're a good guy. We'll take care of you.'"

He also told investigators that Trump was initially hesitant to fire Flynn.

"Priebus recalled that the President initially equivocated on whether to fire Flynn because it would generate negative press to lose his National Security Adviser so early in his term," the report reads.

Russian sanctions

In his testimony, Priebus said Trump saw the Russian sanctions by President Barack Obama as an "attempt to embarrass him by delegitimizing his election."

The day the sanctions were announced, on Dec. 29, 2016, transition team members exchanged emails about the "impact the sanctions would have on the incoming administration."

K.T. McFarland, who served as deputy national security adviser under Flynn, told investigators that Bannon warned the sanctions would hurt their ability to have a good relationship with Russia.

"McFarland believed she told Bannon that Flynn was scheduled to talk to Kislyak later that night," the report says. "McFarland also believed she may have discussed the sanctions with Priebus, and likewise told him that Flynn was scheduled to talk to Kislyak that night."

Two weeks later, a Washington Post columnist reported that Flynn had discussed the sanctions with Kislyak and asked if this was a violation of the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. 

Priebus told investigators that the story angered Trump, who asked, "What the hell is this all about?" Priebus told Flynn he needed to "kill the story," Flynn testified. 

Flynn directed McFarland to call the Washington Post to deny the story "although she knew she was providing false information." 

Priebus changes course

In February 2017, Priebus testified that he and Bannon informed McFarland that the president wanted to dump her as well. Priebus told her that she might be named ambassador to Singapore. 

The following day Trump asked Priebus to have McFarland write an internal email stating the president did not direct Flynn to call the Russian ambassador about sanctions, Priebus told investigators.

Priebus said he would direct her to do so only if she were comfortable with it, he told them. 

"McFarland told Priebus she did not know whether the President had directed Flynn to talk to Kislyak about sanctions, and she declined to say yes or no to the request," the report says.

Priebus could tell she wasn't comfortable with the request and suggested she talk to White House attorneys, he told investigators.

McFarland then wrote a memo for the record because she was concerned about Trump's request, and worried her appointment as ambassador "was in some way quid pro quo."

"Later that evening, Priebus stopped by McFarland's office and told her not to write the email and to forget he even mentioned it," the report says, citing her testimony.

The 'shock collar'

The report indicates Priebus and Bannon were concerned that Trump kept a May 18, 2017, resignation letter written by Sessions.  

"Priebus told Sessions it was not good for the President to have the letter because it would function as a kind of 'shock collar' that the President could use any time he wanted." 

Priebus added the President had "DOJ by the throat."

Priebus and Bannon worked to get the resignation letter returned to Sessions. Priebus even asked for the letter while on the President's Middle East trip but that Trump told him the letter was in the White House.

The letter was finally returned to Sessions on May 30, with a notation, "Not accepted."

Two months later, Priebus was ordered by Trump to demand Sessions' resignation.

Priebus called Jody Hunt, Sessions' chief of staff at the time, to discuss "whether Sessions might be fired or might resign," the report says.

That phone call reportedly came on July 21, 2017, the same day the Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence intercepts showed Sessions had discussed campaign-related issues with the Russian ambassador.

"Hunt told Priebus that, as they had previously discussed, Sessions had no intention of resigning," the report says.

That conversation echoed an earlier one between Priebus and Hunt, which reportedly came after media coverage of tension between Trump and Sessions.

"After speaking to Sessions, Hunt had told Priebus that the President would have to fire Sessions if he wanted to remove Sessions because Sessions was not going to quit," the report read.

A 'bulldog' lawyer

During one interview, Priebus said Trump stressed the importance of having a tough lawyer.

"Priebus recalled that the President said he had been told his entire life he needed to have a great lawyer, a 'bulldog,' and added that Holder had been willing to take a contempt-of-Congress charge for President Obama," the report says.

Journal Sentinel reporter Craig Gilbert contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

Contact Mary Spicuzza at (414) 224-2324 or mary.spicuzza@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MSpicuzzaMJS or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mary.spicuzza.