Time to turn the page on Russia probe: White House

Washington, April 16 (IANS) White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has criticised former FBI Director James Comey, whose controversial memoirs will go on sale this coming week, adding that it is time to "move on" from the Russia investigation.

"Not only has… special counsel (Robert Mueller) but a number of different congressional committees have been looking at this for over a year and come up with nothing. I think it really is getting time to move on and I certainly think the American people would appreciate Congress and the rest of the country being able to focus on some of the things that really impact them," said Sanders on Sunday on the ABC News programme "This Week", Efe news reported.

Mueller is investigating the links between the Kremlin and President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, but is also looking into other areas such as obstruction of justice, money laundering and a number of others issues.

Sanders’ remarks came at a time when Trump has been openly engaged in a media and public opinion war to undermine Comey, who in an interview to be aired Sunday night – but from which numerous excerpts have already been made public – compares the president to a "mob boss".

"James Comey is a self-admitted leaker. He lied to Congress. He’s been inconsistent," said Sanders, who went on to claim that the former FBI chief has no credibility and no support from either Democratic or Republican lawmakers.

In fact, Trump on Sunday once again unloaded on the man he fired last May, a decision that is being investigated by Mueller as a possible attempt to obstruct justice in the Russia probe Comey was heading at the time.

"Slippery James Comey, a man who always ends up badly and out of whack (he is not smart!), will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!" Trump wrote in a Twitter post.

The Comey interview on ABC, the first he has given since he was fired, comes on the eve of the publication of his book titled "A Higher Loyalty," in which he recounts his recent experiences as FBI director.