Addressing a report that President Donald Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office that, by firing FBI Director James Comey, pressure was taken off of him in his dealings with Russia, Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended his boss.

“By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia’s actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia,” Spicer said in a statement to the press. “The investigation would have always continued, and obviously, the termination of Comey would not have ended it. Once again, the real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations.”

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In the bombshell reported by the New York Times, Trump reportedly said, “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job… I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”