Members of the American media were barred from President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday afternoon, which meant the only photos of the meeting came from the Russian government.
Trump’s meeting with Lavrov came the day after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who just recently asked for more money in the investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia.
The Lavrov photo was quickly followed up by one released by the Russian Embassy of Trump shaking hands with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador in Washington. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Trump’s campaign ties with Russia after reports revealed he denied under oath having contact with Russian officials during his confirmation session despite meeting with Kislyak while serving as a senator in 2016.
The only people allowed in the meeting where the official White House photographer and a photographer from Russia’s state-run news agency, according to the Associated Press.
Ambassador Kislyak and President Trump / Посол С.Кисляк и Президент Д.Трамп pic.twitter.com/Ckkx2YL9KX
— Russian Embassy in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) May 10, 2017
These photos of Trump-Russia meetings are courtesy solely of Russian MFA because no US press allowed in. pic.twitter.com/PI4cSPIqvG
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 10, 2017
According to a White House press pool report , Trump said he had a “very, very good meeting” with Lavrov.
Reporters were allowed in after and found Trump meeting with Henry Kissinger, who served as secretary of state under President Richard Nixon—a man to whom Trump has been gratuitously compared.
When asked by reporters to comment on his firing of Comey, Trump didn’t say very much.
“He was not doing a good job,” Trump said. “Very simply, he was not doing a good job.”
Earlier in the day, Lavrov cracked a joke when a reporter asked him whether Comey’s firing “cast a shadow” over his visit to the White House.
“Was he fired? You are kidding!?” he said, shrugging.
