This is a Fox News alert. I'm James Rosen sitting in for Bret Baier. President Trump at this hour is aboard Air Force One for the first leg of his first foreign trip. But SPECIAL REPORT is following more breaking news here in Washington tonight on the President's firing of the FBI director and the widening investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. The New York Times reports Mr. Trump told Russian' officials in the Oval Office one day after dismissing James Comey that taking that action had removed quote, great pressure on him because of Russia. And the Washington Post reports the investigation now being led by a special counsel has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest. We have Fox team coverage. Peter Doocy is on Capitol Hill, site of this morning's closed-door briefing by a top Justice Department official. Chief White House correspondent John Roberts is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the President's first stop where it is early Saturday morning. Good evening -- John. Hey there. Good evening to you -- James. The White House is responding to both of those stories. First of all, on the one where the President says that firing Comey took some pressure off of Russia, also allegedly calling Comey a quote, nut job in that conversation. Sean Spicer the press secretary saying quote, The President has always emphasized the importance of making deals with Russia as it relates to Syria, Ukraine, defeating ISIS and other key issues for the benefit and safety of the American people. By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia's actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage negotiate with Russia. And on reports that a White House official close to President Trump is a quote, person of interest in the Russia investigation, Spicer saying quote, As the President has stated before, a thorough investigation will confirm that there was no collusion between the campaign and any foreign entity. No question thought, it is yet another distraction for this president as he seeks a new FBI director and tries to turn his eyes towards his first foreign trip. [Begin Videotape] President Trump left the White House today bound for Saudi Arabia without naming a new FBI director but even his consideration of former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman to head the bureau is drawing fire from Democrats on Capitol Hill. I think it's a mistake to nominate anyone who has ever run for office. I really think you need a kind of police person. I really do. But that's above my pay grade. Maybe it should have someone that has no political connections whatsoever, someone who comes out of the professional ranks. Maybe that's where they should go. With his first foreign trip, President Trump is hoping to leave behind the barrage of bad news that has been dogging him, at least for a few days. I think the people and the rest of the world do not have the time to pay attention to what is happening domestically here. When the President arrives in Riyadh, he will touch down in friendly territory with flags and posters of Donald Trump alongside King Salman adorning the streets. Saudis say they are honored their country is the first stop on the President's first overseas trip. He comes as the President of the United States, our great historic ally. He comes as a friend. He comes as a strong leader who wants to work with us. While in Riyadh, President Trump will meet with the King and Crown Prince and will deliver a speech on Islam to the leaders of some 50 Muslim countries. The President previewed those remarks earlier this week. I will speak with Muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism and embrace a peaceful future for their faith. Saudi leaders are thrilled with President Trump's get tough on terror policies and recognition that Iran poses an existential threat to America's allies in the Arab world. Trump is a man who has vision. He is a man who has courage. He is a man who is decisive. And he is a man who does the right thing. Among the right things President Trump is doing for Saudi Arabia is the biggest arms deal in U.S. history -- $110 billion package that includes border security and counterterrorism, air force modernization, air and missile defense, and cyber security and communications. And to sweeten the arms deal, Fox News has confirmed senior adviser Jared Kushner personally called Lockheed Martin's chief executive to urge the company to lower its price on a radar system to be included in the package. The President's first foreign trip is ambitious to be sure. Every president since Ronald Reagan has merely crossed the border to either Canada or Mexico for his first foreign jaunt. In the next eight days President Trump will visit five countries in total and meet with more than 20 foreign leaders and dignitaries. [End Videotape] In his speech on Sunday to the Gulf Cooperation Council, the President will talk about the importance of fighting the problems of radicalism and extremism in the war on terror. And while the President all through the election campaign talked about the importance of labeling it radical Islamic terrorism, Fox News is told that an initial draft of that speech does not include those words. And we're also told it could change by the time he says it on Sunday -- James. That's for sure. John Roberts, traveling with the President in Saudi Arabia. John -- thank you. Some house lawmakers emerged from the briefing they received on the Russia probe by a top Justice Department official this morning less than satisfied. Correspondent Peter Doocy reports from Capitol Hill. [Begin Videotape] The author of the memo, President Trump used as cover to send his FBI director James Comey a pink slip defended it today and doubled down on the case against Comey. For the second day in a row, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein visited the U.S. Capitol and his prepared remarks to House lawmakers described the letter he finished the day of Comey's termination. Quote, I sent my signed memorandum to the Attorney General afternoon on Tuesday may 9th. I wrote it. I believe it. I stand by it. But Democrats are dismayed by Rosenstein's defense. He made some very bold statements about his memo. And then immediately refused to take questions concerning the memo he just wrote about. I came out even more assured that it was absolutely essential that we have this outside independent commission. Today, we also learned how hard the former FBI director tried to avoid President Trump. A blogger who calls himself a Comey friend describing a January White House meeting to PBS News Hour like this. He really wanted to kind of blend in and not be singled out. He's wearing a blue blazer and he stands in a part of the room that is as far from Trump as it is physically possible to be. And also against blue drapes. He chose that spot because it was, you know, like almost like a chameleon. But the President did notice the 6-foot, 8-inch tall Comey and called out to him. There are also some new doubt today about widespread reports that Comey was fired for expanding his Russian probe or that he even wanted to expand it because nobody remembers him requesting Russia resources. Rosenstein's prepared remarks include this quote. I am not aware of any such request. Moreover, I consulted my staff and acting FBI director Andrew McCabe and none of them recalls such a request. Most Republicans were pleased with Rosenstein's visit today. I think the majority of members of congress support it. And some supported one Rosenstein line so much they applauded him. Basically, he was saying that Russian interference in the election should not necessarily be a criminal issue or, certainly not a partisan issue but an American issue. And people clapped for that. They clapped, right. That was a nonpartisan statement and it got bipartisan support. [End Videotape] But the clapping won't last for long because both sides are digging in. Even though there is now an outside special counsel, the four congressional committees conducting their own Russia probes will continue those investigations -- James. Peter Doocy on Capitol Hill tonight. Peter -- thank you so much. For more on this endless cycle of leaks, allegations, subpoenas and the like it, we are joined onset for an exclusive interview by House Intelligence Committee chairman, Devin Nunes, Republican of California. Mr. Chairman -- welcome. It's great to be here with you -- James. Thank you for doing this. First, when you stepped aside from the Russia investigation that your committee is conducting back on April 6th, he maintained that was not a recusal, correct? Yes. I mean simply put, I'm still the chairman of the committee. I voluntarily stepped aside because of these outrageous allegations against me. This committee is investigating. Yes. And we set up a task force led by Chairman Conaway and Tom Rooney from Florida and Trey Gowdy from South Carolina -- and they are doing a great job. Both prosecutors --and if anybody can do the job, it will be the three of them. There are important aspects to the work that your committee was handling here that you have not recused yourself from or I should say stepped aside from, right, to use the proper terminology as you see it. And you did not step aside from the matter of the unmasking of Michael Flynn or others close to the President's orbit, correct. You still maintain that you are running that part of the House Intelligence Committee investigation? Yes. I think the way to look at this is that I'm still read into everything. And so -- but what I've done because I thought it was appropriate, as long as there's going to be these bogus charges against me, until that got cleared up, I was just going to set, at least the Russian investigation, aside because I didn't want to become the face of this investigation. But everything else I am still in charge of. Including the unmasking inquiry. Especially the unmasking. The unmasking, by one political party on another political party -- people that are in one political party looking at intelligence and then requesting unmaskings on another political party. We are just in the beginning stages of that. I remain very concerned about it because I think at the end of the day here we are going to have to have some major changes to federal law as it relates to how intelligence is collected and who is able to unmask that. So you are still amassing and reviewing documents on the unmasking? Not only that, James, but we are only - -and I stress this at the very beginning. Remember, the first time I requested this was around the first of March. Is the NSA cooperating with you. The first time I found out about this was in late January, early February. Is the National Security Agency cooperating with you? They are cooperating. It's very, very slow, it's a slow process to get the IC to get us all of the documents. But I think they know the seriousness of this. And this problem is not going to go away. All right. Let's turn to this pair of stories by the New York Times and the Washington Post. Both released with that same bombshell style late in the afternoon. What is your comment on this notion that the Russian probe now being led by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has identified an individual inside the White House now, a senior adviser to the President as a person of interest? Yes. So look, like all of the stories that have been coming out, it's almost gotten to the point of ridiculousness. We can't even keep track of the stories that are coming out. And then a few days later, they end up being false. And so, you know, how can I comment on any of this? You've got supposed leaks, you know, people supposedly reading transcripts of information that would be classified on the phone to reporters. Which the White House did not dispute the authenticity of here. Yes. So we have no idea. I can't comment on these stories. If you go to the -- some of the stories just this week we know are false. So for me to comment on something that just broke, that I have not seen, you are asking me to do the impossible. After the Rod Rosenstein briefing yesterday before the Senate, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina stepped forward and he alone had something interesting to say about what was learned in that briefing. [Begin Video Clip] It was a counterintelligence investigation before now. It seems to me now to be considered a criminal investigation. Deploying a special counsel has created, I think, a dynamic for Congress that's going to have to be very leery of crossing into Mr. Mueller's lane because of the possibility of a criminal investigation. [End Video Clip] So Mr. Chairman -- the Gang of Eight of which you are a member which is a select group of leaders on the hill who are briefed on very sensitive classified information; received a briefing on this investigation Wednesday night -- you are part of that, correct? Well, I'm never going to confirm whether or not a Gang of Eight meeting occurred or not. I will say that Senator Graham always says a lot of things. He loves talking to the media. Sometimes he is right. Sometimes he is wrong. Is this a criminal investigation as far as you understand it? Look. What I will tell you is that all investigations are taken seriously. But they are just investigations. And all Americans are innocent until proven guilty. I strongly, strongly suggest that most people just keep their powder dry. Let former director Mueller run this investigation properly. I think the investigations that are ongoing in the House and the Senate need to be very, very careful as to not get into the wrong lane so as you mess up some investigation. But I would just say this -- I still have yet to see any issue regarding collusion with the Russians. And one of the things that I think has gotten to the point of ridiculousness, beyond ridiculous, is that I was the one who a year ago warned about Putin, about our intelligence failures with Putin. The last administration totally ignored those warnings. They downplayed my comments. And now, every time you turn around, everything is about Russia, Russia, Russia. And you know, I just have to say, there is a lot going on in this world. And, you know, I warned them a year ago. Ok. They ignored it. And I think we have to be -- as we move forward here -- you know, what's happening here in the Beltway, what's happening in New York, and then there's the rest of America that I think the mainstream media is ignoring. Let's move beyond the Beltway and indeed beyond our borders very quickly because as you note, you are still being read in on all of the different things that fall under the purview of a House Intelligence Committee chairman, among those issues would be North Korea. Let's see what the Defense Secretary had to say about North Korea's missile test last week in a briefing at the Pentagon earlier today. [Begin Video Clip] They went to a very high apogee and when it came down, obviously from that altitude it would be, they probably learned a lot from it. But I'm not willing to characterize it beyond that right now. [End Video Clip] Mr. Chairman, how fast is North Korea's progress toward a nuclear weapon? Every time they test a weapon, they get better at it, which I think was what General Mattis is saying right there. And so what we are going to have to do at some point, somebody is going to have to do something right now. We're putting our bet that the Chinese will help. I don't hold out a lot of hope for that. But I think the administration is doing the right thing at trying to get the Chinese to be helpful. Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee -- we thank you for stopping by SPECIAL REPORT. I think we actually made some news here. Thank you -- James. Thanks for having me. We appreciate it. Harvard University has released an analysis of the news coverage of President Trump's first 100 days. It finds the President dominated media coverage, that we knew, accounting for 41 percent of all news stories. That's three times the amount of coverage received by previous presidents. The report says the tone of the coverage was more negative than positive on all topics covered in the study. Sweden's top prosecutor has dropped a long-running rape investigation focused on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. But as senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports tonight from London, Assange is hardly out of the woods, legally speaking, indeed he may not even get out of that embassy where he has been holed up. [Begin Videotape] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange emerging on the balcony of the London Ecuador embassy where he's been holed up since 2012. These after authorities in Sweden dropped an investigation into an alleged 2010 rape incident. MARIANNE NY, SWEDEN PUBLIC PROSECUTION [Through Translator]: The decision to discontinue the preliminary investigation is not because we've been unable to make a full assessment of the evidence in the case but we didn't see any possibility to advance the investigation. In fact the prosecutor said, while legal obstacles, mainly Assange fleeing Sweden, prevented them from continuing the investigation, he was not declared innocent but do admit though, he would have to return for them to pick up the probe. While today was an important victory and an important vindication, the road is far from over. The war -- the proper war is still commencing. The proper war Assange says he's battling is with the U.S. and the threat of extradition he claims to face following the release of classified State and Defense Department documents on WikiLeaks. While last year candidate Trump praised Assange and WikiLeaks for their posting of e-mails from the Hillary Clinton campaign, he and administration officials are now talking tough about the WikiLeaks founder, including Attorney General Sessions last month. We are going to step up our efforts and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks. This is a matter that has gone beyond anything I am aware of. It's that fear of extradition cited by Assange that's the main reason he is in hiding. The U.S. is not confirming any indictment is prepared. The U.K. does say though it could arrest Assange for jumping bail and costing millions in security charges. Another reason Assange is staying put for now. [End Videotape] Julian Assange declared another so-called victory today at the Ecuador embassy behind me -- the release this week from prison of Chelsea Manning -- Manning, the source of literally thousands of WikiLeaks postings. At one point Assange had offered to go to America if Manning was released. No sign of any movement again here tonight in London -- James. Greg Palkot outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London tonight. Greg -- thank you. The motorist accused of mowing down pedestrians on a Times Square sidewalk has been charged with murder and attempted murder. 26-year-old Richard Rojas was arrested after his vehicle nearly struck two dozen people including an 18-year-old Michigan tourist who died. The incident ended when Rojas' car ran into steel barriers. Police said the driver told them he was hearing voices telling him to quote, Kill them all. When we come back, the men in charge of destroying ISIS state President Trump's plan to get the bureaucrats out of the decision-making is working. Jennifer Griffin will report live from the Pentagon. Stay with us. The top military officials prosecuting the war against ISIS say new tactics authorized by President Trump to destroy the terrorist group are working. National Security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has details from the Pentagon. [Begin Videotape] As the President left for the Middle East, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the State Department special envoy gave an update on the ISIS fight and two new tactics that the President has signed off on that they say has accelerated the destruction of No longer will we have slow decision cycles because Washington, D.C., has to authorize tactical movements on the ground. I have absolute confidence, as does the President, our commander-in-chief and the commanders on the ground as he's proven by delegating this authority to me with the authority to further delegate it. And preventing foreign fighters from leaving Syria and returning home to set up more ISIS cells, ending what had been described in the past as whack-a-mole. And we estimate that at its peak, foreign fighter flow in Iraq and Syria was 1,500 fighters per month. And today we estimate that those numbers are less than 100 per month. Mattis and General Joe Dunford both push back on news reports that former national security advisor Mike Flynn's financial ties to Turkey, taking $500,000 and not registering as a foreign agent now being investigated by the FBI interfered with the President's decision to arm the Syrian Kurds slowing down the effort to retake the ISIS capital, Raqqa. I can answer that question directly. It did not. Because we are getting into a more political area where we try to keep our apolitical military completely out, let me just say, only now are we completing the encirclement of Raqqa and there has been no delay in the effort to do that other than the normal vagaries of the battlefield. That battlefield got more complicated Thursday when U.S. special operators called in air strikes on pro-Assad forces that the Defense Secretary said today included a convoy of Iranian directed militias who did not heed a U.S. and Russian warning to turn back. Iranian fighters, he said, may have been killed as a result of the U.S. air strike. I don't know there were Iranians on the ground but by Iranian- directed forces inside an established and agreed upon de-confliction zone. [End Videotape] Mattis said today that if it had not been for the Iranian reinforcements at the start of the Syrian uprising against President Bashar Assad, the Syrian [Audio Gap], the regime and avoided this costly civil war which subsequently gave rise to ISIS -- James. Jennifer Griffin, at the Pentagon tonight. Jennifer -- thank you. Another positive day on Wall Street: the Dow gained 142, the S&P 500 was up 16, Nasdaq finished ahead 29. For the week, the Dow lost half a percentage point, the S&P 500 dropped four-tenths, Nasdaq was off two-thirds. A White House official tells Fox News, President Trump intends to nominate Callista Gingrich as Ambassador to the Vatican. She of course, is the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. As we told you, the President will be visiting the Vatican on his foreign trip. And as you know from the top of our program, President Trump at this hour is in the sky with Air Force One taking him and key aides on the President's first foreign trip. Correspondent Rich Edson is at the State Department tonight with a look at the itinerary and the agenda. [Begin Videotape] Having already dispatched cabinet members and administration officials around the world, it's now President Trump's turn. The eight-day, five-stop trip takes the President to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, Belgium for NATO, and Sicily for the G-7 summit. The Middle East, Central Asia, and even parts of Africa are ready for a period of what they view to have been neglect to outright dismissal of their concerns. They are ready for re- engagement with America. Senior administration officials say the President began developing this trip during the transition and wants to reaffirm relationships and offer a message of unity to three of the world's great religions -- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In Riyadh, the White House says the President will address about 50 Arab and Muslim leaders to challenge them to fight extremism and embrace a peaceful future for their faith. We're looking very much forward to hearing what we, as your representative, we have to say. We have to stop radical Islamic terrorism. Then to Israel. The President offered during the campaign to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That controversial promise is unfulfilled. He will also become the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall, among the holiest sites in Judaism. Officials say he will do so with religious, not political, leaders. The President then meets with Palestinian leaders. Officials say he will offer no specific peace plan. Next, the President travels to the Vatican to accept an audience with Pope Francis. Trump clashed with the Pope on the campaign trail over Trump's calling for a wall along the Mexican border. Administration officials say the White House and Vatican can work together on issues like religious freedom and human trafficking. The purpose of this trip is really one of conveying a message that America is back in terms of our role as a convener, our role as a facilitator to address the daunting challenges that exist in that part of the world. [End Videotape] And so the President will also participate in two international summits -- NATO where his administration has pushed allies to contribute more to security and then on to the G-7 -- James. Rich Edson at Foggy Bottom. Rich -- thank you very much. U.S. Senators John McCain and Dianne Feinstein are demanding the Turkish government take responsibility for a clash with protesters outside the Turkish embassy in Washington Wednesday. That is Turkish President Recep Erdogan watching as his bodyguards punch and kick their way through a group of mostly Kurdish protesters. The Senators say the conduct of the guards was totally unacceptable. So, is all this focus on Russia threatening to delay congressional action on tax reform into next year? Here is chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel. [Begin Videotape] President Trump, Vice President Pence and Budget director, Mick Mulvaney met today ahead of the rollout of the 2018 budget next Tuesday. It's expected to include more money for troops, weapons, and border security. It's likely to include reductions for environmental protection, foreign aide and poverty programs. Congress is also trying to jumpstart another major item on the agenda -- tax reform. Speaker Paul Ryan is rejecting any suggestion it could slip to next year. Our goal and I feel very confident we can meet this goal is calendar year 2017 for tax refund. And I think we are making good progress. The House Ways and Means Committee held what its leaders described as a major tax reform hearing on Thursday with this call to action. America now has one of the most costly, unfair and uncompetitive tax systems in the world. The need for pro-growth tax reform is urgent. The panel's top Democrat agreed the tax code is broken and is not working for both families and businesses but isn't willing to just go along. We will oppose any tax plan that simply helps the rich get richer and does nothing for those who really need our help. The Trump tax plan currently fails to meet the standard. The top Democrat in the House criticized the GOP for not being unified on a plan. We look forward to that discussion. So far what we have seen is something that adds $5.5 trillion dollars to the deficit and to give tax breaks to the high end there. A trickle down has never worked. But let's go to the table with something. They can't even come to an agreement among themselves. Ryan says lawmakers are figuring it out. We are going through the process of looking at what is the best way to reform the tax code and to lower tax rates for businesses and to make the American tax system internationally competitive. Right now it is literally one of the worst tax systems in the industrialized world. [End Videotape] While Ryan is talking this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has talked about getting it done this Congress. That means by the end of next year. But with 2018 being an election year, that puts a lot of pressure on action in 2017. James? Mike Emanuel in Statuary Hall. Mike, thanks. Millions of Americans in the great middle of the country have been battered by an outbreak of springtime tornadoes. Residents in the southern plains could face more of them. Correspondent Will Carr is tracking the situation tonight from Oklahoma City. [Begin Videotape] Severe weather once again sweeping across the country with the watches and warnings lighting up the weather map Friday afternoon. The storms capping off a week of heavy rain, lightning, and hail. Two dozen tornadoes ripped across the southern plains Thursday in Oklahoma. At least six large twisters were caught on camera. On the ground. Oh, my God, look! Luckily the massive thunder clouds developed in rural parts of the state, missing populated cities. Forecasters believe that with their size and strength, one estimated to be an EF-4 with winds speeds up to 200 miles per hour. A direct strike could have been catastrophic. Earlier this week storms flooded neighborhoods, left tens and thousands of Midwestern residents without power, and turned tragic Wednesday when tornadoes hit Wisconsin and Oklahoma. We could hear windows breaking. And it sounded like a freight train, like everybody says. Tuesday night Justin Failing and his wife grabbed a mattress to cover their kids as a tornado hit their home. As soon as the roof lifted off, like we just, the only thing I could think is if we go, they're next. To the west, a winter storm blanketed the Rockies, shutting down school districts as it dumped more than 30 inches of May snow in parts of Boulder County. Snow also piling up in the Sierras. I thought I was done with this. But I guess not. [End Videotape] Tonight there are tornado warnings across the southern plains, and it comes as authorities are asking residents to pay attention to text alerts and to sirens. Here in Oklahoma City they changed their siren policy a couple years ago. Now when a siren like the one behind me goes off, it means there's an immediate threat and residents need to get to safety. James? Will Carr, thank you. Up next, the panel on the president's overseas trip and the scandal industrial complex. First, here's what some of our FOX affiliates around the country are covering tonight. FOX 5 in New York, where former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner has pleaded guilty to sending sexually charged text messages to a minor. Weiner told the court he has a sickness but not an excuse. He has agreed not to appeal any prison sentence between 21 and 27 months. He must also register as a sex offender. Weiner's estranged wife, Huma Abedin, a longtime Hillary Clinton aide, filed for divorce today. FOX 2 in Detroit where efforts to legalize recreational marijuana and repeal a law that requires union wages on state financed construction projects can both proceed with a gathering of voters' signatures now that the board of state canvassers has approved a form of the petitions. More than 250,000 valid voter signatures will be needed to advance the bills. And this is a live look courtesy of FOX 8 and New Orleans where citizens are marking the end of an era with an ongoing removal by work crews, as you can see, of a statue of Robert E. Lee. It is the last of four Confederate statues to come down. Supporters of the move said the monuments glorified slave ownership. Critics lamented an attempt to erase the past. That's tonight's live look outside the beltway from SPECIAL REPORT. We'll be right m back. [Begin Video Clip] We have an election that was interfered with by the Russians, whether there was some type of collusion, whether there was a cover-up. He has no evidence that Comey asked for the resources, that all the resources were there. The entire thing has been a witch hunt. And there is no collusion between certainly myself and my campaign. But I can only speak for myself and the Russians -- zero. This week alone I have probably been on the phone with or hosted here in Washington nine or eleven foreign counterparts or spoken with the secretary general on the phone in all. The issue has never come up. [End Video Clip] And as President Trump boarded Air Force One en route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the steady stream of leaks and allegations trailed him like exhaust fumes from the plane itself. I just fired the head of the FBI the New York Times quotes the president as having told a Russian delegation. He was crazy, a real nut job. I face great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off. I'm not under investigation. The Times added the White House document that contained Mr. Trump's comments was based on notes taken from inside the Oval Office and has been circulated as the official account of the meeting. One official red quotations to The Times. Then there is The Washington Post which reports the law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest, showing that the probe is reaching to the highest level of government according to people familiar with the matter. The senior White House advisor under scrutiny by investigators is someone close to the president according to these people. Let's break it all down with a panel, Lisa Boothe, columnist with the Washington Examiner, A.B. Stoddard, associate editor at Real Clear Politics, and syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, unindicted co- conspirators all. [Laughter] Lisa, this Washington Post story about a senior advisor close to the president, which seems like language calculated to make a stink of Jared Kushner, if this is true -- putting aside if it's Kushner or not, but if it's true that there is such a person in the White House who is now a person of interest for this investigation, should the Trump White House regard that as a significant escalation in this story? LISA BOOTHE, COLUMNIST, WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Potentially. But I think everyone should take what is printed with a grain of salt. We've seen a lot of this information that has surfaced been incorrect. If you remember even in regarding to The New York Times article with President Trump's conversations with the Russians, we've seen there was a report with speaking to the Mexico president, that there was a threat from President Trump. The spokesperson for the president came out and said that was not true. Same thing with the Australian prime minister. There was a report saying he hung up on him. He said that was not true. We've seen reports regarding Comey be incorrect as well. So I think that everything should be taken with a grain of salt these days. OK, let's listen to or just hear from the White House press secretary Sean Spicer who assuredly has had better weeks than this one. He offered a pair of rebuttals to these stories. On The Times story about what the president told the Russians, Spicer said, and I quote, By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia's actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia. The investigation would have always continued and obviously the termination of Comey would not have ended it. Once again, Spicer said The real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations. A.B., here we have notes taken inside the Oval Office. And they said an American official --- meaning a current official -- sitting on the phone and reading those quotes from this official document, chronicling this meeting with the Russians to a Times reporter. That doesn't bother you? I fell -- I feel accused, James. OK, my apologies. That was a tendentious -- That was not my story. That was the New York Times. You're quite right. But should we not be bothered by the leaking? Address if you would Sean Spicer's comments that the leaking is the most salient feature of this. Well, the leaking is a problem. The leaks were a problem for President Obama, as you well know, James. They're going to be -- I think they are really facing a great fear of the leaks because at the rate of which they basically, the rate at which they seem to come now at even sort of a more rapid speed regarding this investigation. I think it is going to cause them great stress. It is obviously a huge part of this story. Much of this is not legal. But people are doing it because they believe the president is doing something wrong. And the potency of these reports and these accounts are going to cause him great political peril even if in the end, let's say, from the Washington Post story, the person of interest is not a target, not be charged with anything criminal or anything, it creates another dramatic story line about the Trump West Wing and the way that Trump behaves about the Russian investigation, how he fired Comey, why he fired Comey, and the way that he talks with Russian officials when he thinks no one is listening. So I always come back to everything is through the prism of Congress for me. This puts an enormous amount of pressure on people who have had a tough week in his party to try to keep saying you'll just have to talk to Bob Mueller, the special counsel. These are really, really tough stories to try to come around and defend. I will not lead into you with a negative construction like that again. [Laughter] You were quite right to object. On The Post story about the Russian probe potentially ensnaring a current White House official, Sean Spicer said, and I quote, As the president has stated before, a thorough investigation will confirm that there was no collusion between the campaign and any foreign entity. On this panel just a few days ago, Charles, you called this a scandal in search of a crime. Do you still hold that position? Does The Post story asserting that there is somebody very high up in the White House right now who is now a person of interest in the investigation, are you disturbed by that? Are you accusing me too, here? [Laughter] No, I'm not disturbed by it at all. A person of interest means somebody who knows. It doesn't mean somebody who did something wrong or illegal. I think here they are protesting too much. And Spicer's protest that the real issue here is particularly with the Russian thing, the Russian -- Trump talking to the Russians about the Mueller firing, this is an issue of a leak is inadvertently self-indicting, because after all, the idea that journalists are going to receive leaks, it's a constant. Journalists are always ready to pick up the phone. If he is saying we have a real problem here with leaks, what we are talking about -- what's unusual is the Niagara of leaks coming out of this White House. As you said, this had to have been somebody in the room, somebody who took the notes, somebody who called The Times, who picked up the phone and read the notes. So the problem here is an inner circle of people who have lost faith or betrayed or whatever. But it's certainly not a leak problem that ought to interest us. It's a loyalty problem inside the White House. To be clear, the four American officials who were in the Oval Office for that meeting with the Russia delegation were the president, the secretary of state, the White House national security advisor, and his deputy Dina Powell. Somebody who had access to the notes. They took the notes, but the notes were then put into paper form for a chronicle of the meeting. And more people will have access to that, and that's one of the leakers here, correct? Those people are inside the White House. In other words, this is not NSA, FBI, enemies in the deep state trying to undermine the president because he's an outsider. This is inside people. And what Spicer is saying, that's the real story. Well, if that's the real story, it's the administration, the White House's problem. All right, we just got a bit of breaking news. And we'll head to the commercial break with it, just to tell you that the former FBI director James Comey has agreed to testify in open session before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Next up, the Friday lightning round. Julian Assange gets a break. Is the president's tax reform agenda broken, and breaking the budget for a grant? We will make it clear. And this is another FOX News alert. We have breaking news from the Senate Intelligence Committee. We have just received word from the chairman of that committee, the Senator Burr of North Carolina and also the ranking member, Senator Warner of Virginia, that ousted FBI director James Comey has now committed to testifying before that panel in open session. The committee says an open hearing with James Comey as the lead witness fielding all questions will be scheduled for some time after Memorial Day. We are back at the panel. Your thoughts, Lisa Boothe? I suspect there are a lot of questions for him. And I think -- namely, why didn't he release the memo earlier? It what was reported about the memo true? Where are the memos? Are they have the memos prior to the hearing? And I think also why his memos come to contradict statements that he had previously made under -- just a few weeks ago? I think senators are going to have a lot of questions for him. A.B.? Well, this is not good news for President Trump and congressional Republicans who hoped that with the naming of Mueller as special counsel he would basically designate James Comey as a witness and tell him he couldn't testify in open session on Capitol Hill. It's a cable news bombshell. So they were hoping for some quiet. They might have gotten it without revelations like the kind we saw this afternoon. But now they have this to dread, and whatever is revealed that day will obviously consume the news. So it's really hard for them to get back to the agenda. Charles, we have seen Director Comey testify quite a bit in recent months. Is he an effective witness? Oh, yes. And he will be the most anticipated witness since Ollie North in 1986 or 87. And I think the big question Republicans are going to ask him, did you have the feeling when the president spoke to you about the Flynn investigation that this was improper interference or even obstruction? And if you did, then why didn't you resign? That's going to be the hard question. All the others are going to be softballs drom Democrats trying to induce him into indicting the president. All right, so we will look forward to testimony from the FBI director James Comey sometime after Memorial Day in an open session before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Now to our lightning round. We want to hear from the man at the center of the news, always when the news is focused on the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Julian Assange. [Begin Video Clip] While today was an important victory, and an important vindicator, the road is far from over. The war, the proper war is just commencing. [End Video Clip] Charles, when Julian Assange talks about the proper war is just commencing, do you think he has actual foot soldiers in this country or in the United States government right now? He obviously had contacts like Chelsea Manning. Whether he has some now or not I don't think it matters because he's out there. He's hanging a shingle where he says Apply here. And what's interesting is he says he is at war with the U.S. He is at war with the U.S., and we ought to treat him as an enemy. And he ought to be asked to honor the pledge that if Chelsea Manning were released, he would come here and stand trial. Let's see him stand up to a real judicial process. I bet you he never comes. Lisa, will we ever see Julian Assange behind bars? I hope so. Fortunately for us, or if you disagree with the tactics he takes, his legal problems don't stop here. He's put lives at risk. So fortunately his legal problems don't stop there. All right, A.B. I want to come to you next subject, which is tax reform and whether it is a stalled agenda. Let's hear from two prominent members from different parties. [Begin Video Clip] Regarding tax reform, there are some folks who think it goes beyond this year. Where are you -- No, I don't think that's the case. Our goal, and I feel very confident we can meet this goal, is in the year of 2017 for tax reform. And I think we are making good progress. As long as there are these shadows hanging over the president's head and this administration, it's really difficult for Democrats to really work independently on issues like tax reform. [End Video Clip] A.B., I don't want to be accusatory again and say you are a wagering person, but if you were a betting person, would you bet that tax reform would be done and signed by the end of this calendar year? No. The speaker is giving himself quite a challenge to say right now that this can be done by the end of 2017. Unless they scale down tax reform to just a tax cut and they don't go after the rest of the simplification challenges and rewriting of the code. That is just going to be an enormously heavy lift and under any circumstances. And so I think they want to do it. It's definitely what unites them. They feel an urgency to be able to have something to run on next year, to be sure. But it's very hard to say that they're going to face their budget deadline and the fight that will ensue over that and the debt ceiling and everything else and complete this by Christmas. Last comment on tax reform in the calendar year, Charles. Are you already busy at work rejiggering your tax payments for the following two years because you anticipate there will be reform? Right, and I have stopped the rejiggering because it ain't going to happen. All right, so if you are inclined to take tax advice from Dr. Krauthammer, as I am, you just heard that there is not going to be tax reform this year. The Republicans on Capitol Hill obviously feel differently about that. When we come back, you want to stick around for this. Our illustrious panel will deliver to us their winners and losers for the week. And if they don't name the people that I think are the big winners, you'll hear from me as well. Stay with us. Time now as every Friday evening for winners and losers. A.B. Stoddard? OK, my winner is Bret Baier's son, Paul Baier. He's nine-and-a- half years old and just had his ninth successful angioplasty. He's also had stomach surgery and three heart surgeries. And he is a fighter of a special kind, and we are all thrilled to hear the news for Amy, Paul, and Bret. Indeed. And my losers are the curtains and bushes at the White House now being used as shields against political pain. Jim Comey as you know, 6'8, tried to hide behind some blue curtains so as not have a hug with Donald Trump. Sean Spicer is giving briefings in the driveway amid the bushes. And I'm worried about the antique furniture in some of the rooms. I think that's what's coming next. This shows your flair with interior design. Lisa Boothe? My winner is Trey Gowdy, Congressman Trey Gowdy, who is the front runner to take over the oversight committee when Jason Chaffetz steps down. My loser is Anthony Weiner. I don't know if I need to say any more than that. No, you really don't. He's my loser who is going to have to register as a sex offender for sending obscene material to a minor and who is also facing jail time. So good riddance, enjoy that. A tragedy, probably. Charles? My Loser, H.R. McMaster, the national security advisor. On the night of the report of Trump spilling secrets to the Russians he was one of several trotted out to say the story was false. The next day he is contradicted by Trump who said he was within his rights to say what he said, implying that he did say the story was true. McMaster holds a press conference the next day. We have to reconcile the irreconcilables. It was a sad sight for a man who has spent decades establishing a reputation of integrity and consistency. And your winner? My winner is Robert Mueller who is now the chief investigator for the Russia probe. He is now the man who is in charge with a mandate to investigate essentially anything and is politically untouchable, cannot be fired. Technically he can, politically he can't. He's the most powerful man in Washington. I'm happy to inform you, the real winners, all four of them, you know their names, John, Paul, George, and Ringo, the Beatles channel having debuted on Sirius XM this week. Thanks for watching SPECIAL REPORT. Make sure you watch FOX NEWS Sunday this weekend. I'm James Rosen in for Bret Baier. We'll see you Monday.