The Russian leader made the comments during a citizen's question and answer session in which he was asked about the testimony the former Federal Bureau of Investigation head gave to the U.S. Senate's Intelligence Committee last week.
The former FBI director, James Comey, fired by Trump back in May, testified last week in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding issues related to Trump's possible collusion with Russian Federation, and the possibility that the President may have obstructed justice while trying to convince Comey to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn. Putin said, in a reference to former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russian Federation in 2013 after leaking classified information about US spy operations. Should things get hairy for Comey, the doors to Russian Federation are equally open to him.
Putin added that since Comey's acts are more like an activist than an intelligence chief, if the latter feels pressured in the United States or if he is prosecuted, Russian Federation would be happy to grant him political asylum.
The 2017 edition aired Thursday, during which Putin addressed tensions with the U.S. According to a report from NBC News, Putin stressed the idea that Russian Federation is not even an enemy of the United States in the first place. "And if there's some kind of persecution, we would be ready to offer political asylum to Comey if he's persecuted in the U.S.", Putin went on to say. "These people who treat Russian Federation like this, Russian Federation is always to blame for them", Putin added.
"Turn a globe and point your finger anywhere, you will find American interests and interference there", he said.
In one exchange, a teacher in Siberia said she was making just 16,500 roubles ($286.46) a month, a sum she said she was struggling to get by on.
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A true artist that follows Miles Davis " definition of a true artist, "It's not about standing still and becoming safe. Bono was similarly effusive in his praise, saying: 'He reported what he saw and what he felt and he took us with him.
Putin offered a glimpse into his closely guarded private life, saying he has two grandchildren whose privacy he wants to respect.
Putin also said Russia's military industrial complex had benefited greatly from testing its latest weapons in Syria.
"First of all, I am still on the job", he said on Thursday.
An annual fixture on Putin's calendar, the televised question-and-answer session is carefully choreographed.
The president said Russian Federation has "many friends" in the USA, although "media hysteria" has taken its toll on bilateral relations. "I think that if we are to establish such targets, then we will never achieve anything", he continued. One of Putin's daughters was reported to be in charge of a lucrative project to build a Silicon Valley-like community under the auspices of Moscow State University.
"They will be immediately identified and they won't be left in peace and they won't be left in peace, this will damage the children's development".
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