President Trump apparently called Democratic Sen. Feinstein moments before the Comey announcement

Multiple senior officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice were reportedly left in the dark about President Trump's plans to fire FBI Director James Comey, but one person who did apparently get a heads up? Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.).
"President Trump called me at 5:30 and indicated he would be removing Director Comey, saying the FBI needed a change," Feinstein said in a statement. News of Comey's ouster broke shortly after.
Feinstein, who is a ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for the next FBI director to be "strong and independent." She vowed Comey's replacement would "receive a fair hearing in the Judiciary Committee."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump fired Comey on Tuesday based on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In a letter to the president, Rosenstein flagged Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email service as a reason for termination.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Strava vs. Garmin: the row splitting the running community
Under The Radar The legal dispute between the two titans of exercise tech is like ‘Mom and Dad fighting’
-
Bad Bunny: Why MAGA is incensed
Feature The NFL announced Latino artist Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, sparking MAGA outrage
-
Supreme Court: Judging 20 years of Roberts
Feature Two decades after promising to “call balls and strikes,” Chief Justice John Roberts faces scrutiny for reshaping American democracy
-
News organizations reject Pentagon restrictions
Speed Read The proposed policy is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest move to limit press access at the Pentagon
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new Mideast
Speed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia James
Speed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in Chicago
Speed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leaders
Speed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland