Trump fires Comey
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."
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.