Trump reportedly asked Sessions, Rosenstein to write the memos that led to Comey's firing
President Trump requested that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein draft the letters that ultimately led him to fire FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, McClatchy reports. Sessions and Rosenstein reportedly met with Trump on Monday in the Oval Office and urged him to fire Comey, and Trump asked them to write out their concerns.
Rosenstein wrote a three-page memo condemning Comey's "wrong" handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Just "hours" after receiving that memo Tuesday, Trump drafted his own letter firing Comey, which did not mention the email investigation. The letter was reportedly delivered to FBI headquarters by Trump's director of Oval Office operations and former bodyguard, Keith Schiller. Comey was not in the building, however, as he was addressing bureau employees in Los Angeles.
A White House spokeswoman initially denied that Trump asked Rosenstein for the memo, but then later said that while Trump asked Rosenstein to put his concerns in writing, it was Rosenstein who approached Trump about Comey.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for January 18Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include cost of living, endless supply of greed, and more
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
The rise of the spymaster: a ‘tectonic shift’ in Ukraine’s politicsIn the Spotlight President Zelenskyy’s new chief of staff, former head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, is widely viewed as a potential successor
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’