In a complete contradiction of the White House's official account, President Trump on Thursday revealed that he was going to fire FBI Director James Comey "regardless of recommendation." The White House has said Trump made his decision based on memos written by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein urging Trump to axe Comey, but Trump told NBC's Lester Holt that he had made up his mind even before he met with Sessions and Rosenstein at the White House on Monday.
"I was going to fire Comey. My decision," Trump said, calling Comey a "showboat" and a "grandstander." He noted there was "no good time" to fire Comey.
Subscribe to 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.
-
Amtrak is the latest organization under DOGE's scrutinyIn the Spotlight The head of the organization recently announced his resignation
-
Sea geniuses: all the ways that octopuses are wildly intelligentThe Explainer There's more to the tentacles than meets the eye
-
What does Musk's 'Dexit' from Delaware mean for the future of US business?Talking Points A 'billionaires' bill' could limit shareholder lawsuits
-
Reports: Musk to get briefed on top secret China war planSpeed Read In a major expansion of Elon Musk's government role, he will be briefed on military plans for potential war with China
-
Trump signs order to end Education DepartmentSpeed Read The move will return education 'back to the states where it belongs,' the president says
-
Trump pauses $175M for Penn over trans athleteSpeed Read The president is withholding federal funds from the University of Pennsylvania because it once allowed a transgender swimmer to compete
-
Trump purports to 'void' Biden pardonsSpeed Read Joe Biden's pardons of Jan. 6 committee members are not valid because they were done by autopen, says Trump
-
White House ignores judicial deportation blocksSpeed Read The Trump administration deports alleged Venezuelan gang members under a wartime law, defying a court order
-
Schumer: Democrats will help pass spending billSpeed Read The Democrats end the threat of government shutdown
-
Trump pulls nomination of anti-vax CDC pickSpeed Read Former Florida congressmen Dr. Dave Weldon was nominated to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
-
Judges tell Trump to rehire fired federal workersSpeed Read Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE team face a big setback in their efforts to shrink the federal workforce
