Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump is 'proud' he fired James Comey, prosecution should be 'looked at'

Sarah Huckabee Sanders on prosecuting James Comey — (Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/ABC News)

At Tuesday's White House press briefing, reporters asked Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders if President Trump was aware that former chief strategist Stephen Bannon had called his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey one of the worst mistakes in modern political history. "The president is proud of the decision that he made," she said. "The president was 100 percent right in firing James Comey. He knew at the time that it could be bad for him politically, but he also knew and felt he had an obligation to do what was right." She added later that Comey's "actions were improper, and likely could have been illegal."

But when asked if Trump would encourage prosecuting Comey, Sanders said that's not the president's job. "That's the job of the Department of Justice, and something they should certainly look at," she said. "If there's ever a moment where we feel someone's broken the law, particularly if they're the head of the FBI, I think that's something that certainly should be looked at."

Sanders did not say what laws she think Comey likely could have broken, though Trump has accused Comey of leaking classified information for having a friend pass unclassified notes to The New York Times. Bannon called Comey's firing a mistake in large part because it led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, whom Trump has also reportedly mulled firing. In the West Wing, aides are seriously worried about Mueller's investigation, report Mike Allen and Jonathan Swan at Axios, but nobody thinks ousting Mueller would be wise. The damage would be as horrendous as "firing the pope," one Trump associate told Axios.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.