Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey

The Firing

On the evening of May 9, 2017, President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who was leading the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Comey learned of his dismissal from television news reports while he was addressing FBI employees in Los Angeles. He initially thought it was a prank.

The White House initially claimed the firing was based on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had written a memo criticizing Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russia investigation, also recommended the dismissal.

Trump Admits the Real Reason

The cover story unraveled within 48 hours. In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on May 11, Trump contradicted his own administration’s explanation. “Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey,” Trump said. He then added: “And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.’”

The admission was staggering. The President of the United States had effectively stated on national television that he fired the FBI director to impede an investigation into his own campaign. Legal scholars immediately raised the specter of obstruction of justice.

The Fallout

The firing sent shockwaves through Washington and the intelligence community. Democrats and several Republicans called for the appointment of a special counsel to take over the Russia investigation. Even some of Trump’s allies acknowledged the optics were devastating — comparisons to Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” during Watergate became ubiquitous.

The New York Times also reported that Trump had previously asked Comey for a pledge of personal loyalty during a private dinner at the White House, and that Trump had asked Comey to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn, saying, “I hope you can let this go.” Comey had documented these interactions in detailed contemporaneous memos.

Consequences

The most immediate consequence of Comey’s firing was the appointment of Robert Mueller as Special Counsel on May 17, just eight days later. In attempting to shut down the Russia investigation, Trump had ensured it would be expanded and placed in the hands of a prosecutor with sweeping authority. The firing of Comey would itself become a central element of the obstruction of justice investigation that Mueller pursued for the next two years.