Why Did Trump Fire Comey?

Why did President Donald Trump fire FBI Director James Comey? The president and top administration officials have offered contradictory accounts in recent days:

• The official White House statement on May 9 said Trump “acted based on the clear recommendations” of the attorney general and deputy attorney general. But Trump, in an interview two days later, said he was going to fire Comey “regardless of recommendation.”
• Trump said the “FBI has been in turmoil,” and a White House spokeswoman said “the rank and file of the FBI had lost confidence” in Comey. “That is not accurate,” according to Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who said Comey “enjoyed broad support within the FBI, and still does to this day.”

The Rosenstein Memo

Trump fired Comey on May 9. The White House issued a saying, “President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations