May 11: On This Day In 2017
Upon becoming president, Trump met with FBI Director James Comey. Treating the situation like he was in a mob movie, Trump pleaded with his lieutenant Comey for his “loyalty.” In the summer of 2016, the FBI had launched an investigation into the Trump campaign’s apparent relationship with Russia. Now that he was president, Trump wanted Comey to quash that investigation, and felt betrayed when the Director refused to do so.
So, naturally, Trump wanted to fire Comey…even though FBI directors normally serve 10 year terms, and only one previous president had ever fired one.
But if you’re Donald Trump, you can’t publicly admit “I fired Comey because he wouldn’t personally protect me from getting prosecuted over my Russia ties.” So Trump spokesperson Kelly Ann Conway instead fed the press a story -- which she later admitted was a lie -- that Comey had “lost the support” of the rank-and-file FBI members. And Trump pressured the Justice Department to provide cover for the firing too.
(Remember, this was in the early days of the new Administration, when Americans still assumed that when a presidential spokesperson says something to the press it’s probably true. The world hadn’t yet come to understand that Trump and his team simply made stuff up, many times a day, as a matter of policy.)
But the truth was finally revealed by…Trump himself. OTDI 2017, he sat for an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt and blabbed his real reason for removing Comey: “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.’” He was so pleased with himself he couldn't stop himself from admitting the truth.
So bring in Robert Mueller: Trump’s admission helped lead to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, whose investigation into Russia’s support of Trump’s campaign cast a lingering cloud over his presidency.
Comey’s removal was among 10 obstructive acts outlined in the resulting Mueller Report. The Report did not establish whether Trump’s motives were personal, political, or both, but his spin and mob-like threats to Comey suggested that Trump “had concerns about providing the real reason for the firing.”
Dive Deeper
Read Politico’s report on Comey’s claims
Summary: Trump admits why he fires Comey; causes Mueller investigation