- Trump was unhappy at Comey's congressional testimony
- He eventually fired the FBI director Tuesday
- White House communications staffers were unprepared to sell the decision to the public
begin quote from:
Trump 'white hot' before firing
White House: Comey tossed 'stick of dynamite' into DOJ
A 'white hot' Trump stewed over Comey's fate
Story highlights
(CNN)President Donald Trump kept his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey
extraordinarily close to the vest in the 48 hours leading up to the
stunning announcement, people close to the White House said, before
ultimately concluding that Comey "was his own man" and could not be
trusted in a role so pivotal to the presidency.
A
longtime friend who talked to the President over the weekend described
him as "white hot," a mood that set the table for Comey's firing.
Trump
did not seek a wide range of viewpoints on Comey, several people
familiar with the matter told CNN, unlike his approach on many difficult
choices.
Whether
sending more troops to Afghanistan or deciding whether to withdraw from
the Paris climate accord, the president often embraces opposing
positions, but on Comey there was little room for debate inside the West
Wing.
White House chief of staff
Reince Priebus initially warned of risks associated with abruptly
dismissing Comey -- including the fallout for Trump's legislative agenda
-- but people familiar with the decision said it was unclear how
forcefully Priebus argued his point when it became clear the President
was insistent on firing Comey.
"He
wasn't doing a good job," Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office when
asked about Comey. "Very simply, he was not doing a good job."
Those
sparse words were all the President had to say about why he fired
Comey, aside from several messages on Twitter. He did not answer two
critical questions about Comey's dismissal: Why and why now?
"The
President had lost confidence in Director Comey," White House
spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday. "Frankly he'd been
considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected."
Several
people familiar with the decision say the President grew increasingly
frustrated at Comey after his congressional hearing last Wednesday when
he testified that he was "mildly nauseous" over the idea that he helped
sway the election. Even the health care victory in the House one day
later couldn't take his mind off Comey, two people close to Trump said.
"He
wouldn't hear it (that he should be encouraged)," the friend said.
"It's Russia. Russia. Trump and Russia." The President complained, with
expletives, about Comey's "mildly nauseous" answer and said his answer
when pressed on leaks convinced the President he was far less concerned
about the leaks than Trump thought he should be.
Communications team kept in dark
One
reason the administration underestimated the explosive fallout, several
people close to the White House said, because few seasoned political
hands were closely involved in the decision. The White House
communications team was kept almost entirely out of the loop until
Tuesday afternoon.
Several people
close to the White House, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss
internal deliberations, described it as a stunning and dispiriting turn
of events when they were called to defend and explain one of the most
controversial decisions of Trump's young presidency "at almost the same
time he pulled the trigger."
More than 24 hours later, the White House was still explaining the timeline of the Comey decision.
Senior
administration officials initially insisted on Tuesday the President
was following the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein by firing Comey. The White House, by Wednesday, said the
President had long been leery of Comey, despite repeatedly saying he had
full confidence in him, and finally made a decision he had been mulling
all year.
Both explanations were
undercut by the president's own letter to Comey, which made clear Russia
investigation was at the root of his frustration.
"While
I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions,
that I am not under investigation," Trump wrote. "I nevertheless concur
with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to
effectively lead the Bureau."
The White House declined to produce evidence of the three separate occasions the president referenced.
Asked whether the president regretted not firing Comey immediately upon taking office, Sanders had a quick answer.
"No," Sanders said. "I think the president wanted to give Director Comey a chance."
Trump has over the course of past couple months several times expressed frustration "they can't all just make this go away."
"He
was mad at Sessions when he recused. Really mad," the friend said. "Mad
at his lawyer and the staff. Mad at you guys on TV. Mad at the
committees. Mad at Comey. "
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