Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Hardwarz (talk | contribs) at 00:22, 13 May 2017 (→International reactions). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey from his position on May 9, 2017. Comey had been under public and political pressure resulting from both the FBI's investigation of potential security leaks by former Secretary of State and former Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, and potential links between supporters of President Trump and the Russian government. The FBI had also been investigating evidence of other Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections and Russian contacts with the 2016 Donald Trump campaign. Comey's termination was controversial, with some news commentators calling it the "Tuesday Night Massacre", comparing it to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre (President Richard Nixon's termination of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who had been investigating the Watergate scandal) and to the firing of the Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, earlier in 2017.

Trump claimed in the termination letter that Comey had told him "on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation". This statement has been overwhelmingly contested as false, including by 30 officials at the White House, the Justice Department, the FBI and on Capitol Hill.

Initially, Trump and the White House cited Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as the reason for his dismissal, a claim that was criticized by some Democrats and political commentators, citing Trump's earlier praise of Comey's decision to re-open the e-mail investigation eleven days before the November 8, 2016, presidential election and Trump's own remarks about Clinton during the campaign. Later, however, Trump contradicted this, indicating that the dismissal was connected to the counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump stated, "When I decided , I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.'" White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed the hope that firing Comey would help bring the Russia investigation to an end. According to at least two Comey associates interviewed as confidential sources by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and CBS News, Trump had asked Comey in January for a pledge of personal loyalty to him alone, which Comey declined to offer, only offering "honesty". Several sources within the FBI have stated that the White House's firing of Comey was a culmination of high-level efforts to interfere in the Russia investigation, prompting some commentators to accuse the Trump administration of a cover-up.

Criticism of Trump's decision came immediately from experts on governance and authoritarianism, and politicians from across the political spectrum, with many Democrats calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to continue the investigation into Russia's influence on the election, and many elected officials of both parties calling for an independent investigation or expressing concerns.

Trey Gowdy, Alice S. Fisher, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Rogers, John Cornyn, and Ray Kelly are considered frontrunners to replace Comey—amid others.

Timeline

Background

In March 2015, it came to light that United States presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had used a private e-mail server for her work as secretary of state under President Barack Obama. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation to determine whether Clinton had violated the law and whether national security had been breached. In July 2016 FBI Director James Comey announced that he was not recommending that any charges be brought against Clinton. The decision was decried by Republican leaders and candidates, including then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. In late October 2016, Comey announced that the investigation was being re-opened because of additional documents that had been obtained. Two weeks later he announced that no new information had been discovered and the investigation was again being closed. The announcement of the re-opened investigation was seen by many observers as unnecessary and harmful to Clinton's campaign. Others again complained because the second investigation did not yield prosecution.

In 2012, Michael T. Flynn was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and subsequently confirmed. Flynn took command of the DIA in July 2012. He was reportedly forced to resign in 2014 though the reasons were never publicly stated by the administration. Subsequently, Flynn became an intelligence consultant and lobbyist for both businesses and governments. In a 2017 filing, he reported having collected $530,000 from a Dutch firm allegedly representing the Turkish government. During 2016, he made more than one public appearance advocating for the Turkish government. In 2015, he gave a paid speech for and made regular appearances on RT, Russia's state funded news network. Despite continuing to have a security clearance, Flynn did not disclose his payments from foreign governments until 2017. Flynn became heavily involved with Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016 and became his National Security Adviser following the election, despite warnings to then-President-elect Trump by the Obama administration. Flynn subsequently had contacts with the Russian government, before Trump took office, that were seen as suspicious by the Obama administration. Flynn was forced to resign in February 2017 as revelations about his contacts with Russia came to light.

Others involved in Trump's campaign and administration had controversial contacts as well. Carter Page, a foreign-policy consultant for the Trump campaign, had contacts with the Russian government that came under FBI investigation. Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, was forced to resign in August 2016, as a result of questions regarding his dealings with Ukraine and Russia. Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general, was forced to recuse himself from investigations of Russian interference when it was revealed that he had suspicious communications with the Russian ambassador during Trump's campaign (he came under fire for not having previously disclosed these communications). Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state, has had close contact with the Russian government as a result of his business dealings and was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship medal by Vladimir Putin. There were numerous others.

On October 7, 2016, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly stated that individuals working on behalf of the Russian government had hacked servers and e-mail accounts associated with the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton campaign and leaked their documents to WikiLeaks. This would be confirmed by numerous private security experts and other government officials. The FBI launched investigations into both the hackings, and contacts between Trump associates and Russia.

In January 2017, Comey testified to Congress confirming Russia's alleged interference in the U.S. election and confirmed an ongoing investigation although he refused to comment specifically on the Trump organization. President-elect Trump stated his intention to keep Comey as the FBI director. In March, Comey finally confirmed that the FBI was investigating links between the Trump campaign and Russia. He also refuted Trump's allegations that the Obama administration had wiretapped him.

During the weeks leading up to May 9, grand jury subpoenas were issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria, Virginia, to associates of Michael Flynn for the purpose of obtaining records relating to the investigation of Russia's role in the election. News outlets became aware of these subpoenas on May 9.

In May, Comey gave additional testimony before the Senate regarding the Clinton e-mail probe and the Russia investigations. News media reported that Comey requested additional money and resources from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to expand the probe into Russian interference into the presidential election, but this was later denied by Andrew McCabe during his testimony to Congress on May 11.

Immediate reaction (May 8–11)

On Tuesday May 9, President Trump hired a law firm to send a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee denying any business or other connections to Russia. This letter was a response to earlier statements by Senator Lindsey Graham stating that he wanted to know whether there were any such ties. That same day news outlets became aware of subpoenas being issued for associates of Michael Flynn in the Russia investigation.

Later that evening, President Trump sent a letter to the FBI terminating Director Comey. Trump cited recommendations from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his Deputy Rod Rosenstein. Comey was traveling in California at the time and the termination was seen by observers as a surprise. Comey learned about the termination through televised news media reports, while giving a speech to agents at the Los Angeles Field Office. He had served only three and a half years of his 10-year term. Comey was only the second FBI Director ever to have been fired; the first was William S. Sessions, who was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993, after allegations of ethical improprieties were made against William S. Sessions by the Office of Professional Responsibility.

News commentators immediately characterized the termination as extraordinary and controversial. CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin went so far as to characterize it as an "abuse of power". It was compared to the Saturday Night Massacre, President Richard Nixon's termination of special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who had been investigating the Watergate scandal. John Dean, White House Counsel under President Nixon, called it a "a very Nixonian move" saying that it "could have been a quiet resignation, but instead it was an angry dismissal". The New York Times' Editorial Board rapidly published an editorial slamming the move, calling Trump's explanation "impossible to take at face value" and stating Trump had "decisively crippled the FBI's ability to carry out an investigation of him and his associates".

Democratic Senator Chuck Shumer immediately renewed his call for a special prosecutor to investigate Russia's involvement in the election and its influence on members of the Trump campaign and administration. Republican Senator John McCain renewed his call for a special congressional committee to investigate. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff observed that Sessions had previously recused himself from involvement in the Russia investigation and suggested that recommending Comey's termination violated that pledge because Comey was the lead investigator. In addition to the outrage from Democratic leaders, some Republican leaders also immediately expressed concern, including Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, Bob Corker, Justin Amash, and others. Other Republican leaders came to Trump's defense including Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham.

Immediate response from the White House regarding concerns from congressional leaders and the media was limited. White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders stated that the White House would push for an immediate ending of Russian investigations and that it was time to "move on" from accusations of Russian interference into the election. President Trump stated in Comey's termination letter that Comey had asserted "on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation". In an interview for CNN, President Trump's Counselor, Kellyanne Conway, denied that Comey's dismissal is part of a White House cover-up. Trump furthermore commented on Twitter, mocking Senators Chuck Schumer and Richard Blumenthal, and saying that Schumer was "crying like a baby" and that Blumenthal "devised one of the greatest military frauds in U.S. history".

Trump warns Comey (May 12–present)

In a Twitter post, Donald Trump appeared to threaten to leak recordings of his discussions with Comey in the form of unidentified tapes. He also threatened to stop hosting press conferences. Spicer refused to state if any tapes existed, or whether there is a recording system in the Oval Office. He stated that the mention of tapes was not a warning or a threat, but just a fact that it existed. Trump also released a statement from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius saying says he has no income or loans in Russia—"with a few exceptions". The use of the company has been criticized, with the organization considered to have large ties to Russia. The organization was also listed as Russian Law Firm of the Year 2016. On May 12, the United States Office of Government Ethics released a statement that was widely seen as thinly veiled criticism of the President. Adam Scriff requested that Donald Trump turn over any "Comey Tapes" made and a special prosecutor. It is considered extremely unlikely that any special prosecutor will happen, even with the new revelations, due to Trump appointments overseeing the appointment of any future prosecutor.

When asked whether he has recordings in the Oval Office, Trump responded "Well, that I can't talk about. I won't talk about that." Spicer responded that it wasn't a threat "but just stating a fact"

Termination letter

The termination letter to Comey read as follows:

Dear Director Comey:

I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.

While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.

It is essential that we find new leadership that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.

I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

— Donald J. Trump

Reasons for dismissal

On May 8, 2017, Trump directed Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to make a case against Comey in writing. Sessions and Rosenstein delivered their comments to Trump the following day. Trump then dismissed Comey, saying he was doing so on their recommendation — although Trump said two days later that he would have fired Comey irrespective of any recommendation from the Justice Department.

Rosenstein criticized Comey on two grounds: for usurping the prerogative of the Justice Department and the Attorney General in his July 2016 public statements announcing the closure of the investigation into Clinton's emails, and for making derogatory comments about Clinton in that same meeting. Both of these actions, he argued, are in conflict with longstanding FBI policy. Comey had previously defended his extraordinary action, saying that Attorney General Loretta Lynch had a conflict of interest. Rosenstein argued that in such a case, it is the duty of the Attorney General to recuse herself, and that there is a process for another Justice Department official to take over her duties.

In the dismissal letter, Trump cited the recommendations by Sessions and Rosenstein as the reason for firing Comey. Sessions, in his letter, also cited Rosenstein's recommendation as the reason for the firing. Sessions made the recommendation despite the fact that he had previously recused himself from anything to do with the investigation into ties between Trump's team and Russia, as well as from the Clinton email controversy. Senator Al Franken called Sessions' actions a "complete betrayal" of his promise to recuse.

The White House released a statement claiming that Comey "lost the support" of "rank and file" FBI employees, saying that they had no choice to dismiss him. However, FBI agents "flatly rejected" this assertion, and Comey was in fact relatively well-liked and admired within the Bureau. In testimony given to the Senate Intelligence Committee on May 11, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a career FBI agent, contradicted the White House's claim that Comey had lost the confidence of the rank-and-file.

The timing of the ouster, just a few days after Comey allegedly requested additional money and personnel to step up the Russia investigation, left many observers suspicious; this alleged request by Comey was denied by a Department of Justice spokesman. In an interview with Lester Holt, Donald Trump contradicted other statements from the White House, and stated that he fired Comey due to how he was handling the Russia investigation, along with stating that there was no proof that Russia was behind any election interference.

Media reports cast doubt on the justification for Comey's dismissal. In a report based on anonymous interviews with White House staff, CNN reported that Trump's decision to fire Comey had been made first, with Sessions' and Rosenstein's letters being drafted to justify the decision. According to an anonymous source who spoke to The Washington Post, they were instructed to do so by Trump on May 8. The same source also said that Rosenstein had threatened to resign after his letter was cited as the primary reason for Comey's dismissal. Other media noted the disconnect between the dismissal and Trump's praise of Comey's actions in the campaign and throughout his presidency until a week beforehand.

The cause of the dismissal has been disputed, with insider sources claiming that Trump was furious at Comey for refusing to back up his wiretap accusations against former President Barack Obama, as well as not defending him from accusations of collusion with the Russian government. According to sources, Trump privately asked Comey for an "assurance of personal loyalty", which Comey apparently refused, so Trump was planning to replace him with a new appointed FBI director, loyal only to him, who would redirect the investigation away from Trump associates. Another source told The Atlantic that Trump fired Comey because Trump was concerned about what Flynn would testify in court. The next day, several FBI insiders said Comey was fired because "he refused to end the Russia investigation." White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed the hope that firing Comey would help bring the Russia investigation to an end. In an NBC interview, Trump stated, "When I decided , I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story.'"

Trump himself seemed to contradict the White House claim that he had acted because of the Clinton email issue identified by Rosenstein. On May 10 he told reporters he fired Comey "because he wasn't doing a good job". In an interview on May 11, Trump said he had intended all along to fire Comey, regardless of any recommendation, calling it his decision to fire Comey. The White House in a statement said that firing Comey was a step in letting the probe into Russian interference in the previous election "come to its conclusion with integrity", which the White House wanted.

Aftermath

After Comey's dismissal, FBI Deputy Director Andrew G. McCabe became the acting FBI Director. It was reported that several people were being interviewed to serve as interim FBI Director, with a partial list including National Counterintelligence Executive William Evanina, FBI Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch Assistant Director Paul Abbate, Chicago field office director Michael J. Anderson, and Richmond field office director Adam Lee.

Many media outlets continued to be highly critical of the move, with some commentators describing it as a "Nixonian" act (comparing Comey's dismissal to the events of the Saturday Night Massacre), and others suspecting that the firing was an attempt to cover up a possible discovery of the extent of Trump's alleged ties to Russia by curtailing the FBI's investigation. Soon after Trump's election, Lawfare prognosticated about a future firing of Comey and wrote: "If Trump chooses to replace Comey with a sycophantic yes-man, or if he permits Comey to resign over law or principle, that will be a clear bellwether to both the national security and civil libertarian communities that things are going terribly wrong." Immediately after the firing, they reiterated their position, stating that Trump's firing of Comey "undermines the credibility of his own presidency"; they implied that the firing was likely pretextual as Trump had previously praised Comey's handling of the Clinton investigation.

Some commentators observed an emerging pattern of Trump firing government officials involved in investigating his interests: Sally Yates, Preet Bharara, and Comey. Some even went so far as to describe it as part of an ongoing "coup", citing previous statements and actions during Trump's campaign and the early months of his presidency that critics suggested were indicative of his authoritarian personality, and disrespect for the rule of law and democratic norms that they fear could result in the U.S. transitioning into an autocratic government.

Other media outlets were more supportive. Some sources have stated that, regardless of circumstances, Comey had lost the confidence of the political leadership on all sides of the spectrum and, therefore, his termination was unavoidable in spite of criticizing the president's handling of it and questioning his motives. Many went so far as to decry the hypocrisy of Democrats and other Trump opponents who criticized the termination after previously having criticized Comey himself for the handling of the Clinton scandal. Some even called for a re-opening of the Clinton investigation now that Comey has left.

The White House continued to insist that no special prosecutor was necessary in the Russia investigation, instead giving its support to Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein who is currently leading the effort, along with Comey's future successor. The White House has also said that it was "time to move on" after the 2016 election. President Trump tweeted that Democratic members of Congress calling for a special prosecutor and criticizing the dismissal of Comey are "phony hypocrites!"

During comments to the press at White House meeting the next day, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov joked about Comey's termination, expressing mock surprise at the news. For many critics, the immediate worry is the integrity of the FBI's investigation into the Trump administration's ties to Russia.

By the end of the day on May 10, the narrative that the White House had given, characterizing Rosenstein's opinions as the primary reason for Comey's termination, had so angered Rosenstein that he threatened to quit the Department of Justice. (see also Rod Rosenstein#Comey memo). On May 10, Comey sent a farewell letter to the FBI and his friends.

On May 11, twenty state and district attorneys general led by Maura Healey of Massachusetts, signed a letter asking Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint an "independent special counsel" to investigate Russia's attempts to meddle in the United States presidential election.

Comey invited to testify to Congress

Comey was fired two days before he was scheduled to testify at an Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats. On May 10, the day after being fired by Trump, Comey was invited to testify before a closed session of the Senate Intelligence Committee on May 16.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is seeking to allow Comey to testify at an open, public hearing, stating that it is "extremely important that Comey come to an open hearing in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as quickly as possible and testify as to the status of the U.S.–Russia investigation at the time of his firing".

Reactions from members of Congress

Among members of Congress:

• 139 Democrats, two independents (Senators Bernie Sanders and Angus King), and one Republican (Representative Tom McClintock), called for a special prosecutor, independent prosecutor, or an independent commission to examine ties between the Russian government and Trump's associates.
• 85 Democrats and six Republicans called for an independent investigation into Russian ties. For example, Republican Senator John McCain said "I have long called for a special congressional committee" while Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal stated that "anything less would imperil our democracy".
• 41 Republicans, and 8 Democrats, expressed "questions or concerns" about Comey's firing; examples of members of Congress in this group are Republican Senator Marco Rubio ("I do have questions"); Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski ("serious cause for concern"); Democratic Representative Marcia L. Fudge ("the American people deserve answers").
• 97 Republicans, but no Democrats, were neutral or supportive of Comey's firing.
• 143 Republicans and 11 Democrats did not release a statement.

Multiple Democratic members of Congress discussed an "impeachment clock" for Trump, saying that he was "moving" toward impeachment and raising the future possibility of bringing forth articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice and criminal malfeasance if proof of illegal activity is found. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut stated in an interview: "It may well produce another United States v. Nixon on a subpoena that went to United States Supreme Court. It may well produce impeachment proceedings, although we're very far from that possibility."

Reactions from within the FBI

Comey was generally well-liked within the FBI, and his sudden dismissal shocked many FBI agents, who admired Comey for his political independence. Agents were stunned that Comey was fired in the midst of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The dismissal reportedly damaged morale within the Bureau. The way that Comey had first learned that he had been fired—from television news reports, while he was in Los Angeles—also angered agents, who considered it a sign of disrespect from the White House.

Trump's statements post-firing

Two days after dismissing Comey, Trump gave an interview to Lester Holt of NBC News. Trump indicated that the firing was connected to the Russia investigation, saying "When I decided , I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story". He reviled Comey ("He's a showboat, he's grandstander, the FBI has been in turmoil." "You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that.") and said he had been planning on firing Comey regardless of recommendations. This contradicted earlier statements on the matter by Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Jeff Sessions and other administration associates, which stated that Trump fired Comey based on the recommendations of Sessions and Rod J. Rosenstein, saying that he only used their recommendations as a pretext for firing Comey.

On May 12, 2017, Trump tweeted: James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

Opinion polls

* U.S. adults

** U.S. registered voters

^a Asked of those who think President Trump made the wrong decision.

^b President Trump said he fired James Comey because of Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Do you think:

• Trump fired Comey because of the Clinton investigation
• Trump fired Comey for a different reason
• Not sure

^c James Comey was leading an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether any Trump campaign associates colluded with Russia. Do you think:

• Trump fired Comey at least partly to disrupt the Russia investigation
• Trump's firing of Comey was unrelated to the Russia investigation
• Not sure

^d As you may know, there have been reports that some Trump campaign officials are being investigated by the FBI for alleged connections or contacts with the Russian government during the 2016 elections. Knowing this, do you think President Trump's decision to remove James Comey as the FBI Director was...

^e As you may know, it was recently reported that, during a testimony before Congress, the former FBI Director James Comey misstated several details about a previous investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server for emails while serving as Secretary of State. Knowing this, do you think President Trump's decision to remove James Comey as the FBI Director was...

^f As you may know, several Trump campaign officials have been under investigation by the FBI for alleged connections or contacts with the Russian government during the 2016 elections, and the investigation was led by former Director of the FBI, James Comey. Knowing this, who do you think should be most responsible for handling the investigation?

See also

• Donald Trump–Russia dossier

• Politics
• United States

References

1. Kawa, Luke (May 9, 2017). "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day". Bloomberg News.
2. Ellefson, Lindsey (May 9, 2017). "Nixon's 'Saturday Night Massacre' and #TuesdayNightMassacre Blow Up on Twitter After Comey Firing". Mediaite.
3. Collinson, Stephen (December 21, 2016). "Comey under fire again over Clinton emails". CNN.
4. ^ "Trump fires FBI Director Comey". Fox News. May 9, 2017.
5. Shalev, Chemi (May 11, 2017). "Trump's Tuesday Night Massacre Implies His Guilt in Russiagate". Haaretz. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
6. Ellefson, Lindsey (May 11, 2017). "Nixon's 'Saturday Night Massacre' and #TuesdayNightMassacre Blow Up on Twitter After Comey Firing". Mediaite. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
7. Nusca, Andrew (May 9, 2017). "Trump's Tuesday Night Massacre". Fortune. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
8. ^ Wilstein, Matt (May 9, 2017). "CNN's Jeffrey Toobin Goes Off on Trump for Firing Comey: 'What Kind of Country Is This?'". The Daily Beast.
9. ^ Abbruzzese, Jason (May 9, 2017). "Everyone is comparing Donald Trump to Richard Nixon". The Silicon Times.
10. CNN May 10, 2017: "Comey firing draws comparisons to Nixon's 'Saturday Night Massacre'"
11. Matthew Haag (May 9, 2017) "Flashback to F.B.I. Chief's '93 Firing, and to Saturday Night Massacre" The New York Times
12. ^ "FBI Director James Comey fired by President Trump". Fox59. Associated Press. May 9, 2017.
13. ^ Rucker, Philip; Parker, Ashley; Horwitz, Sari; Costa, Robert. "Inside Trump's anger and impatience — and his sudden decision to fire Comey". The Washington Post.
14. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Rucker, Philip. "Trump said he was thinking of Russia controversy when he decided to fire Comey". The Washington Post. President Trump on Thursday said he was thinking of "this Russia thing with Trump" when he decided to fire FBI Director James B. Comey, who had been leading the counterintelligence investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.... Trump's account flatly contradicts the White House's initial account of how the president arrived at his decision, undercutting public denials by his aides that the move was influenced in any way by his growing fury with the ongoing Russia probe.
15. ^ Kevin Liptak, Trump contradicts spokeswoman on effect of Comey firing, says it may 'lengthen out the investigation', CNN (May 11, 2017).
16. Greenwood, Max (May 11, 2017). "Report: Trump demanded Comey's loyalty at dinner in January". The Hill. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
17. Schmidt, Michael S. (May 11, 2017). "In a Private Dinner, Trump Demanded Loyalty. Comey Demurred". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
18. "Trump asked James Comey to pledge his loyalty to him". May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
19. "Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey: Live Coverage of the Fallout". wsj.com. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
20. Chaitin, Daniel. "Comey turned down Trump's loyalty pledge: Report". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
21. "Source: There is "whole lot of interfering" in Russia investigation". May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
22. Eugene Robinson, Trump seems to be staging a coverup. So what's the crime?, The Washington Post (May 11, 2017).
23. "Dan Rather on Comey Dismissal: "What We Have Here Is Clearly a Cover-Up"". CNN Tonight with Don Lemon. May 10, 2017 – via Media Matters for America..
24. Andrew Buncombe, Trump firing Comey is the beginning of a Nixon-like cover up, says editor who covered Watergate, The Independent (May 12, 2017).
25. Miller, Quoctrung Bui, Claire Cain; Quealy, Kevin (May 10, 2017). "How Abnormal Was Comey's Firing? Experts Weigh In". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
26. "I asked 7 experts if the Comey firing is a constitutional crisis. Here's what they said". Vox. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
27. "Analysis | Firing Comey was legal. That doesn't mean it was a good idea". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
28. "Analysis | How the world reacted to Trump's firing of Comey". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
29. ^ "Chuck Schumer calls for special prosecutor (Live update)". The Guardian. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
30. ^ Audrey Carlsen; Kenan Davis; Jasmine C. Lee; K. K. Rebecca Lai; Ford Fessenden; Adam Pearce (May 10, 2017). "How Every Lawmaker Has Reacted to Comey's Firing So Far". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
31. Hensch, Mark (May 12, 2017). "Cornyn, Gowdy on shortlist to replace Comey at FBI: report". The Hill. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
32. Melissa Nann Burke (May 12, 2017). "Report: Rogers among 4 FBI director candidates". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
33. "Trump Reportedly Considering Mike Rogers, Author of Scorned Benghazi Report, for FBI Director". The Weekly Standard. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
34. ^ Tate, Julie; Vitkovskay, Julie (May 9, 2017). "Comey timeline: Everything that led up to his firing". The Washington Post.
35. "Flynn to head DIA; more general moves announced". Army Times.
36. Ackerman, Spencer (April 17, 2012). "Military Intelligence Gadfly Will Lead All Military Intelligence". Wired.
37. Cheryl Pellerin. "Panetta: Under Burgess, DIA Evolved Into Global Agency". American Forces Press Service. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
38. Robert Burns (April 30, 2014). "Top 2 Pentagon intelligence officials abruptly quit". Yahoo! News. Associated Press.
39. Miller, Greg; Goldman, Adam (April 30, 2014). "Head of Pentagon intelligence agency forced out, officials say". The Washington Post.
40. ^ Stephen Braun; Chad Day (March 9, 2017). "Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey". Associated Press. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
41. Michael Crowley, "The Kremlin's Candidate: In the 2016 election, Putin's propaganda network is picking sides", Politico Magazine (May/June 2016).
42. Michael Isikoff, "Top Trump adviser defends payment for Russian speaking engagement", Yahoo! News (July 18, 2016).
43. Peter Baker; Glenn Thrush; Maggie Haberman; Adam Goldman; Julie Hirschfeld Davis (February 14, 2017). "Flynn's Downfall Sprang From 'Eroding Level of Trust'". The New York Times.
44. Foran, Clare. "Did Michael Flynn Violate the Logan Act?". The Atlantic.
45. Veronica Stracqualursi (February 15, 2017). "Explaining the Logan Act that Dems say Mike Flynn may have violated". ABC News.
46. Maggie Haberman, Matthew Rosenberg, Matt Apuzzo & Glenn Thrush, "Michael Flynn Resigns as National Security Adviser", The New York Times (February 13, 2017).
47. Cillizza, Chris (April 17, 2017). "The Russia story just keeps getting worse for President Trump". CNN.
48. Cohen, Marshall; Yellin, Tal (May 9, 2017). "The many paths from Trump to Russia". CNN.
49. Sheth, Sonam (March 20, 2017). "Top Democrat lays out mountain of evidence he says ties Trump campaign to Russia". Business Insider.
50. "Joint Statement from the Department Of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Election Security". Department of Homeland Security. October 7, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
51. McKirdy, Euan (January 4, 2017). "Julian Assange: Russia didn't give us e-mails". CNN. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
52. ^ Perez, Evan; Prokupecz, Shimon; Brown, Pamela (May 9, 2017). "Grand jury subpoenas issued in FBI's Russia investigation". CNN.
53. Peter Weber (May 10, 2017). "Before firing Comey, Trump was reportedly so angry about the Russia case he'd 'scream at television clips'". MSN.
54. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Apuzzo, Matt (May 10, 2017). "Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for Money for Russia Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
55. Helsel, Phil (May 9, 2017). "Trump Hires Law Firm to Fight Suggestions of Russia Business Ties". NBC News.
56. ^ "A statement from Press Secretary Sean Spicer and letters from President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein" (PDF). The White House. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
57. Winton, Richard; Queally, James (May 9, 2017). "Comey was 'caught flat-footed' and learned of firing from TV while talking to FBI agents in L.A., source says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
58. Editorial (January 22, 1993). "Time's Up for William Sessions". The New York Times.
59. Baker, Peter (May 9, 2017). "In Trump's Firing of James Comey, Echoes of Watergate". The New York Times.
60. Fisher, Marc; DeYoung, Karen (May 9, 2017). "Tuesday night firing of Comey: 'Nixonian' or uniquely Trumpian?". The Washington Post.
61. Editorial (May 9, 2017). "Donald Trump's Firing of James Comey". The New York Times.
62. "Trump fires Comey: Reaction to FBI Director's termination". Fox News. May 10, 2017.
63. Chris Matthews (May 9, 2017). "Rep. Schiff: Sessions was supposed to recuse himself". MSNBC.
64. "Trump firing of FBI Director Comey evokes criticism, praise". Reuters. May 9, 2017.
65. Sanger, David E.; Rosenberg, Matthew; Schmidt, Michael S. (May 9, 2017). "Firing Fuels Calls for Independent Investigator, Even From Republicans". The New York Times.
66. LoBianco, Tom (May 9, 2017). "Comey firing troubles top Republicans lawmakers". CNN.
67. ^ Mali, Meghashyam (May 9, 2017). "White House spokesperson: 'Time to move on' from Russia probes". The Hill. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
68. "White House blasts Russia investigations after Comey firing: 'It's time to move on'". AOL. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
69. "Kellyanne Conway, refuting Chuck Schumer, says Comey's firing is 'not a cover-up'". The Week. May 9, 2017.
70. Sommer, Will (May 10, 2017). "Trump lashes out on Twitter after firing Comey". The Hill. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
71. Smilowitz, Elliot (May 12, 2017). "Trump warns Comey: Better hope there are no tapes of our meeting". The Hill. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
72. Feldscher, Kyle. "Trump warns James Comey not to leak recordings of their conversations". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
73. "Trump Threatens Comey Over Leaks". The Daily Beast. January 30, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
74. "Trump Suggests Canceling Press Briefings in New 'Fake Media' Twitter Rant". TheWrap. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
75. Kathryn Watson (May 12, 2017). "Sean Spicer doesn't comment on whether Trump recorded Comey conversations". CBS News. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
76. Wang, Christine (May 12, 2017). "Trump's tweet about ousted FBI director was 'not a threat,' Spicer says". CNBC. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
77. Pete Madden; Matthew Mosk (May 12, 2017). "Donald Trump's tax law firm has 'deep' ties to Russia". ABC News. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
78. Gambino, Lauren (May 12, 2017). "Lawyers who said Trump has no ties to Russia named Russian law firm of 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
79. Bowden, John (May 12, 2017). "Government ethics office appears to troll Trump on Twitter". The Hill. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
80. "Ethics office tweets about 'loyalty' after reports of Comey and Trump's private dinner". Fox News. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
81. Careaga, Christina. "The Office of Government Ethics is now trolling Trump on Twitter". Mashable. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
82. "U.S. OGE on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
83. "Schiff demands Trump turn over Comey 'tapes'". Politico. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
84. "Schiff demands Trump turn over Comey 'tapes'". Politico. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
85. Jeremy Diamond. "No one knows if Trump is making White House recordings". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
86. "Spicer: Trump Warning Comey About 'Tapes' Is 'Not A Threat'". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
87. "Williams: Firing Comey 'Important Way of FBI Regaining Credibility'". Fox News. May 9, 2017.
88. Haberman, Maggie; Thrush, Glenn (May 10, 2017). "'Enough Was Enough': How Festering Anger at Comey Ended in His Firing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
89. Dawsey, Josh. "'He got tired of him'". Politico. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
90. Brian Bennett, to NBC's Lester Holt: Comey's 'a showboat,' 'I was going to fire regardless of recommendation', Los Angeles Times (May 11, 2017).
91. ^ Wittes, Benjamin; Hennessey, Susan (May 9, 2017). "The Nightmare Scenario: Trump Fires Comey, the One Man Who Would Stand Up to Him". Lawfare Blog. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
92. Beavers, Olivia (May 9, 2017). "Franken rips Sessions for encouraging Comey firing". The Hill.
93. "Comey "lost the confidence" of FBI employees, says Sarah Huckabee Sanders". Retrieved May 11, 2017.
94. ^ Goldman, Adam; Savage, Charlie (May 10, 2017). "Inside the F.B.I., Stunned Agents Wonder About Future of Russia Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
95. ^ Tal Kopan, Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz, "Comey firing sends shockwaves through FBI rank-and-file", CNN (May 10, 2017).
96. Mike Levine, New acting FBI chief pushes back on WH assertion that rank and file lost confidence in Comey, ABC News (May 11, 2017).
97. "Behind Comey's firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia". Politico. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
98. "Comey Ouster Threatens to Backfire on Troubled White House". Bloomberg News. May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
99. "Trump has now admitted he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation". Vox. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
100. Kevin Liptak. "Trump contradicts spokeswoman on effect of Comey firing". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
101. Kevin Liptak. "Behind the scenes of James Comey's epic firing". CNN.
102. "Inside Trump's anger and impatience — and his sudden decision to fire Comey". The Washington Post.
103. Gregory Krieg. "Trump once cheered Comey for the same reason he just fired him". CNN.
104. "Behind Comey's firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia". Politico. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
105. ^ Jake Tapper. "Source close to Comey says there were 2 reasons the FBI director was fired". CNN. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
106. Carter, Brandon (May 10, 2017). "Comey fired for intensifying investigation of Trump, Russia ties: report". The Hill. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
107. Rosie Gray; McKay Coppins. "'There Is a Real Risk Here Things Will Spin Out of Control'". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
108. "Is this the real reason Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey?". The Independent. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
109. Malloy, Allie (May 10, 2017). "Trump says he fired Comey because he wasn't 'doing a good job'". CNN. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
110. "President Trump just completely contradicted the official White House account of the Comey firing". The Week. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
111. Kevin Liptak. "White House: Removing Comey will help bring Russia investigation to end". CNN. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
112. "White House says it hopes Comey firing brings Russia investigation to an end". 7NEWS. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
113. "Removing Comey as FBI director will help bring Russia investigation to an end, says White House". Fox 59. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
114. Wittes, Benjamin; Hennessey, Susan (November 10, 2016). "We Need Comey At the FBI Now More Than Ever". Lawfare Blog. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
115. McKirdy, Euan (May 10, 2017). "Preet Bharara, Sally Yates and James Comey: Fired while investigating Donald Trump". CNN.
116. Joseph, Cameron (May 9, 2017). "Preet Bharara sounds the alarm about Trump firing FBI Director James Comey". New York Daily News.
117. Graham, Chris (May 10, 2017). "'Coup de Trump': How US newspapers reported FBI head James Comey's dismissal". The Daily Telegraph.
118. Sarat, Austin (May 10, 2017). "Slow-Motion Coup d'Etat".
119. Stanley, Timothy (May 10, 2017). "Trump had to do it". CNN.
120. Darcy, Oliver (May 10, 2017). "Conservative media unleashes on 'national embarrassment' Comey after firing". CNN.
121. "Comey Firing Coverage Shows Right-Wing Media Has Lost Its Grip On Reality". Media Matters for America. May 10, 2017.
122. "White House says no special prosecutor needed in Russia probe". CNN. May 10, 2017.
123. Vladimirov, Nikita (May 10, 2017). "Trump: Dems are 'phony hypocrites' for anger over Comey firing". The Hill. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
124. Mills, Curt (May 10, 2017). "Russian Minister Gets Sarcastic About Comey Firing". U.S. News & World Report.
125. Baker, Peter (May 9, 2017). "In Trump's Firing of James Comey, Echoes of Watergate". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
126. Shelbourne, Mallory (May 11, 2017). "20 attorneys general call for independent investigation on Russia". The Hill. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
127. ^ Rebecca Shabad, "James Comey has been asked to appear before Senate Intelligence Committee next Tuesday", CBS News (May 10, 2017).
128. Ali Rogin, "Comey invited to testify before Senate Intelligence Committee", ABC News (May 10, 2017).
129. Joe Uchill, "Senate Intel committee invites Comey to testify next week", The Hill (May 10, 2017).
130. Austin Wright, "Comey invited to testify before Senate panel", ABC News (May 10, 2017).
131. Alex Roarty (May 10, 2017). "Democrats talk of an 'impeachment clock' for Trump". The McClatchy Company.
132. Easley, Jonathan (May 10, 2017). "Dem reps: Trump is 'moving' toward impeachment". The Hill.
133. Saba Hamedy, "Blumenthal: Comey firing 'may well produce impeachment proceedings'", CNN (May 11, 2017).
134. Vitali, Ali; Siemaszko, Corky (May 11, 2017). "Trump Interview With Lester Holt: President Asked Comey If He Was Under Investigation". NBC News.
135. Bender, Michael C. (May 11, 2017). "Donald Trump Says He Decided to Fire James Comey Before Rod Rosenstein Letter". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
136. Emily Shugerman (May 12, 2017). "Donald Trump appears to threaten James Comey over 'tapes of our conversations'". The Independent.
137. Saad, Lydia (May 12, 2017). "Comey Firing Nets More Negative Reaction Than 1993 FBI Firing". Gallup. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
138. Hartig, Hannah; Lapinski, John; Perry, Stephanie (May 11, 2017). "Poll: Majority of Americans Think Comey's Dismissal Was Not Appropriate". NBC News. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
139. "HuffPost/YouGov poll on Comey" (PDF). HuffPost. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
140. "National Tracking Poll #170506". Politico. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.

• Current events from May 2017
• 2017 in American politics
• 2017 controversies in the United States
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• May 2017 events in the United States
• Termination of employment
• Trump administration controversies