© J. Scott Applewhite APIn this March 7, 2017, file photo, then-Deputy Attorney General-designate Rod Rosenstein, listens on Capitol Hill in Washington, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The author of a scathing memo that the White House used to help justify the firing of FBI Director James Comey is also overseeing a Justice Department investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In a three-page rebuke of Comey’s conduct, Rosenstein said the FBI director had usurped the attorney general’s authority last year when he announced that the FBI was closing its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email as secretary of state.
Trump listened to what they had to say in a private meeting that was not disclosed on his public schedule and then asked for them to put their reasons in writing.
Rosenstein wrote a scathing three-page memo entitled "Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI" about Comey's botched handling of the high-profile investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. That memo was delivered to the White House early Tuesday.
Hours later, Trump had made his decision: He fired Comey in a terse letter that didn't mention the Clinton investigation. It was hand-delivered to FBI headquarters by his former longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller, now director of Oval Office operations.
He then called 10 members of Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to inform them of the news that was about to quickly become public.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she was surprised when Trump called her at 5:30 p.m. to say he was firing Comey on Session's and Rosenstein's recommendation because "the department is a mess." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Trump called him five minutes before the news became public and told him about Rosenstein's letter and that he thought Comey couldn't lead the agency.
"He wasn't doing a good job," Trump said in brief remarks Wednesday. "Very simply. He was not doing a good job."
The quick action on Comey stands in sharp contrast to the delay that characterized Trump's reaction to word from then Acting Attorney General Sally Yates that Trump's first national security adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, had been monitored talking to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and that that monitoring showed that Flynn had lied about what he and Kislyak discussed. Yates met twice in the White House with White House counsel Donald McGahn on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27, but Trump only fired Flynn 18 days later, after the news of the Yates-McGahn meeting was reported by the Washington Post.
The account of Trump's meeting with Sessions and Rosenstein, which has not been reported previously, was offered by officials familiar with the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The shocking firing came days after Comey, a federal prosecutor rising to deputy attorney general in the George W. Bush administration, reportedly asked his new boss, Rosenstein, for additional money and personnel for the bureau's investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election, according to reports. The White House referred questions about the issue to the Department of Justice, which did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump met with Sessions and Rosenstein about other issues Monday, but they offered their assessment, Sanders said. She did not know if Trump spoke to them again after that meeting but before the firing.
Sanders said Trump consulted with numerous people before he made his decision Tuesday, but she declined to say who.
Sanders said Trump has been considering firing Comey since he was elected in November.
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