Donald Trump publicly commented on why he fired FBI Director James Comey for the first time Wednesday.
Though the president fired off a slew of tweets about Comey earlier that morning, the president was asked by the White House pool his reasoning for firing Comey during an Oval Office meeting with Henry Kissinger.
“He wasn’t doing a good job,” Trump said. “Very simply. He was not doing a good job.”
Trump said the decision to dismiss Comey did not affect his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that happened earlier that morning either: “Not at all.”
President Trump says he fired FBI Director James Comey because “he was not doing a good job” https://t.co/sqSzwNDtev https://t.co/OlaLom6jgm
— CNN (@CNN) May 10, 2017
Trump sent Comey packing Tuesday, citing the way he handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server, after he received two recommendations to do so from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
“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,” Trump said in a letter to Comey that was dated Tuesday. “It is essential that we find new leadership for the F.B.I. that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”
“You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.” (RELATED: Before Trump Fired Comey For How He Handled Hillary’s Emails, He Praised Him For It)