President Donald Trump said he was going to fire James Comey “regardless of recommendation,” conflicting with previous statements made by the White House.
During an exclusive interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, Trump said, “I was going to fire Comey.”
“There’s no good time to do it, by the way,” Trump asserted, before Holt pressed him on whether or not he fired Comey at the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “Oh, I was going to fire him regardless of recommendation.”
“[Rosenstein] made a recommendation. He’s highly respected, very good guy, very smart guy, the Democrats like him, the Republicans like him. He made a recommendation, but regardless of recommendation I was going to fire Comey,” Trump repeated.
WATCH:
Trump’s assertions are slightly different than those made by the White House during Wednesday’s press briefing.
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had considered firing Comey since the election, but that the ultimate decision was due to recommendations brought to him by Department of Justice officials.