James Comey Firing: Obstruction of the Russia Investigation

Overview

The Comey firing was not subtle. The Director of the FBI was leading the Russia investigation. He was fired. Two days later, Trump told a national television audience that "the Russia thing" was on his mind when he decided to do it.

The day after the firing, Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office that firing Comey had relieved "great pressure" on him.

The Stated Reason

The White House initially said Comey was fired because of a memo from Deputy AG Rosenstein criticizing his handling of the Clinton email investigation. Rosenstein later told associates he was disgusted that his memo was used this way. The timing was implausible: the Clinton email investigation had concluded 18 months earlier, and Trump had praised Comey's handling of it during the campaign.

The stated reason was a pretext. Trump acknowledged the actual reason on NBC.

The NBC Admission

"When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story."

This was not an off-the-record comment or a leaked document. It was a statement given voluntarily to a network news anchor on national television, with cameras rolling.

The Oval Office Meeting

The day after firing the FBI director investigating Russian election interference, Trump hosted Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Kislyak in the Oval Office. U.S. press was not present; Russian state media photographed the meeting. According to reporting later corroborated in the Mueller report, Trump told them: "I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job... I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off."

Mueller's Assessment

The Mueller report identified 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice. For the Comey firing, Mueller found "substantial evidence" of corrupt intent but declined to recommend charges, citing DOJ policy. He wrote that the charging decision had been reserved for Congress.

Congress impeached Trump twice. He was acquitted both times.