May 8-12, 2017: Trump Fires F.B.I. Director - but Not Because of Russia - Uh, Check That

 

5/8/17: The president wakes up constipated. He lets rip in another angry, early morning tweet: “The Russian-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?”

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5/9/17: In a bold move to end the “taxpayer-funded charade,” not to mention cover his lard ass, Trump fires F.B.I. director James Comey. White House aides are at pains to point out that the president “acted based on the clear recommendations” of two men, Attorney General Jeff Sessions (who later pisses Trump off; see: 7/20/17) and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (see again: 7/20/17).  

 

“This has nothing to do with Russia.” 

White House officials insist Comey lost control of the F.B.I. Kellyanne Conway tells Anderson Cooper that evening: “This had nothing to do with Russia, as much as somebody must be getting $50 every time the word is said, I’m convinced, on TV. This has nothing to do with Russia.” 

“Nada.” (See: 5/11/17.)

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5/10/17: At a morning press gathering Sarah Huckabee Sanders assures reporters and anyone listening, including Vladimir Putin, that Trump fired Comey only because of letters he received. These letters said Comey had lost the confidence of rank-and-file agents at the Bureau. 

Sanders adds that she, personally, has talked to all kinds of F.B.I. agents who told her they had lost confidence in the Director. 

BLOGGER’S NOTE: In April 2019, Sanders finally admits that was a lie. She hadn’t talked to a single F.B.I. agent at all.

 

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THE PRESIDENT has an afternoon meeting  with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This meeting is kept secret for two days, in large part because the “fake news” folks are banned from attending. Also, because the White House decides not to mention it. 

Even after the news leaks, White House aides decide to release photos, but crop Kislyak out of the scene. (See: 5/12/17.)

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5/11/17: In an interview with Lester Holt of NBC, Trump explains his rationale for the Comey firing. Holt wonders: How much of a factor were those recommendations by Sessions and Rosenstein? 

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“Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation.”

 

President Trump, referring to James Comey

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“Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation,” Trump replies. “I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. And, in fact, 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.’” 

That’s right. Comey was fired because of the Russian investigation. Who says so? The fool in the Oval Office.

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5/12/17: The Russians prank the president, releasing photos of his meeting with Kislyak, and a variety of other Russians, including representatives of the Russian media. Everyone in the photos appears to be having a great time. 

Part of the fun involves Trump telling the Russians he fired Comey because he was “crazy, a real nut job.” 

A week later, The New York Times acquires a leaked document outlining what was discussed at the meeting. “I faced great pressure because of Russia,” Trump told his foreign pals. “That’s taken off.”