President Trump on Wednesday claimed he didn’t fire James Comey due to the Russia investigation, even though he had previously cited the probe when discussing his decision to fire the former FBI director.
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“Slippery James Comey, the worst FBI Director in history, was not fired because of the phony Russia investigation where, by the way, there was NO COLLUSION (except by the Dems)!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
The claim comes after Trump last year specifically cited the investigation into Russian election interference while explaining his decision to fire Comey.
“Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey,” Trump said during an interview on NBC last year.
“And, in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story,’ ” Trump continued.
“It’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.”
Trump in recent days has been going on the attack against Comey, referring to the former FBI director as a “slimeball” and saying he will go down as the worst FBI director in history.
Comey has been doing a media blitz to promote his new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”
During a Tuesday interview on “The Late Show,” Comey told host Stephen Colbert that he was surprised when he got fired.
“I thought, I’m leading the Russia investigation. Even though our relationship was becoming strained, there’s no way I’m going to get fired,” Comey said during the interview.
During an interview on ABC that aired Sunday night, Comey said there’s “certainly some evidence” Trump obstructed justice when he asked about the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey also said during the ABC interview he thinks it’s possible Trump is compromised by Russia.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the Russia probe and has denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow.