The reason the Trump administration gave for firing Mr. Comey this year is the exact<br />same reason for which Mr. Trump praised Mr. Comey last year: the former F. B.I.<br />Based on his repeated public comments lacerating Mrs. Clinton and praising Mr. Comey for reopening the investigation in October, there is no disputing the fact<br />that Mr. Trump personally rejects the core arguments that his aides are now giving for his firing of the F. B.I.<br />Indeed, in his letter informing Mr. Comey that he was fired, the president did not mention Mr. Comey’s handling of Mrs. Clinton’s email, but he did mention<br />that Mr. Comey has told him personally not once, not twice, but three times that he wasn’t the subject of the F. B.I.’s investigation.<br />It does not require great detective skill to see that there is something else is going on here and<br />that the something else involves the F. B.I.’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.<br />director: that Mr. Comey overstepped his role; that he disclosed information critical of Hillary Clinton in July when the F. B.I.<br />Don’t Be Complicit, Republicans -<br />President Trump’s firing of James Comey, the 7th director of the F.<br />For the record, it was in March that Mr. Comey confirmed in a congressional hearing that the F. B.I.<br />In fact, Mr. Trump’s animus toward Mrs. Clinton was so deep<br />that he endorsed the “lock her up” chants from his supporters and declared that “she has to go to jail.”<br />The president wanted Mr. Comey fired all right, but for reasons other than the one that was publicly stated.
