When President Donald Trump accused outgoing President Barack Obama in March of 'wiretapping' him, James B. Comey, then the FBI director, was "flabbergasted," reports the New York Times in a breakdown of Comey's thuggish dismissal that includes jawdropping detail. The president, Comey told his FBI associates, was "outside the realm of normal," even "crazy."
Those are the words he used, reports the Times.
For his part, Mr. Trump fumed when Mr. Comey publicly dismissed the sensational wiretapping claim. In the weeks that followed, he grew angrier and began talking about firing Mr. Comey. After stewing last weekend while watching Sunday talk shows at his New Jersey golf resort, Mr. Trump decided it was time. There was "something wrong with" Mr. Comey, he told aides.
The collision between president and F.B.I. director that culminated with Mr. Comey's stunning dismissal on Tuesday had been a long time coming. To a president obsessed with loyalty, Mr. Comey was a rogue operator who could not be trusted as the F.B.I. investigated Russian ties to Mr. Trump's campaign. To a lawman obsessed with independence, Mr. Trump was the ultimate loose cannon, making irresponsible claims on Twitter and jeopardizing the bureau's credibility.
Impeachment time. Can't wait for 2018.
NYT: 'Enough Was Enough': How Festering Anger at Comey Ended in His Firing
Trump is weighing a trip to the FBI headquarters at the J Edgar Hoover building on Friday, per two people briefed https://t.co/lge1bKCfYc
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) May 11, 2017