Over the last 24 hours, the biggest story to dominate the news has been the firing of James Comey as the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Since then, Donald Trump has been on the defensive over his decision, which continued during an early morning tweet-storm.
Trump on Twitter
James Comey has been one of the most controversial individuals in Washington ever since the end of the 2016 presidential election. As the director of the FBI, Comey raised eyebrows late last year when he brought up the controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton's use of an email server during her time as Secretary of State.
Doing so just weeks before Election Day caused many, in the minds of liberals and Democrats, to be turned off to Clinton, leading to a Donald Trump victory in November. At the time, Trump seemed thrilled with Comey, but that has all changed since the inauguration. Comey has since been the man in charge of leading the investigation into what role Russia played in hacking the Democratic National Committee, as well as the possibility that they worked with the Trump campaign to do so. As the pressure mounted, Trump decided to fire Comey on Tuesday, and continued to lash out on Twitter on May 10.
The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Taking to Twitter on May 10, Donald Trump continued to vent his obvious frustrations.
"The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!" he wrote. "Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike," Trump tweeted, before adding, "When things calm down, they will be thanking me!" While the news has been met with a partisan divide, even some Republicans and supporters of the White House have pushed back over the timing of what took place.
Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Just two hours later, Donald Trump returned to Twitter, this time responding to the breaking story that former adviser Roger Stone had pushed the president into firing James Comey.
"The Roger Stone report on @CNN is false - Fake News," Trump wrote, while noting, "Have not spoken to Roger in a long time - had nothing to do with my decision." Stone had been an adviser during the early days of the campaign, but was let go in 2015, despite still being closely linked to the former host of "The Apprentice."
The Roger Stone report on @CNN is false - Fake News. Have not spoken to Roger in a long time - had nothing to do with my decision.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2017
Moving forward
As the drama continues to surround the termination of James Comey, Donald Trump is doing his best to deflect away from the Russian scandal. Despite his best efforts, the president's approval rating is hovering around just 40 percent, the lowest number for a president at the start of his administration in almost 75 years.
