He wanted surrogates out there beating the drum. Instead, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told him he was making a big mistake - and Trump seemed “taken aback,” according to a person familiar with the call.īy Tuesday evening, the president was watching the coverage of his decision and frustrated no one was on TV defending him, a White House official said.

White House officials believed it would be a “win-win” because Republicans and Democrats alike had had problems with the FBI director, one person briefed on the administration’s deliberations said. Trump made a round of calls around 5 p.m., asking for support from senators. Trump had grown angry with the Russia investigation - particularly Comey admitting in front of the Senate that the FBI was investigating his campaign - and that the FBI director wouldn’t support his claims that President Barack Obama had tapped his phones in Trump Tower.īipartisan criticism of Comey had mounted since last summer after the director delivered a lengthy statement outlining why no charges would be brought against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server.īut the fallout seemed to take the White House by surprise. “The timing of this firing was very troubling,” said Sen. “Our phones all buzzed and people said, ‘What?’”īy ousting the FBI director investigating his campaign and associates, Trump may have added more fuel to the fire he is furiously trying to contain - and he was quickly criticized by a chorus of Republicans and Democrats.

“Nobody really knew,” one senior White House official said. Other top officials learned just before it happened and were unaware Trump was considering firing Comey. It startled all but the uppermost ring of White House advisers, who said grumbling about Comey hadn’t dominated their own morning senior staff meetings. The news stunned Comey, who saw news of his dismissal on TV while speaking inside the FBI office in Los Angeles.

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