Quick Note on the Comey Firing
By My friend has a theory, and it’s an interesting one. One variant of Trump’s Razor holds that all of his behavior is ultimately rooted in his narcissism. As has been clear for a while, he’s fairly easily to goad. He’s obsessed with slights against him. That kind of thing. So, here’s the deal.
First, reports suggest that Trump decided to fire Comey last week.
President Trump’s decision Tuesday to fire FBI Director James Comey has been in the works since at least last week, according to multiple media reports. Senior officials at the White House and Justice Department were working on building a case against Comey since that time, according to The New York Times. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was asked to come with reasons to oust him. CNN reported the discussions were confined to the highest levels of the Trump administration. Shortly after Comey’s firing was announced, the White House circulated letters from Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, justifying the decision. Rosenstein cited Comey’s handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s private email server, which Trump repeatedly promoted during the 2016 campaign. The firing occurred weeks after Comey confirmed that the FBI is investigating whether Trump associates colluded with Russia in its efforts to meddle in the 2016 election.
Second, what happened last week?
FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that it makes him “mildly nauseous” to think his decision to reopen the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails just days before the election could have impacted voters, but added he would make the same choice again.
So was Trump pissed that Comey might have dissed him? That he reaffirmed the existance of an investigation into connections between Moscow and members of the Trump Administration? Both?
The bizarre letter of dismissal certainly has the whiff of Trump in full petulance mode.
And, yes: The bizarre, petty narcissism even extends to a letter publicly humiliating and firing an FBI director. pic.twitter.com/qruYGjh59D
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) May 9, 2017
Realize that this theory actually makes things worse.
@dhnexon Trump is incompetent and ignorant enough to create a giant mess just because he was pissed off. A planner he’s not.
— Elizabeth R. Upton (@erupton) May 9, 2017
