It came as a shock to many when just before 6PM, the network news anchors broke into programming to announce that President Donald Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey. What followed were hours of analyzing (call that guessing?) at the whys, and what happens next.
Was the firing a surprise or as the New York Times, and others, say was a long time in coming! [Two videos at the end]
Here’s a look at the morning after headlines and today’s twitter post by the president:
New York Times: Trump and Comey: An Abrupt Ending That Was a Year in the Making
President Trump’s decision on Tuesday to fire James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director who had been leading an investigation into possible ties between his campaign and Russia, came in a bombshell announcement that left Washington reeling.
But it had been a long time coming.
USA Today: James Comey firing was inevitable
Is anyone surprised that President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey? Well, yes — some are surprised he did it, and others are surprised it took so long.
Politico: Trump pulls from Nixon’s playbook
The president is the first since Watergate to fire an official in the middle of investigating potential misconduct by his own campaign.
On the evening of Saturday October 20, 1973, Federal Judge John Sirica sat in front of his television set watching FBI agents seal off the office of the Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who had just been fired at the command of the Nixon White House. The scene reminded him of a banana republic coup. “What the hell is this crowd doing?” he asked.
Fox News (main web page): FOCUS TURNS TO WHO’S NEXT
Trump expected to nominate Comey’s replacement ‘in the coming days’
The rest of the main page contains headline after headline looking at the Trump firing of Comey.
MSNBC: Tom Brokaw, NBC News Senior correspondent, talks with Rachel Maddow about how James Comey’s compromised political position provided cover for Donald Trump to fire him while focused on the investigations into his ties to Russia. Brokaw says “Take a deep breath, this isn’t Watergate … yet!
And finally, Bloomberg looks ahead at what’s scheduled for today;
Bloomberg: U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, citing Comey’s handling of the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s private email server. Bloomberg’s Kevin Cirilli reports on “Bloomberg Surveillance.”
