White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly found out about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey the same way he did: by seeing it on television.
President Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, and initially White House staff indicated that he was following the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who criticized Comey’s conduct during Hillary Clinton’s email investigation. Trump later said during an interview that he planned on firing Comey anyway, calling him a “grandstander” and a “showboat.”
Trump kept his team in the dark about his plan to fire Comey because he was concerned about leaks, according to a report from the Associated Press on Saturday. Not only did Bannon learn about Comey’s ouster on TV, but the communications staff tasked with explaining the move were given only an hour’s notice, the report said.
Comey was speaking to a group of FBI employees when news of his firing was reported on TV, and at first he thought it was a prank. He stepped into a side office and learned that the news was true.
Speculation since Comey’s firing has ignited debate and calls for action from members of Congress. They have questioned whether Trump chose to fire Comey because of FBI investigations into whether the Trump campaign had ties to Russia.
