© 2026 ABC News

And in a Tuesday night interview with ABC News, press secretary Sean Spicer rebuked Democrats' strong condemnation of the firing.

\"When you look at the bipartisan nature that should welcome this you have Sen. Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton all calling for or acknowledging the lack of confidence they had in the FBI director over the last several months,\" Spicer said. \"This is an action taken by the president upon the recommendation of deputy attorney general, the attorney general that I think should be greeted with strong bipartisan support.”

Spicer told ABC it \"was a DOJ decision\" to look into Comey, and that \"no one from the White House\" prompted the review. Spicer also said Trump met with acting FBI director Andrew McCabe in the Oval Office Tuesday night, but wouldn't comment further on the meeting.

The acting FBI director is Andrew McCabe, who was Comey's deputy prior to his firing. The attorney general will likely name an interim FBI director in the coming days amid the search for a permanent replacement.

Trump has previously been critical of Comey, suggesting that his actions helped Hillary Clinton during the campaign, while Clinton blamed Comey and his late announcement about the FBI's investigation into her email server contributed to her electoral college loss.

\"FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election. Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?\" Trump wrote in two tweets on May 2.

FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2017

...Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election. Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2017

In the wake of those tweets, Sean Spicer said \"the president has confidence in the director\" on May 3.

At the White House press briefing today, however, Spicer was reluctant to repeat that statement without first checking with the president. When ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl pressed Spicer today about the Comey’s inaccurate statements to Congress regarding Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s handling of emails, Spicer said he’d have to speak to the president first.

\"In light of what you are telling me, I don't want to start speaking on behalf of the president without speaking to him first,\" Spicer said.

In a statement, the FBI Agents Association said in part that \"FBI Agents should be given a voice in the process of selecting the next Director.\"

Comey, 56, was appointed to head the FBI in September 2013 by then-President Barack Obama. FBI directors typically serve a 10-year term, and his firing today means that he will have only served less than four years. Prior to that, he served as a deputy attorney general and a state's attorney.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, was one of the first politicians outside of the White House to release a statement. Graham acknowledged that it \"was a difficult decision for all concerned\" and said that he appreciates Comey's public service.

\"Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well. I encourage the President to select the most qualified professional available who will serve our nation’s interests,\" Graham's statement concluded.

ABC News' Alex Stone and Jack Date contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/fbi-director-james-comey-fired/story?id=47309009","legacySlug":"/news/story/fbi-director-james-comey-fired-47309009","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"03:20","publishDate":"05-10-2017","updatedTime":"22:55","updatedDate":"05-10-2017","socialImage":{"alt":"FBI Director James Comey pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, May 3, 2017.","credit":"Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/AP-james-comey-roku-jef-170509_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/10/2017 03:20:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":47309009,"headline":"FBI Director Comey fired amid Russia probe","mediaAssetTitle":"keneally_comey_170509","description":"The White House released a statement announcing the move.","duration":"8:21","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170510_ntl_comey_1239_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["47300260","47316898","47312490"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"May 9, 2017","headline":"Comey gave inaccurate testimony about Clinton emails","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/comey-gave-inaccurate-testimony-congress-clinton-emails-sources-47300260","id":47300260,"image":{"alt":"Comey gave inaccurate testimony about Clinton emails","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/epa-comey-er-170503_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Shawn Thew/EPA","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"video","date":"May 10, 2017","headline":"President Trump fires FBI Director James Comey","section":"news","slug":"/video/47316898","id":47316898,"image":{"alt":"President Trump fires FBI Director James Comey","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Nightline/170510_ntl_comey_1239_4x5_240.jpg","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"video","date":"May 10, 2017","headline":"FBI Director James Comey fired by Trump","section":"news","slug":"/video/47312490","id":47312490,"image":{"alt":"FBI Director James Comey fired by Trump","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/WNT/170509_wn_karl_4x5_240.jpg","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"FBI Director Comey fired amid Russia probe","description":"The White House released a statement announcing the move.","duration":"8:21","uploadDate":"05-10-2017","publication":"05-10-2017","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170510_ntl_comey_1239_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2017/05/170510_ntl_comey_1239_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/fbi-director-james-comey-fired-47309009"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"FBI Director Comey fired amid Russia probe","pubTime":"23:20","pubDate":"05-09-2017","modTime":"18:55","modDate":"05-10-2017","taxonomyTags":"none","id":47309009,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"FBI Director Comey fired amid Russia probe","mediaAssetTitle":"keneally_comey_170509","videoId":47309009,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/fbi-director-james-comey-fired-47309009"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/47309009","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/47309009","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};