CNN
During a press conference on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said FBI Director James Comey was dismissed because he committed “atrocities.” Sanders said President Trump had been considering the decision before his inauguration but ultimately decided to fire Comey on Tuesday. “Once you take over leading the department of just, that’s very different from being a candidate in a campaign,” she said. “I think also having a letter like the one he received and having that conversation that outlined the basic, just, atrocities in circumventing the chain of command in the Department of Justice.” Sanders noted that the deputy attorney general and attorney general met with Trump on Monday to discuss their belief that Comey should be let go. “Any person of legal mind and authority knows what a big deal that is, particularly in the department of justice, particularly for somebody like the deputy attorney general who has been part of the Department of Justice for 30 years and is such a respected person. When he saw that, he had to speak up on that action, and I think that was the final catalyst.”