Episode description

Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey shocked the nation. Initially, the White House claimed that the president had fired the director because of Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, based on the recommendation of new Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Trump backed off that story almost immediately and admitted that he’d decided to fire Comey all by himself. The president admitted that he fired Comey in part because Comey was overseeing the “Russia thing.”

Leon Neyfakh of Slate has been reporting on Comey’s firing and the swirling justifications coming out of the White House. He joins host Lindsay Beyerstein to discuss the current state of affairs and what might come next. This episode also features a special comment from Lindsay on Trump, Comey, and democratic norms.

Recommended Reading:

The Toughest Death of 2016: The Democratic Norms that (Used To) Guide our Political System by Seth Masket for Pacific Standard, December 2106