Fact Checker: The facts we know so far about President Trump's firing of James Comey as FBI director

The facts we know so far about President Trump’s firing of James Comey as FBI director There was bombshell news this week: President Trump fired the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, becoming the second United States president to ever do so. There are so many questions about the firing, but not many concrete …   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The truth behind the rhetoric   The facts we know so far about President Trump’s firing of James Comey as FBI director There was bombshell news this week: President Trump fired the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, becoming the second United States president to ever do so. There are so many questions about the firing, but not many concrete facts yet. So we sorted through some of the key questions and inconsistencies that arose from the firing of James B. Comey. Did Comey really tell Trump he wasn’t under FBI investigation?  There was an unusual line in Trump’s letter firing Comey: “I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation.” It raised many questions: When did this happen? Who raised the question? And would this type of conversation have been appropriate? Since we don’t know for sure what happened in their private conversations, we contacted former attorneys general to get the necessary context. Here’s what they said: Alberto Gonzales, attorney general, 2005-2007 (George W. Bush): "I don't know if it in fact happened. It's hard for me to think of a situation where it might be appropriate," Gonzales said. He said that, if asked by the president about such a probe, the best response would be: "I can't answer that question and it would be wise for us to not have this discussion." He said that because the investigation had not been completed, "how would he [Comey] know where he would end up with the investigation?" William P. Barr, attorney general, 1991-1993 (George H.W. Bush): "The President is the chief law enforcement officer and it is perfectly appropriate for the Attorney General to discuss cases with the President that don't touch on the President himself," Barr said. "For example, I discussed the Pan Am 103 case with the President." But he added: "I don't know the scope or current thrust of the Russian investigation. Comey would know." Enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to someone else who'd like it! If this e-mail was forwarded to you, sign up here for the weekly newsletter. Hear something fact-checkable? Send it here, we’ll check it out.  ADVERTISEMENT   All the conflicting explanations for Comey firing from Trump and White House So exactly why did the president fire Comey? Seems like a simple question, but the answer remained elusive for days following the news. Trump and his White House staff gave numerous explanations, contradicting each other. We compiled a timeline to sort through it. Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, May 9. The reason, according to Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and White house staff: Trump acted on the deputy attorney general's recommendation. Then, on Wednesday, May 10, the story changed: Trump had considered firing Comey for months, but acted upon DOJ's recommendations. Then, on Thursday, May 11, it changed again: Trump planned to fire Comey regardless of the DOJ's recommendations. Later on Thursday, Trump offered yet another reason for firing Comey: The FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. (giphy.com) We’re always looking for fact-check suggestions! You can also reach us via email, Twitter (@myhlee, @GlennKesslerWP or use#FactCheckThis), or Facebook (Fact Checker or myhlee). Read about our rating scale here, and sign up here for our weekly Fact Checker newsletter.  Scroll down for this week’s Pinocchio roundup. — Michelle Ye Hee Lee Despite critics’ claims, the GOP health bill doesn't classify rape or sexual assault as a preexisting condition We check out a viral claim about the House GOP plan to replace Obamacare, and whether it makes rape or sexual assault a preexisting condition. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   Kamala D. Harris’s claim that 129 million people with preexisting conditions ‘could be denied coverage’ The California Democrat uses a rather high figure to blast a narrow provision of the House GOP health plan. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   Decoding HHS Secretary Price’s spin on the American Health Care Act HHS Secretary Tom Price engaged in misleading, verbal gymnastics to defend the House GOP health bill. Here's a guide to his rhetoric. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   Trump’s claim that a military hospital ‘precluded’ service members from receiving religious items Trump mischaracterizes a 2011 policy that was quickly rescinded and revised. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   Trump’s pointing of the finger at Obama for failing to vet Flynn The president and his aides claim that Obama gave a security clearance to Flynn. But there's less than meets the eye. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   All of the White House's conflicting explanations for Comey's firing: A timeline As a public service, we compiled a timeline of the shifting rhetoric by Trump and his staff. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   Did Trump and Sessions flip-flop on Comey’s decisions in the Clinton investigation? We explore the inconsistencies in statements Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions made on the 2016 campaign trail, compared to their actions as president and attorney general in May 2017. By Michelle Ye Hee Lee  •  Read more »   Was it appropriate for Trump and Comey to discuss whether Trump was under investigation? We ask former attorneys general and FBI directors whether they would have had this conversation. By Glenn Kessler  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   The Health 202 Your daily guide to Washington's health-care debate. Sign Up »         Share Fact Checker:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Fact Checker. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071