memeorandum: Sessions was told to find reasons to fire Comey: reports (Jordan Fabian/The Hill)

3:15 PM ET, May 10, 2017

Top Items:

Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for Money for Russia Investigation — WASHINGTON — Days before he was fired, James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, asked the Justice Department for a significant increase in money and personnel for the bureau's investigation into Russia's interference …

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Behind Comey's firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia — President Donald Trump weighed firing his FBI director for more than a week. When he finally pulled the trigger Tuesday afternoon, he didn't call James Comey. He sent his longtime private security guard to deliver …

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

After Trump fired Comey, White House staff scrambled to explain why — White House press secretary Sean Spicer wrapped up his brief interview with Fox Business from the White House grounds late Tuesday night and then disappeared into the shadows, huddling with his staff behind a tall hedge.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, New York's PIX11, Gizmodo, RedState, The Week, Business Insider, Daily Kos, AOL and Washington Free Beacon

CNN:

CNN exclusive: Grand jury subpoenas issued in FBI's Russia investigation — Washington (CNN)Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records, as part of the ongoing probe of Russian meddling in last year's election …

Anita Kumar / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Exclusive: Oval Office meeting led to fire Comey recommendation — WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his new deputy, Rod Rosenstein, arrived at the Oval Office Monday with a message for President Donald Trump: His embattled FBI Director James Comey needed to be fired.

Discussion: The Week and The Guardian

James Hohmann / Washington Post:

The Daily 202: Firing FBI director Comey is already backfiring on Trump. It's only going to get worse. — THE BIG IDEA: After the president fired James Comey, the cloud hanging over the White House just got bigger and darker. — Donald Trump has surrounded himself with sycophants …

Discussion: Booman Tribune

Jonathan Swan / Axios:

Inside the WH scramble to defend Trump on Comey — Sources at the White House described scenes of confusion in the hours following news of Trump firing Comey. Internally, at least at a fairly senior level, people were scrambling to figure out what happened.

Discussion: Vox, ABC News, Media Matters for America, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Joe.My.God., New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Week, ThinkProgress and Balloon Juice

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

In the wake of Trump's brazen firing of Comey, it's time to go nuclear. Here's how. — THE MORNING PLUM: — President Trump's Tuesday Night Massacre — his firing of FBI director James Comey — was such a brazen power play in the context of the FBI's ongoing Russia probe that even some Republicans are troubled by it.

Discussion: The Atlantic, ABC News, Mother Jones, Vox, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, FOX News Radio, CNN, RedState, Bloomberg, New York Times, Mediaite and Business Insider

John Hayward / Breitbart:

Gorka: Trump Fired FBI Director to Make a Statement After Comey's Latest Testimony — On Wednesday's Breitbart News Daily, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to President Trump, said the firing of FBI Director James Comey was an example of how “incredibly decisive” the president is.

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:

John McCain on Comey firing: ‘There will be more shoes to drop’ — President Trump's sudden firing of FBI Director James B. Comey is bad for the country and will not be the end of the Trump-Russia affair, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told a group of foreign diplomats and experts Tuesday night.

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, CNN and CNBC

Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart:

Stephen Colbert Corrects Audience for Cheering News of Comey Firing — Late Show host Stephen Colbert was surprised on Tuesday when his audience cheered lustily as he informed them that President Donald Trump had fired FBI director James Comey. — Evidently the left-leaning Colbert fans …

Discussion: twitchy.com, NBC News, Maggie's Farm, Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Caller, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, National Review and Gothamist

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

Sessions was told to find reasons to fire Comey: reports — President Trump's decision Tuesday to fire FBI Director James Comey has been in the works since at least last week, according to multiple media reports. — Senior officials at the White House and Justice Department were working …

Discussion: Politico, Just Security, Vox, ABC News, Mediaite, The Guardian, Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, Common Dreams and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Wall Street Journal:

Before James Comey's Dismissal, a Growing Frustration at White House — In the months before James Comey's dismissal, frustration was growing among top associates of President Donald Trump that the FBI director wouldn't publicly tamp down questions about possible collusion with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, New York Times and CNN

David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Donald Trump Is Lying Again, Now About James Comey

Discussion: Hit & Run, Politico, Washington Post and The Daily Caller

Shannon Vavra / Axios:
Lavrov mocks America's “humiliating” situation

Discussion: Vox and Political Wire

New York Times:
Inside the F.B.I., Stunned Agents Wonder About Future of Russia Inquiry

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Mike Allen / Axios:
GOP baffled by timing; WH braces for independent probe

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, The Mahablog and Vox

Seung Min Kim / Politico:
McConnell rejects calls for special prosecutor

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Political Wire, mccain.senate.gov, ThinkProgress and Snopes.com

Byron York / Washington Examiner:
To fire Comey, Trump team waited for Rosenstein

Discussion: Hot Air and Washington Post

Austin Wright / Politico:
Comey invited to testify before Senate panel

Discussion: Axios

David Weigel / Washington Post:
From Fox News to the Senate floor, Republicans close ranks behind Trump firing Comey

Discussion: Political Wire, Hit & Run, New York Magazine, The Nation and USA Today

Jeffrey Frank / New Yorker:
Comey's Firing Is—and Isn't—Like Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre

Discussion: Raw Story, CNBC and Mediaite

John Harwood / CNBC: Trump's firing of Comey endangers his entire presidency

Keven Ann Willey / Dallas Morning News:
Pete Sessions: Comey should have been removed ‘in a more gracious way’

Discussion: Shareblue, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times and The Week

David Catanese / US News: In Firing Comey, Trump Takes His Biggest Gamble Yet

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
McCain: ‘More shoes to drop’ on Russia investigation

Discussion: CNN, The Moderate Voice, RedState and Washington Post

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Conway: It's ‘inappropriate’ to question Trump's firing decisions

Discussion: ABC News

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:
Comey sought more resources for Russia probe days before he was fired by President Trump, officials say

Discussion: Vox, ThinkProgress, RedState, Daily Kos, Raw Story and Boing Boing

Gen. Michael Hayden / The Hill:
Michael Hayden: When Trump's Washington starts to resemble Nicaragua

Discussion: RedState

Elizabeth Drew / Politico:
OK, NOW Is It Watergate? — President Donald Trump's astonishing …

Discussion: ABC News, Axios, Washington Post and Mediaite

Euan McKirdy / CNN:
Preet Bharara, Sally Yates and James Comey: Fired while investigating Donald Trump

Discussion: CNBC, Raw Story, Media Matters for America and The Daily Caller

BBC:
Rod Rosenstein's letter recommending Comey is fired

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Mediaite, CNN and Bloomberg

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
11 possible contenders to replace Comey

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Chris Cillizza / CNN:
Anderson Cooper's eyeroll is all of us right now

Discussion: The Root

New York Times:
Updates and Reactions to F.B.I. Director Comey's Firing

Phil Helsel / NBC News: Trump Hires Law Firm to Fight Suggestions of Russia Business Ties

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:
Franken rips Sessions for encouraging Comey firing

Discussion: ThinkProgress

GQ:

Dwayne Johnson for President! — No one gets up earlier than Dwayne Johnson. Or goes to bed later. Or is more awake during the hours in between. No one in Hollywood is more buff, more driven, or gets paid better. The man has so much charisma and ambition he can do anything.

Discussion: The Hill, Refinery29, TheBlaze, Mashable, CBS Denver, The Federalist and Business Insider

Samantha Schmidt / Washington Post:

West Virginia journalist arrested after asking HHS Secretary Tom Price a question — As Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price walked through a hallway Tuesday in the West Virginia state capitol, veteran reporter Dan Heyman followed alongside him, holding up his phone to Price while attempting to ask him a question.

Discussion: New York Times, Esquire, Vox, Political Insider blog, WV MetroNews, IJR, NPR, Reporters Without Borders, Mediaite, Consumerist, New York Magazine, The Daily Caller and Common Dreams

WSAZ-TV:
Reporter arrested at W.Va. Capitol during visit from Conway and Price

more at Mediagazer »

Tara Bahrampour / Washington Post:

U.S. Census director resigns amid turmoil over funding of 2020 count — The director of the U.S. Census Bureau is resigning, leaving the agency leaderless at a time when it faces a crisis over funding for the 2020 decennial count of the U.S. population and beyond.

Discussion: Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Science, The Hill and FiveThirtyEight

Melanie Zanona / The Hill:

Violence erupts on Southwest Airlines flight … Violence erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight Sunday, in the latest chaotic scene involving airline passengers to emerge on social media. — A fight broke out between two passengers as they were deplaning a Southwest flight from Dallas …

Discussion: KTLA and RedState

CNN:
Passengers get into fistfight aboard Southwest flight

Discussion: Los Angeles Times and The Root

Hadas Gold / Politico:

News outlets shut out of Trump meeting with Russians — On Wednesday morning as controversy swirled over the president abruptly firing his FBI chief amid an investigation of possible ties between Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, the president met in the Oval Office with none …

Discussion: Washington Post, Business Insider and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
Trump's Meeting With Russian Officials Was Closed To Media — Except Gov't

Discussion: The Atlantic, Fox News Insider, The Daily Caller, Mashable and New York Magazine

Charles C. W. Cooke / National Review:

The Comey Divide — I had an interesting conversation last night with a fellow critic of President Trump's. He was irritated that I had insisted that those watching the Comey situation remain “skeptical but not hysterical.” Now, he said, is “the time to be hysterical.”