Trump fires FBI Director James Comey during the Russia investigation

President Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017, while Comey was leading the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump told NBC anchor Lester Holt the next day that he had been thinking of "the Russia thing" when he made the decision. The firing prompted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel eight days later.