House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Wednesday expressed support for President Donald Trump’s shock decision to fire James Comey as director of the FBI.
“Obviously firing an FBI director is no small thing and quite a serious matter,” Ryan said on Fox News. “He lost the confidence of the President, and it’s entirely within the President’s role and authority to relieve him, and that’s what he did.”
He called Comey “a worthwhile and dedicated public servant” but said he lost the confidence of Republicans and Democrats “based upon his conduct, his actions, and some of the comments that he had made.”
“Were you given a heads up?” host Bret Baier asked.
“Right before it happened,” Ryan said. “He basically called me when I got off a flight to tell me that he had made this decision.”
“It’s not just Democrats who are raising a lot of concerns about this and about the timing of it. It’s also Republicans,” Baier pressed.
“I think the President lost patience and I think people in the Justice Department lost confidence in Director Comey himself,” Ryan said. “It is obviously within the President’s authority and role to do this. I think he made an important command decision.”
That was the same explanation White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders offered earlier Wednesday when she said Comey was terminated because “no longer had the confidence of the President.”
