Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump "was right" to fire former FBI Director James Comey, rejecting former White House adviser Steve Bannon's suggestion it was a major political mistake.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump's decision was justified given Comey's conduct after the decision. She is accusing the former FBI director of "giving false testimony," ''leaking privileged information to journalists" and politicizing his investigation.
Comey's firing angered career officials at the FBI, and the former director has defended his handling of the investigation into the Trump campaign's possible connections with Russia.
Bannon said in an interview with CBS News that Comey's firing may have been the biggest mistake in "modern political history" and said it led to the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
