Donald Trump’s mood leading up to—and following—his firing of James Comey was about as childish and unstable as Saturday Night Live will inevitably play it, Politico’s Josh Dawsey reports. Before:
He had grown enraged by the Russia investigation, two advisers said, frustrated by his inability to control the mushrooming narrative around Russia. He repeatedly asked aides why the Russia investigation wouldn’t disappear and demanded they speak out for him. He would sometimes scream at television clips about the probe, one adviser said.
And after:
By Tuesday evening, the president was watching the coverage of his decision and frustrated no one was on TV defending him, a White House official said. He wanted surrogates out there beating the drum.
That’s what happens when you make massive national news without preparing your staff. They end up scrambling to get on top of the story.
Instead, advisers were attacking each other for not realizing the gravity of the situation as events blew up. "How are you not defending your position for three solid hours on TV?" the White House aide said.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer reportedly wound up hiding behind a hedge and then insisting that reporters turn off lights as he spoke to them briefly to ensure that he wasn’t being caught on video.
Setting aside the layers of frightening corruption the Comey firing suggests, the level of incompetence in this White House is also pretty scary.