The president of the United States spent Wednesday morning watching television and rebutting on Twitter the cable news coverage of his controversial decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.
After Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) appeared on CNN, where he called for a special prosecutor to investigate Russia’s alleged meddling in the election and called President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Comey a “looming constitutional crisis,” the president fired back by attacking him for embellishing his Vietnam war military service.
Trump’s account of the 2010 controversy isn’t quite accurate, however. While Blumenthal misrepresented his service during the war, he did not tell elaborate stories about it. The senator received multiple military deferments, like the president himself.
Shortly after Blumenthal’s interview, the president also took issue with a CNN segment on longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone. The network reported earlier Wednesday that Stone, who is also facing FBI scrutiny over the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia, was among those who recommended the firing of Comey. “About time,” Stone told The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday when asked about Comey’s departure.
Trump may have decided to take things into his own hands after his staff was caught flat-footed by the news of Comey’s firing. According to The Washington Post, White House staff scrambled to explain the bombshell for three hours after it was made public.
In a surreal scene outside the White House, top Trump spokesman Sean Spicer spent several minutes hiding in the bushes before emerging to answer reporters’ questions. He refused to appear on camera, demanding reporters turn off the lights before speaking to them.
Trump was also upset at the lack of supportive voices on cable news after he fired Comey. According to Politico, he was reportedly “frustrated no one was on TV defending him, and he “wanted surrogates out there beating the drum.”
The president’s tweets caught the attention of CNN’s Chris Cuomo, who decided to address the president directly on live television.
“The president watching us this morning, as always. We appreciate the viewership,” he said, before urging him to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Russia’s role in the election.
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