Donald Trump was looking to fire Comey from day one, says White House

Defending Donald Trump's decision to fire FBI chief James Comey, the White House said on Wednesday that the US President had lost confidence in him and was looking to fire him from day one.

"The President had lost confidence in Director Comey. Frankly, he'd been considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at a news conference.

However, she acknowledged that Trump did have a conversation with the deputy attorney general.

"The President asked that they put those concerns and their recommendation in writing," she said, referring to the letter which became the basis for firing Comey.

In his recommendation to Trump, Deputy Attorney General Rod J Rosenstein said that the FBI has long been regarded as the nation's premier federal investigative agency.

"Over the past year, however, the FBI's reputation and credibility have suffered substantial damage, and it has affected the entire Department of Justice. That is deeply troubling to many Department employees and veterans, legislators and citizens," he said.

Soon after receiving the letter, Trump dismissed Comey.

"I have received the attachment letters from Attorney General and the Deputy General of the United States, recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from the office, effective immediately," Trump said in his letter to Comey.

Trump later told reporters the Comey was not doing a good job.

Sanders told reporters that most of America had decided on their own that Comey was not the person that should be leading the FBI, as evidenced by the numerous comments that they have seen from Democratic party members in the House and Senate, Republican members, members of the FBI, and people across the board.

"I think one of the big catalysts that we saw was last week, on Wednesday, Director Comey made a pretty startling revelation, that he had essentially taken a stick of dynamite and thrown it into the Department of Justice, by going around the chain of command when he decided to take steps without talking to the attorney general or the deputy attorney general, when holding a press conference and telling them that he would not let them know what he was going to say," she noted.

"That is simply not allowed," Sanders said.