Stephen Miller Wrote Trump’s First Letter About Firing Comey

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By Daniel J. Solomon September 1, 2017

When James Comey was ousted as FBI director in May, many blamed Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who wrote a memo faulting Comey’s leadership at the police agency. But it turns out, Stephen Miller might have been the one Trump wanted to articulate the reasons for the sacking.

Miller and President Trump worked to draft an initial letter that month detailing the administration’s reasons for firing Comey, all occurring before Rosenstein wrote his memo, which was used as a justification for the firing, the New York Times reported on Friday.

According to The Times, the administration’s letter was quashed by White House counsel Donald McGahn, who was worried about unspecified legal trouble that some its contents might bring. The full text of the letter is apparently in the possession of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s office.

The White House declined to comment to The Times. “To the extent the special prosecutor is interested in these matters, we will be fully transparent with him,” Ty Cobb, an administration spokesman, said.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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