When asked why he thinks he was fired, Comey said, "I take him at his word that he fired me because of the Russia investigation." Trump told NBC News in May that he was thinking about the Russia probe when he fired Comey, saying, "I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.'" Trump first claimed Comey was let go for other reasons