Article snippet: A president who thrives on crises has created the biggest one yet of his presidency. Justice Department. No one is seriously questioning whether the president acted within his authority, and the White House’s official explanation for what transpired is straightforward enough. According to that version of events, the attorney general and deputy attorney general recommended Comey’s ouster, and the president quickly agreed and acted accordingly. “The president made the right decision at the right time,” Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday on Capitol Hill. But the question that confronts lawmakers and other interested parties is a stubborn one: What in the president’s behavior in office should entitle him to the benefit of the doubt? Even if chants of “Lock her up” weren’t echoing still and if the Russian foreign minister hadn’t happened to be visiting the White House the day after the firing, the facts create a problem of perceptions if not realities for the Trump White House. Comey was ostensibly fired for actions he took during the campaign that were harmful to Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general, applauded at the time. Trump, the public is being told, fired Comey immediately after receiving the recommendation from Sessions and Deputy Attorney General national security adviser after being told by the acting attorney general at the time that he could be compromised by the Russians. As for Russia, Trump noted in his letter firing Com... Link to the full article to read more