Story highlights Michael D'Antonio: Donald Trump's firing of James Comey is yet another example of the President putting himself first

True to form, he did so by lying about the real reason for the firing -- the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, writes D'Antonio

Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) True to form, Donald Trump put himself first -- this time ahead of the national interest -- as he suddenly fired Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey on Tuesday. The action evoked memories of Richard Nixon's firing of Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox, which led to a constitutional crisis and Nixon's eventual resignation.

Trump justified his risky and indefensible action with an effort at misdirection worthy of the three-card monte dealers who still fleece yokels on the sidewalks of Manhattan.

According to the White House, the President removed Comey because of his mishandling of the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails when she was Secretary of State.

Michael D'Antonio

Though Trump had initially been critical of the investigation when Comey concluded it in July 2016, he changed his tune several months later. Days before he defeated Clinton in the 2016 election, Trump praised Comey, saying "what he did was the right thing," and that the director had ultimately salvaged his reputation by alerting Congress to the discovery of evidence that might be related to the probe.

What has changed in the months since Trump felt so positively about Comey? The main thing is that the FBI has pursued a wide-ranging investigation into Russian interference with the US election. Trump campaign figures including Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Roger Stone have been in the spotlight. And the President's first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned after lying about meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

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