Donald Trump dramatically broke his silence on his firing of James Comey on Thursday - to call the FBI director he fired 'a showboat'.

He told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt he had directly asked Comey three times if he was himself under investigation.

And he said that he would have fired Comey regardless of the written memo from deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein which called for him to go.

That announcement dropped a bomb on his own officials who had spent almost 48 hours since Comey was dismissed pinning the decision on Rosenstein.

Even Mike Pence, the vice president, was caught up in at after he spoke at the Capitol and said the new deputy attorney general 'came to work, sat down' - and said Comey should be fired.

An unrepentant Trump however savaged Comey as he left his own staff reeling.

'He's a showboat, he's a grandstander, the FBI has been in turmoil,' Trump told the interviewer.

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Trump told NBC News anchor Lester Holt he had directly asked Comey three times if he was himself under investigation

Full account: Lester Holt's interview with the president is his first interview since he fired James Comey.

My decision: Trump said of the firing of the FBI director: 'Oh, I was going to fire Comey regardless of recommendation.'

'You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago. It hasn't recovered from that.'

The president also described the timeline of the firing – and indicated his mind was made up even before he met with Rosenstein.

Previous statements by Vice President Mike Pence and others give Rosenstein a prominent role in the decision.

WHAT TRUMP SAID ON: James Comey: He's a showboat, he's a grandstander, the FBI has been in turmoil. Who decided to fire Comey: I was going to fire Comey. My decision. I was going to fire Comey. What he asked Comey: If it's possible would you let me know - am I under investigation? What Comey asked him: He wanted to stay on as the FBI head. What now for Russian probe: If Russia did anything, I want to know that. Advertisement

'I was going to fire Comey. My decision. I was going to fire Comey,' the president said.

'Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation. He made a recommendation, but regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.'

Pence said on Wednesday that Rosenstein 'came to work, sat down and made the recommendation for the FBI to be able to do its job that it would need new leadership'.

'The deputy attorney general was confirmed just a few short weeks ago by the United States Senate when he brought the recommendation to the president that the director of the FBI should be removed,' Pence said in a version of events his own boss now appears to be contradicting.

Trump said he had asked Comey - once over dinner and twice by phone - if the FBI was investigating him as part of its probe into alleged collusion between members of his campaign and the Russian government in the run-up to the election.

Trump indicated that his chat he met with Comey at the former FBI director's request – and said Comey was angling to keep his job. The FBI director has a 10-year term.

Comey was appointed three years ago by President Barack Obama, although the president has the authority to fire the director.

'I had a dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on. We had a very nice dinner at the White House,' Trump said.

'He asked for the dinner?' Holt followed up.

'A dinner was arranged, I think he asked for the dinner,' the president hedged. 'And he wanted to stay on as the FBI head.

'And I said I'll consider and we'll see what happens. But we had a very nice dinner. And at that time he told me 'you are not under investigation',' Trump said.

Question time: Lester Holt interviewed Trump in the West Wing and the president used the sit-down to open a fresh assault on Comey and reveal he was going to be fired regardless

'I actually asked him,' he added, in a dramatic intervention which only throw fuel on the political firestorm engulfing the White House.

'I said, 'If it's possible would you let me know - am I under investigation?'

IN OTHER WHITE HOUSE NEWS... As well as upping his war of words on the man he fired from the FBI, the president: Opened a new Twitter feud with Rosie O'Donnell, tweeting her call from last year for Comey to be fired and saying: 'At least we agree on something Rosie';

Was revealed to have issued withering verdicts on a strong of TV stars, calling CNN's Don Lemon 'probably the dumbest person in broadcasting' and compared Chris Cuomo to a 'chained lunatic';

Canceled a planned visit to FBI headquarters on Friday after the acting director flatly contradicted White House claims that the agency was close to 'uprising' against Comey;

Said he might release his now notorious tax returns 'after I'm out of office' and claimed the only people who cared about them were 'reporters';

Set up a commission to investigated his repeated claims of wide-scale electoral fraud, which he claimed resulted in as many as 3 million fraudulent ballots;

Defended his meeting with the Russian foreign minister and its alleged top spy on Wednesday in the Oval Office, saying he was talking peace ;

Taunted Democrats that Russians were 'laughing up their sleeves' at the ongoing probe into alleged collusion which he called an 'excuse' for;

Took credit for inventing the phrase 'priming the pump' within the last few days. The term for a government spending its way out of recession was first applied in such a way in the 1930s as FDR upended economic orthodoxy. Advertisement

'He said, 'You are not under investigation'.'

Trump added: 'I know I'm not under investigation.'

Trump elaborated on how he knew, saying: 'First of all, when you're under investigation you're giving all sorts of documents and everything.

'I knew I wasn't under and I heard it was stated at the committee, at some committee level, that I wasn't.'

He also mentioned two phone calls where he says Comey gave him reassurances. 'Then during a phone call he said it. And then during another phone call he said it. So he said it once at dinner and then he said it twice during phone calls.'

As for at whose instigation, Trump said: 'In one case I called him and one case he called me.'

At the end of the exchange, Trump indicated that he was still allowing for the possibility – as stated by Comey and others – that his campaign was being investigated over alleged Russia contacts.

'I know that I'm not under investigation. Me. Personally,' Trump said.

'I'm not talking about campaigns. I'm not talking about anything else. I'm not under investigation,' Trump added.

Trump's accounting of his decision to fire Comey came on a day of continued blowback for the decision, which caught Washington and much of his own staff by surprise. At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, the new acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe provided assurances that the bureau's Russia investigation would continue unimpeded – and pledged to inform Congress of any efforts to obstruct it. He was testifying in Comey's place.

'The work of the women and women of the FBI continues despite any change of circumstance, any decisions' said McCabe. 'Simply put sir: You cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing – protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution.' After a report in the Washington Post that he threatened to resign after being cast as the force behind Comey's firing, Rosenstein traveled to Capitol Hill to meet privately with the Republican and Democratic heads of the Intelligence panel.

The panel's top Democrat, Senator Mark Warner, commenting on what he called a 'shocking development.'

'He was leading an active counterintelligence investigation into any links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government or its representatives,' Warner told a packed hearing. 'For many people, including myself, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the president's decision to remove Director Comey was related to this investigation. And that is unacceptable.'

The president also reversed his previous criticism of the very existence of the investigation into Russian links - which he had called a tax-payer funded waste of money.

'I want to find out if there was a problem in the election having to do with Russia, he said.

The president also described the timeline of the firing – and indicated his mind was made up even before he met with deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein on Monday

NBC's Lester Holt repeatedly pressed Trump on the timeline he laid out for Comey's firing, which was contradicted by other administration claims

And directly asked by Holt if he was trying tell whoever leads the FBI in the future to 'lay off' the Russian probe he said: 'I'm not.

'If Russia did anything, I want to know that.'

Despite that he renewed his denial of any links to Vladimir Putin's regime and any 'collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians'.

'Also, the Russians did not affect the vote,' he told Holt.

Acting attorney general Andrew McCabe wouldn't confirm or deny having heard Comey tell the president that he was under investigation.

'I can't comment on any conversations the director may have had with the president,' McCabe said at a Senate Intelligence Committee oversight hearing Thursday.

Asked at the White House press briefing what constituted showboating, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would not name any specifics.

'I think probably based on the numerous appearances that he made and I think that it's probably pretty evident in his behavior over the last year or so with the back and forth,' she said.

'Those words don't leave a lot of room for interpretation,' she said of the president's words.

Asked whether it was inappropriate for Trump to be asking whether he was under investigation while he claimed Comey was angling to keep his job, Sanders denied a conflict of interest.

'No I don't believe it is,' she said.

'I don't see that as a conflict of interest and neither do the many legal scholars and others that have been commenting on it for the last hour,' Sanders said.

Hour by hour, how the White House story kept changing Tuesday, 5:45 PM: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer emails reporters the following statement: Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Tuesday, 8:40 PM: Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders appear on CNN, Fox Business and Fox News simultaneously to claim that Rosenstein wrote a memo recommending Comey’s firing that Sessions concurred with in a letter than he gave to the president. The president accepted the recommendation and fired Comey immediately. Spicer to Lou Dobbs: ‘He [Rod Rosenstein] made a determination that the FBI director had lost his confidence, made a recommendation to the attorney general, the attorney general concurred with that and forwarded that recommendation today on to the President who agreed with their conclusions and terminated…the FBI director’s position at the FBI.’ Huckabee Sanders to Tucker Carlson: ‘The president was provided a pretty clear and direct and very strong recommendation by the deputy attorney general…That deputy made the recommendation, the president made a swift and decisive action and let Director Comey go.’ Conway to Anderson Cooper: ‘He took the recommendation of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, to whom the FBI director reports to.’ Tuesday, 8:50 PM: Spicer is cornered by reporters outside the White House after his interview with Fox Business. Spicer on the Rosenstein recommendation: ‘It was all him.’ On Wednesday morning Huckabee Sanders was on MSNBC and Conway was on CNN again to say that Rosenstein likely wrote the report of his own volition. Spicer disappears off to ‘Navy Reserve duty.’ Huckabee Sanders on Morning Joe: ‘I'm not aware that it [the Rosenstein memo] was requested. All I know is that the director reports to him. And I would imagine that that is part of the process of him coming on board and taking over that position.’ Conway on New Day: ‘One presumes that he wrote the report on his own. He's fully capable of writing a report isn't he, Chris?’ Wednesday, 1:50 PM: Huckabee Sanders tells reporters at the White House’s daily briefing that Trump actually met with Sessions and Rosenstein on Monday at the White House. They told him then that Comey should go, a sentiment they expressed in writing on Tuesday at the president’s behest. Huckabee Sanders: ‘He’d lost confidence in Director Comey, and, frankly, he’d been considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected. But he did have a conversation with the Deputy Attorney General on Monday, where they had come to him to express their concerns. The President asked they put those concerns and their recommendation in writing, which is the letter that you guys have received.’ Wednesday on Capitol Hill Vice President Mike Pence gives reporters the line about Rosenstein coming on the job and making an assessment that Comey has to go. Pence to reporters: 'The deputy attorney general was confirmed just a few short weeks ago by the United States Senate when he brought the recommendation to the president that the director of the FBI should be removed.’ Thursday morning Conway and Huckabee Sanders went on a full scale assault on morning TV, appearing on CBS, ABC and Fox News to reiterate the timeline the White House laid out the afternoon before. Huckabee Sanders clarified on Good Morning America: ‘The words that were written weren't at the direction, necessarily, of the president. Those were their own thoughts and ideas.’ She claimed on CBS This Morning: ‘Let's not forget there was a near uprising after Comey from members of the FBI. This isn't just about the president losing confidence. The rank-and-file members within the FBI had lost confidence in the director.’ Conway told Fox & Friends: ‘We feel very comfortable in this White House referring people to the fact that the president was in his full authority to take the advice of the deputy attorney general.’ Later on Thursday the president sat down with NBC’s Lester Holt. Trump told Holt that the decision to fire Comey originated with him. 'Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation. He made a recommendation, but regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.' Thursday, 1:45 PM: Huckabee Sanders admits to reporters at the White House daily press briefing that she did not ask the president prior to that afternoon whether he had already made the decision to fire Comey. ‘I went off of the information that I had when I answered your question. I've since had the conversation with him, right before I walked on today, and he laid it out very clearly. He had already made that decision. He had been thinking about it for months, which I did say yesterday and have said many times since. And Wednesday I think was the final straw that pushed him. And the recommendation that he got from the Deputy Attorney General just further solidified his decision and, again, I think reaffirmed that he made the right one.’ Advertisement

SEAN SPICER'S STAND IN SQUIRMING SARAH IS LEFT REELING AS PRESIDENT RUBBISHES HER VERSION OF EVENTS - AND EVEN PENCE IS CAUGHT OUT BY HIS BOSS

President Donald Trump directly contradicted three of his aides and the vice president as he finally gave his account of the events that led to James Comey's firing.

Trump said in his NBC interview that he he was going to fire Comey 'regardless' of what his deputy attorney general recommended - an explanation that put him back in the position of power but undermined the accounts of his senior staff.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to admit at a live, televised briefing later in the afternoon that she was mistaken in what she had said.

She denied that she, or anyone else, including Vice President Mike Pence, were 'in the dark,' however.

Sqirming Sarah: President Donald Trump directly contradicted three of his aides and the vice president today as he finally gave his account of the events that led to James Comey's firing. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to admit at a live briefing later that she was mistaken in her interpretation of the timeline

Pence Trumped: Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer and Huckabee Sanders had all said in early accounts of the astonishing dismissal that Trump had acted solely on the advice of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. Vice President Mike Pence (pictured) gave reporters a similar explanation on Wednesday.

Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer and Huckabee Sanders had all said in early accounts of the astonishing dismissal that Trump had acted solely on the advice of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general.

Rosenstein determined within in two weeks of his confirmation that Comey had made 'serious mistakes' in his handling of Hillary Clinton's email probe and should be replaced.

The Department of Justice official expressed his concerns in a memo to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who then passed on the recommendation that Comey be fired to the president.

'The president took the advice of the deputy attorney general who oversees the director of the FBI, brought those concerns to the attorney general who brought them to the president, and they made a decision to remove him,' Conway told CNN's New Day on Wednesday.

Spicer told reporters asking about Rosenstein's memo on Tuesday evening, 'It was all him.'

Vice President Mike Pence gave reporters a similar explanation on Wednesday.

'The deputy attorney general was confirmed just a few short weeks ago by the United States Senate when he brought the recommendation to the president that the director of the FBI should be removed,' Pence said.

Huckabee Sanders admitted Monday that Trump actually spoke to Rosenstein and Sessions at the White House before the DOJ officials wrote the letters the White House says Trump based the firing on.

WHOOPS, THERE GOES MY CREDIBILITY 'I think it's pretty simple. I hadn't had a chance to have the conversation directly with the president to say - I had several conversations with him, but I didn't ask that question directly - "Had you already made that decision?"' Squirming Sarah Huckabee Sanders tries to explain why officials said Rosenstein decided to fire Comey Advertisement

Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer and Huckabee Sanders had all said in early accounts of the astonishing dismissal that Trump had acted solely on the advice of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. Vice President Mike Pence (pictured) gave reporters a similar explanation on Wednesday.

'It was all him': That's what Sean Spicer said of Rosenstein and his recommendation to fire Comey on Tuesday evening. That was the last time Spicer was seen

He solicited their opinions orally, and asked them to put it in writing, she said.

'Frankly, he’d been considering letting Director Comey go since the day he was elected. But he did have a conversation with the Deputy Attorney General on Monday, where they had come to him to express their concerns,' Huckabee Sanders stated.

She also said Wednesday that it was her 'understanding' that Trump made his decision on Tuesday, once he received Rosenstein's written recommendation.

That's not what Trump told NBC's Lester Holt on Thursday, though.

‘Oh, I was going to fire regardless of recommendation,' he said. ‘Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.’

At the White House press briefing later, Huckabee Sanders was asked about her earlier statements, and she admitted that she was wrong.

'I know you love to report that that we were misled,' she told a reporter asking if senior staff and the VP were left 'in the dark.'

Huckabee Sanders said the characterization was 'not true.'

'I think it's pretty simple. I hadn't had a chance to have the conversation directly with the president to say - I had several conversations with him, but I didn't ask that question directly - "Had you already made that decision?"' she said.

'It was all him': That's what Sean Spicer said of Rosenstein and his recommendation to fire Comey on Tuesday evening. That was the last time Spicer was seen

The White House spokeswoman said she was going off the information that she had.

'I've since had the conversation with him, right before I walked on today. And he laid it out very clearly. He had already made that decision.

'He had been thinking about it for months, which I did say yesterday, and have said many times since,' she claimed.

Comey's testimony last Wednesday, in which he made inaccurate statements about Huma Abedin's email habits, was the 'final straw that pushed him,' she said, and Rosenstein's recommendation 'further solidified his decision.'

Huckabee Sanders chaffed at a follow-up question about the VP, and whether he was mislead, again, having been embarrassed previously by Mike Flynn's lies about his conversations with a Russian diplomat in February.

'Nobody was in the dark,' she claimed. 'You want to create this whole narrative.'

Kellyanne Conway did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on her part of the narrative.

She said Thursday morning that she was away from the White House on travel when Comey was fired, though, explaining, perhaps, why she did not have the most up-to-date information on the events when she spoke to CNN twice.

Spicer hasn't been seen since Tuesday evening - when he literally was in the dark, briefing reporters outside the White House after hours.

A spokesman for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for clarification, either.