While trying to criticize President Donald Trump's removal of James Comey as FBI director on Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Maxine Waters of California managed to enter a confusing verbal joust with MSNBC's Peter Alexander.

Asked by Alexander to clarify comments she made about Comey months ago, in which she said "the FBI director has no credibility," Waters offered a puzzling explanation.

"No, but I believe the president thought that — don't forget, you're talking about what some Democrats said, what I said ... he was the president. The president supported [Comey], he had confidence in him, it was within his power."

While Trump offered copious praise for Comey before and after the 2016 election — and especially when Comey announced a renewed investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails in October — Democrats railed against him, with many calling for his ouster.

During Waters' interview Wednesday, the congresswoman suggested she thought that it was wrong for Trump to fire Comey but that the firing would have been justified if ordered by a President Hillary Clinton.

"So she should've fired him, but he shouldn't have fired him — this is why I'm confused," Alexander told Waters.

"No, you're not confused," Waters replied. "If the president is implicated in an investigation, the president ... who has a history of firing people who get close to him and his allies like Flynn and like Ms. Yates, he will fire them if he believes somehow that it's getting too close to him in these investigations."

"This president basically has interfered with an investigation where he may be implicated," Waters said. "That's outrageous! The bottom line is I think if the president had fired him when he first came in, he would not have to be in a position now where he's trying to make up a story about why; it does not meet the smell test."

Watch the interview below: