After a wild campaign and a rollicking first 100 days, President Trump managed to do something that seemed impossible: He surprised the hell out of us. And if news reports are any indication, he also seems to have surprised the hell out of his own administration. He certainly surprised Jim Comey, who upon learning of his firing on TV, laughed out loud assuming it was prank. Perhaps the biggest shock of all could be reserved for Trump himself who seemed somewhat stunned by the massive media and political blowback, including calls for a special prosecutor in the Russian probe. From the NYT: F.B.I. Director Jim Comey Is Fired by Trump.

+ My take on the firing, including what presidential historians will come to refer to as The Second Paragraph: Home, James — 10 Quick Thoughts About the Comey Firing.

+ The official reason for Comey’s firing is related to his handling of the Hillary email case (for which he was repeatedly praised by the president). The only thing that could strain credulity more would be if that reason were delivered with a laugh track. From Politico: Behind Comey’s firing: An enraged Trump, fuming about Russia. And from the WSJ: “President Trump was rankled by FBI director’s media attention and questioned whether it warped his view of the Russia investigation.”

+ AP: Comey sought more Russia resources before firing.

+ David Frum in The Atlantic: “Who can sincerely believe that President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey for any reason other than to thwart an investigation of serious crimes? Which crimes — and how serious — we can only guess.” This is Not a Drill.