Trump Changes Story On How And Why He Fired FBI Director Comey

"He's a showboater, he's a grandstander," President Trump said of fired FBI Director Jim Comey in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt. "I was going to fire him regardless of recommendations."

With that, the president flatly contradicted the version of events put out Wednesday by Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders who said the president made his decision after receiving a recommendation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Holt asked the president about his assertion in his letter firing Comey that the FBI director had told him three times that he was not under investigation — an assertion sources have told Patch is unlikely.

"I said, 'If it's possible, would you let me know am I under investigation?'" Trump told Holt. "He said, 'You are not under investigation.'"

Trump told Holt the three conversations took place in two phone calls and once over dinner. The president said Comey had requested a dinner so he could ask to be kept in his job.

Sources close to Comey described the president's descriptions as "fiction. The president wanted something he wasn't going to get from the director."

The New York Times, meanwhile, has a detailed account of the dinner in January, with associates of Comey telling the paper Trump had wanted Comey to be loyal, while all Comey would promise was to always be honest.

The president said he called Comey once and Comey called him once.

The interview comes on the heels of an appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee by interim FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who also contradicted the White House on several key points, including whether Comey had support in the bureau.

Screen shot - NBC News via Twitter