LOYALTY OAF:

After President Trump accused his predecessor in March of wiretapping him, James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, was flabbergasted. The president, Mr. Comey told associates, was "outside the realm of normal," even "crazy." [...]

[I]n private, aides said, Mr. Trump has been nursing a collection of festering grievances, including Mr. Comey's handling of the Russia investigation, his seeming lack of interest in pursuing anti-Trump leaks and the perceived disloyalty over the wiretapping claim. [...]

Mr. Comey's fate was sealed by his latest testimony about the bureau's investigation into Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 election and the Clinton email inquiry. Mr. Trump burned as he watched, convinced that Mr. Comey was grandstanding. He was particularly irked when Mr. Comey said he was "mildly nauseous" to think that his handling of the email case had influenced the election, which Mr. Trump took to demean his own role in history. [...]

Despite Mr. Trump's apparent endorsement, Mr. Comey remained skeptical about his future. He believed his unwillingness to put loyalty to Mr. Trump over his role as F.B.I. director could ultimately lead to his ouster.

"With a president who seems to prize personal loyalty above all else and a director with absolute commitment to the Constitution and pursuing investigations wherever the evidence led, a collision was bound to happen," Daniel C. Richman, a close Comey adviser and former federal prosecutor, said on Wednesday. [...]

Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime informal adviser to Mr. Trump who has been under F.B.I. scrutiny as part of the Russia inquiry, was among those who urged the president to fire Mr. Comey, people briefed on the discussions said.

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