Breaking News: President Trump put his reasons for firing James Comey in a letter, never sent. It's now in the possession of the special counsel.

Header Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [Breaking News Alert]( September 01, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( BREAKING NEWS [President Trump put his reasons for firing James Comey in a letter, never sent. It's now in the possession of the special counsel.]( Friday, September 1, 2017 1:02 PM EDT The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has obtained a letter that President Trump and a top political aide drafted in the days before Mr. Trump fired the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, which explains the president’s rationale for why he planned to dismiss the director. The May letter had been met with opposition from Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, who believed that some of its contents were problematic, according to interviews with a dozen administration officials and others briefed on the matter. [Read More »]( ADVERTISEMENT Follow NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018