Nancy Pelosi shoots back after James Comey question: ‘I never said he should be fired’

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Monday that past comments about ex-FBI Director James Comey possibly becoming a professional “casualty” for “double standards” were never calls for his ouster.

ABC’s “The View” invited Ms. Pelosi to discuss President Trump, but soon found herself correcting host Sunny Hostin’s take on her past rhetoric.

“Congresswoman, you yourself said that you thought that Comey’s behavior was inappropriate, his actions were inappropriate, and that he should be fired,” Ms. Hostin told the California Democrat.

“I never said he should be fired,” the congresswoman shot back. “What I said was when he — what he did as far as Hillary Clinton was concerned — was he couldn’t take the heat for it.”

“You said he was maybe not in the right job,” replied the host, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

“He wasn’t in a job that he couldn’t take the heat for it,” Ms. Pelosi said. “But it was very curious, and I thought that his revealing that investigation but then later coming back — he had an impact on the election. There’s no question about that. But that’s a separate issue from whether the President of the United States asked him to stop an investigation of the Russian connection, of himself.”

Mr. Trump terminated Mr. Comey May 9 with a letter that said: “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau.”

Two of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top members, Chairman Charles E. Grassley and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein, confirmed on May 11 that they “heard nothing that contradicted the president’s statement.”

Ms. Pelosi told CNN on Nov. 2 that Mr. Comey’s handling of the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s secret email server showed he was susceptible to political pressure from Republican lawmakers.

“I think he made a mistake on this, and he clearly has a double standard when it comes to Donald Trump. … Maybe he’s not in the right job,” Ms. Pelosi said. “I think that we have to just get through this election and just see what the casualties are along the way.”