Watch: Small-business owner grills Nancy Pelosi at town hall over Dems' hypocrisy on Comey firing

During a CNN town hall Monday, a small-business owner from West Hollywood, California, left House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) talking in circles after he questioned the "sudden and selective" outrage she and other Democrats have over President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Jake Lee began his question by noting that Democrats called on Comey to resign last year after he informed Congress just days before the November election that his agency had discovered potentially new evidence in the bureau's criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state.

"Now that [Comey] has been let go, why the sudden and selective outrage from your side of the aisle?" Lee pressed.

Indeed, for the last week, Democrats have expressed outrage over Trump's decision to dismiss Comey.

Democrats argue that Trump fired Comey because he wanted to impede the FBI's investigation into allegations that Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia during last year's election to undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign and the American electoral process. Comey's dismissal has emboldened Democrats who continue to push the Trump-Russia narrative, despite a lack of concrete evidence.

However, the president first argued he expelled Comey over a recommendation from the Department of Justice, but he later admitted the FBI's investigation into the alleged Trump-Russia connection was a motivating factor in Comey's dismissal.

Now, because of Comey's firing, Democrats are louder than ever in their calls for a special prosecutor to investigate Trump. But Lee was bewildered that Democrats are now staunchly defending Comey when just six months ago they were outspokenly against him.

"I never said he should be fired," Pelosi told Lee, explaining that she didn't think Comey could take the "heat" that came with being FBI director.

Pelosi said it's "distressing" that Trump would, by his own admission, dismiss Comey because he became "tired" of the FBI's investigation related to his campaign.

"We believe that the FBI as being  an independent law enforcement agency to be respected, and [the director should] not to be fired by the president because he’s tired of an investigation they’re doing," Pelosi said.

The House Democratic leader said it was the "nature" and "timing" of Trump's decision to fire Comey that should have Americans worried, noting that if Trump truly was concerned over how Comey handled the bureau's case into Clinton, he could have fired Comey "a long time ago."

CNN host Chris Cuomo, who moderated the town hall, then steered the discussion in a different direction, while Pelosi failed to address Lee's question head on. In the end, Pelosi only explained why Democrats are outraged at Comey's firing now, but never explained the reason why Democrats flipped flopped on Comey.

To be fair, Democrats aren't the only group to selectively change their sentiment of Comey.

In July, Republicans were outraged at Comey when he announced the FBI would not recommend charges against Clinton but later praised him when Comey announced in late October the latest developments in the Clinton email case. Republicans flopped again in March when Comey confirmed to Congress that his bureau is actively investigating the alleged Trump-Russia connection.