James Comey, FBI director, fired

US President Donald Trump has abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey in the fallout over Comey’s probe of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s emails last year, saying Comey was no longer able to effectively lead the law enforcement agency. Comey had been leading an FBI investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign. His dismissal on Tuesday will likely fuel concerns about the integrity of the probe and renew calls for an independent investigation. The FBI director had been embroiled in a controversy surrounding his probe into whether Clinton’s use of a private email server while US secretary of state during President Barack Obama’s first term compromised national security. “It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,” Trump said in a letter to Comey released by the White House. Trump told Comey in the letter he accepted the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he could no longer provide effective leadership. Comey’s term was to run through September 2023. The decision, announced by White House press secretary Sean Spicer in a brief appearance before reporters, caught Washington off guard. “President Trump’s nearly four months in office have been controversial, but this is almost certainly the most controversial decision yet,” said Al Jazeera’s Washington Editor James Bays, calling the move “a political bombshell that will reverberate for a long time. “It doesn’t end here, because a new FBI director has to be confirmed by the Senate, where the Republicans hold a very slim majority.” Comey had said in July the Clinton email case should be closed without prosecution, but then declared - 11 days before the November 8 election in which Clinton was the Democratic nominee - that he had reopened the investigation because of a discovery of a new trove of Clintonrelated emails. Clinton said last week that she partly blames Comey’s decision for her election loss. The White House released a memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that provided the administration’s justification for firing Comey. “I cannot defend the Director’s handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secre- tary Clinton’s emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken,” Rosenstein wrote. Top US Democrat Chuck Schumer said firing Comey was “a big mistake”, and questioned the timing of the move. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin urged the White House to clarify whether the FBI investigation of Russian interference in the presidential campaign would continue now that Comey has been fired. “Any attempt to stop or undermine this FBI investigation would raise grave constitutional issues,” Durbin said. “We await clarification by the White House as soon as possible as to whether this investigation will continue.” In a letter, Trump told Comey: “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.” “The president’s decision to remove the FBI director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee,” he said. Other Republicans supported Trump’s argument that the FBI needs a “fresh start”. Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, said Trump’s decision to fire Comey “raises serious questions about what his administration is hiding. “President Trump has repeatedly taken steps to kill inquiries into Russia’s involvement in the US election. It is clear that whomever President Trump handpicks to lead the FBI will not be able to objectively carry out this investigation,” he said in a statement. The White House said the search for a new FBI director would begin immediately.