TRUMP FIRES FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY
IRKED OVER PROBE INTO HILLARY’S USE OF PRIVATE SERVER
WASHINGTON: In a stunning move, President Donald Trump has dismissed FBI’s director James Comey over his handling of the criminal investigation of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
Comey was overseeing an FBI probe into alleged contacts between Trump campaign aides and Russia in the context of Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and whether there was any collusion.
Questions were inevitably raised if the firing was an attempt to shut down the Russia probe that has dogged Trump’s young presidency since it started. It had caused the dismissal of Trump’s first National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the recusal from the investigations by attorney general Jeff Sessions.
Comparisons were drawn the Watergate scandal, at the height of which, in 1973, then embattled President Richard Nixon had fired the special prosecutor investigating him, triggering what is now remembered as the Saturday Night Massacre.
The White House was not prepared for the backlash and Trump defended his decision in a series of tweets on Wednesday. “Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!,” he wrote in one. In another, he accused Democrats of flip-flopping, saying they had said “some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!”
Trump informed Comey of his decision to fire him in a letter on Tuesday: “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,” it said. “It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”
In a separate statement, the White House said Trump had informed Comey that “he has been terminated and removed from office” based on the recommendations of both deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and attorney general Jeff Sessions.
“The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” it quoted Trump as saying.
Comey, who learned of his firing while speaking to FBI employees at the agency’s field office in Los Angeles, is a life-long Republican and was appointed by President Barack Obama.