Storm in US as Trump sacks FBI director
Bid to derail probe into Trump team’s Russia links? ■ Likened to Nixon’s Watergate
◗ White House claims James Comey had mishandled Hillary Clinton’s email probe
◗ Hours later, Trump has ‘very, very good’ meeting with Russia foreign minister Lavrov at Oval Office
Washington, May 10: US President Donald Trump defied a storm of criticism on Wednesday over his firing of FBI director James Comey, inviting Russia’s foreign minister to the White House even as Democrats sought an independent probe of Moscow’s alleged meddling in last year’s US elections.
Mr Trump’s decision to terminate Mr Comey on Tuesday, effective immediately, drew comparisons to the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon, and stunned Washington.
“James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI,” Mr Trump tweeted. “Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!” Under Mr Comey, the FBI was investigating if Trump campaign aides colluded with Russia in an
attempt to sway the US election in the Republican’s favour.
Mr Trump used a letter to Mr Comey to try to distance himself from the ever-deepening scandal over Russia’s involvement in the election. “I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation,” Mr Trump wrote.
Mr Trump said he was acting on recommendations of his attorney-general and deputy attorney-
general, the latter of whom, Rod Rosenstein, accused Mr Comey of “serious mistakes” in his handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails.
The FBI director had antagonised all sides — first angering Republicans by closing the email probe against the Democratic candidate and then the Democrats by reopening it days before the November presidential elections.
But Democrats — and some Republicans — saw the move to get rid of Mr Comey as an assault on the FBI’s Russia probe and demanded that it be turned over to an independent special prosecutor or commission.
“This is nothing less than Nixonian,” charged Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, who called Mr Trump’s stated justification for firing Mr Comey “absurd”.
“That fig leaf explanation seeks to cover the undeniable truth: the President has removed the sitting FBI director in the midst of one of the most critical national security investigations in the history of our country — one that implicates senior officials in the Trump campaign and administration,” Sen. Leahy said.
Yet the President appeared to dig in his heels. Hours after the firing, the White House announced that Mr Trump would meet Wednesday with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at the White House. Mr Lavrov, who has not set foot in Washington since 2013, is the most senior Russian official to meet Mr Trump since he took office in January.
Later, after his talks with Mr Lavrov, Mr Trump said the Oval Office meeting with the Russian minister was “very, very good”, and claimed some progress on ending the conflict in Syria. “We had a very, very good meeting,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to stop the killing and the death (in Syria).”
Mr Trump’s decision to fire the FBI director is virtually unprecedented. Only one director has previously been fired in the bureau’s century-long history.
The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Mr Trump had made a “big mistake”. Unless the administration appoints an independent special prosecutor to probe the Russian meddling, Sen. Schumer added, “every American will rightly suspect that the decision to fire director Comey was part of a coverup”.
Republicans, many of whom have fallen into line behind Mr Trump after initial reluctance, also sought to distance themselves from the President. “I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of director Comey’s termination,” said Senator Richard Burr.
The White House said the search for a new FBI director was now underway. FBI directors are appointed for a single 10-year term. The 56-year-old Mr Comey, who is popular among rank-andfile agents, was appointed four years ago.
Mr Comey played an outsized — and controversial — role on the American political stage over the past year, lobbing one bombshell after another that rankled both parties in Washington. Ms Clinton blamed Mr Comey for her loss to Mr Trump, arguing that reopening the email investigation just before the election had scared off voters, stopping her momentum.
Mr Comey told lawmakers last week he felt “mildly nauseous” at the thought that he had swayed the election — but could not have acted any other way.