Trump fires up FBI storm
US President Donald Trump ignited a political firestorm last Tuesday by firing FBI Director James Comey, who had been leading an investigation into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign’s possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome.
The Republican President said he fired Mr Comey, the top US law enforcement official, over his handling of an election-year email scandal involving thenDemocratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The move stunned Washington and raised suspicions among Democrats and others that the White House was trying to blunt the FBI probe involving Russia.
Some Democrats compared Mr Trump’s move to the “Saturday Night Massacre” of 1973, in which President Richard Nixon fired an independent special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.
White House officials denied allegations that there was any political motive in the move by Mr Trump, who took office on January 20.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he spoke to Mr Trump and told him he was “making a very big mistake” in firing Mr Comey, adding the President did not “really answer” in response.
An independent investigation into Moscow’s role in the election “is now the only way to go to restore the American people’s faith,” Mr Schumer said.
Though many Democrats have criticised Mr Comey’s handling of the Ms Clinton email probe, they said they were troubled by the timing of Mr Trump’s firing of him.