Comey firing draws strong reaction from Capitol Hill
Bay State U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey warned that the government is “careening ever closer to a Constitutional crisis” after James B. Comey was ousted as head of the FBI — a doomsday reaction some of his colleagues quickly tempered.
“President Trump’s firing of Director Comey sets a deeply alarming precedent as multiple investigations into possible Trump campaign or administration collusion with Russia remain ongoing, including an FBI investigation,” Markey wrote in a statement soon after the firing.
He added Washington is “careening ever closer to a Constitutional crisis” and called for a special prosecutor to probe “any dealings the Trump campaign or administration had with Russia.”
Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona praised Comey, calling him a “man of honor and integrity” who “has led the FBI well in extraordinary circumstances.”
“While the President has the legal authority to remove the Director of the FBI, I am disappointed in the President’s decision to remove James Comey from office,” McCain added in a statement.
Republican Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker said Comey’s dismissal “will raise questions,” adding, “It is essential that ongoing investigations are free of political interference until their completion.”
He said Trump must nominate a well-respected person to replace Comey.
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, “I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination. I have found Director Comey to be a public servant of the highest order, and his dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation by the Committee.
“Director Comey has been more forthcoming with information than any FBI Director I can recall in my tenure on the congressional intelligence committees. His dismissal, I believe, is a loss for the Bureau and the nation,” Burr said.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine cautioned that the agency is still very much in business and investigations will keep on rolling.
“The president did not fire the entire FBI; he fired the director,” she tweeted.
“I hope that the next FBI Director will have the same kind of integrity, intelligence, and determination that Mr. Comey exhibited, but perhaps better judgment on when it is appropriate to comment publicly on the results of an investigation,” Collins said.
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri said a new boss could boost the agency.
“I believe new leadership at the FBI will restore confidence in the organization and among the people who do the hard work to carry out its mission,” Blount said in a statement.
Kellyanne Conway said on CNN last night said the president fired the FBI chief in a move that will restore “public confidence in the FBI.”
As for the bureau’s ongoing probes of Russian influence in the elections, Conway said, “Today’s actions had zero to do with that.”