Incompetence doesn’t make for a good director

USA TODAY’s editorial “Should

James Comey stay or go?: Our view” asks the wrong question.

The question shouldn’t be whether the FBI director should stay or go, but whether he should be investigated for ethics and Hatch Act violations, abuse of office and a search that likely violated the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution by far exceeding the scope of the Anthony Weiner sexting case.

Due process is such an important principle of our legal system that it is mentioned twice in our Constitution ( in the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments) but Hillary Clinton was given no presumption of innocence despite having already been investigated and exonerated. What Comey did amounted to unprecedented and unconstitutional interference in an election, and it can’t be undone.

The least we can do is send a message to anyone else thinking of abusing their power and substituting their judgment for that of millions of their fellow citizens.

At a minimum, Comey owes the American people an apology and an explanation for why he went against longstanding policy in a case that had already been settled and was unlikely to turn up anything new. Paul Shread Clarksville, Md.

If FBI Director James Comey had lived up to his reputation, Hillary Clinton would be under indictment now. For him to have said that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring that case against Clinton was a downright exaggeration and a far- flung miscarriage of justice. It set a bad precedent for criminal acts of a similar nature. Karen Scott

Comey must definitely go. His integrity was compromised from the very beginning.

Comey’s excuse for not prosecuting Clinton was that there was no “criminal intent.” That hasn’t been an excuse for leaking classified data. Furthermore, the “investigation” was a sham. No lie detector test, no interviews “under oath” and immunity for Clinton’s aides. Gary Willson

Should Comey stay or go? It all depends on which side of the political aisle you’re on.

Last summer, when Comey let Clinton off the hook by not recommending an indictment, I could see why conservatives wanted him out.

But then days before the presidential election, when Comey investigated Democrat Anthony Weiner’s laptop and found emails from Clinton, I can see why liberal Democrats wanted Comey out.

Either way, the end justifies the means. We’re rid of both Hillary and Bill Clinton.

Barry VanTrees

No, he must go. Comey may have shown independence as opposed to having his nose firmly embedded with Democrats, but incompetence and chicanery don’t make for a good FBI director. Tr Hardenbergh

If both parties don’t like Comey, he’s probably the best choice for us. Jeff Felix He should move on. David Hale