The firing of James Comey by two of the central figures in the Russia investigation smells rotten at every level as the White House may have taken desperate measures to stop the FBI investigation.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement:
Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear 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,†said President Trump.
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A search for a new permanent FBI Director will begin immediately.
The official White House line is the Comey was fired for mishandling the Clinton email investigation in July:
Letters from Trump, Sessions, and Rosenstein on James Comey pic.twitter.com/msc7QBV3xL
— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) May 9, 2017
This reason makes no sense because Trump waited more than 100 days after he was in office to fire Comey. Secondly, the handling of Clinton email investigation happened before Trump took office. Thirdly, Trump benefitted from Comey’s mishandling of the Clinton email investigation.
What Comey was currently leading was the investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government during the 2016 election.
Trump’s pattern has been to fire people who come close to getting to the truth on Russia. Given the precedent of how Trump has run his administration, it is likely that Comey’s sudden firing is related to the Russia investigation, not Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
