President Trump fired his FBI director
James Comey on Tuesday afternoon.
When a president fires an FBI director who seems to be investigating his inner circle
The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence
mission, is investigating the nature of any
links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Questions will naturally arise over whether he's trying to cover something up.
The termination and removal of James Comey raises the critical question as to whether
the FBI investigation of Russian interference in the last presidential campaign will continue
and whether the investigation into any collusion or involvement by the Trump campaign will
also be investigated by the FBI.
This is the kind of thing that goes on in non-democracies.
A presidential firing of an FBI director is extremely unusual.
They're nonpartisan officials who serve 10-year terms, and they're meant to go on from one
president to another.
And it's important to note here that back in January during President Trump's first
week in office, he actually asked Comey to stay on in his post.
You're stuck with me for about another six and a half years.
In fact, it's hard to come up with a comparison to a president firing a top law enforcement
official investigating his own inner circle unless you think back to Watergate.
The country tonight is in the midst of what may be the most serious constitutional crisis
in its history.
There are reports tonight that President Nixon has ordered attorney general Elliot Richardson
to fire the special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox.
Because of the president's action, the Attorney General has resigned.
Elliot Richardson has quit, saying he cannot carry out Mr. Nixon's instructions.
The fear that many Democrats and even some Republicans have is that Trump will be able
to replace Comey — who is an independent actor —
We’re not on anybody's side ever.
with a more compliant FBI director who could slow-walk the investigation or perhaps bury
it.
The political people are in charge of the FBI, not the street agents; the street agents
do what they're told.
The reason Trump’s Justice Department lays out for Comey’s dismissal is that he mishandled
the Hillary Clinton email case by essentially being too tough on her.
But this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
In the past, President Trump has criticized Comey for being too easy on Clinton in the
email case.
Hillary Clinton is guilty.
She knows it, the FBI knows it, the people know it.
Some new information in just now, the FBI may be reopening an investigation into the
Hillary Clinton email server.
There was a letter that apparently was just sent out.
When you have a 5- or 6-point lead two weeks before the election, and then magically becomes
2 to 4 points right on the election eve — something happened.
And it lines up perfectly with when Comey released his letter.
Look, this was terrible.
It makes me mildly nauseous to think that we might’ve had some impact on the election,
but honestly, it wouldn't change the decision.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is on record praising Comey for some of the very actions
that his deputy now cites as a justification for Comey’s firing.
He didn’t think that there was enough evidence to charge her previously, and now he's received
new evidence; he had an absolute duty, in my opinion, 11 days or not, to come forward
with the new information that he has and let the American people know that too.
The president has made no secret of the fact that he's very unhappy about the Russia investigation.
Russia is fake news.
In a recent tweet, he said that it was a “taxpayer funded charade.”
It's unclear where this move will lead.
When Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, there was a bipartisan
backlash.
More than 50,000 telegrams poured in on Capitol Hill today, so many, Western Union was swamped.
Most of them demanded impeaching Mr. Nixon.
In my three district offices in one Republican area, my phone calls were 100 to 1 in favor
of pursuing the path of impeachment.
But it's not clear that will happen again.
There's much more partisan polarization in the US political system today, and Republicans
in Congress have seemed eager to defend Trump from potentially damaging investigations.
My message is: Suck it up and move on.
Some Republicans have criticized and questioned Trump’s move.
You don't buy the Clinton email explanation?
I don't believe that that is sufficient rationale for removing the director of the FBI.
But others have seemed to be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I think we need a new face and a new guy
or new gal and move on.
That’s the president’s decision to make,
I don’t anticipate it would impede any of
the work of the FBI.
His administration has already been plagued by leaks from intelligence and law enforcement
agencies.
Firing Comey could well make this problem worse for him.
After all, in the Watergate scandal, Woodward and Bernstein's most famous source, Deep Throat,
was a high-ranking FBI official.