Trump fires FBI director James Comey, NY Times leads with speculation as many question the move
In the wake of James Clapper and Sally Yates testifying before Congress, still unable to prove any collusion between President Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russians, President Trump on Tuesday fired the director of the F.B.I., James B. Comey, abruptly terminating the top official leading a criminal investigation.
Trump called Clapper’s comments after the hearing a full dismissal of potential collusion and dismissed the entire issue outright in the series of tweets after the hearing, referring to information from the day’s events as “old news,” “a total hoax” and “#FakeNews!”
Now the President pointed to the firing of Comey due to the investigation into the mishandling of classified data by Hillary Clinton and the former Secreatary of State’s use of a private email server.
“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau,” Trump said in a letter to Comey dated Tuesday.
White House officials refused to say anything more about the three occasions Trump cited.
photo/ donkeyhotey
The officials said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, pushed for Comey’s dismissal.
“I cannot defend the director’s handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton’s emails,” Rosenstein wrote in another letter that was released by the White House, “and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken.”
The NY Times led the voice from the left of bias, conspiracy theory and criticisms of Trump: “But many in Washington, including veteran F.B.I. officers, saw a carefully choreographed effort by the president to create a pretense for a takedown of the president’s F.B.I. tormentor.”
The Times listed no sources of the “many in Washington” or identified these “veteran F.B.I. officers” who allegedly believe Trump acted improperly.
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), said the firing could make Americans suspect a cover-up. Trump fired back later Tuesday night in a Twitter post: “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer stated recently, ‘I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer.’ Then acts so indignant.”
Representative Justin Amash, (R-MI), said on Twitter that he now supports an independent commission to investigate the Russia links to Trump and the campaign. He called Trump’s claim that Comey had cleared him three times “bizarre.”
“I’ve spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey’s firing,” Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, said on Twitter. “I just can’t do it.”
[…] argues that Trump’s abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI director in May amounts to obstructing justice and “high crimes and misdemeanors” amid the […]