President Trump has fired James Comey, the director of the FBI and a leader of the investigation into Trump’s team’s ties with Russia during the 2016 election, three years into his 10-year tenure, the New York Times reports.
On Tuesday, POTUS said that Comey’s sudden firing was a result of the way Comey handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of her personal email server – hours earlier, it was discovered Comey misstated multiple facts about the investigation. However, Democrats are reportedly already suspicious of the decision, as Comey was in charge of the investigation that looked into whether the Trump team colluded with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the election back in November. The NYT reports that many are already calling for an independent prosecutor to look into the case.
Text: @POTUS letter to James Comey https://t.co/ZlS2kYItR5 pic.twitter.com/ax15GVk7lx
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 10, 2017
“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 reportedly wrote in the notice to Comey on Tuesday.
As the Washington Post reports, many are calling Trump’s move “Nixonian,” in reference to the way President Nixon fired much of the Justice Department during the Watergate investigation.
Donald Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey raises serious questions about what his administration is hiding.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) May 9, 2017
This is Nixonian. Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special prosecutor to continue the Trump/Russia investigation.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) May 9, 2017
Trump’s firing of Comey is inconsistent with the way he’s spoken of the former FBI director in the past – he had previously praised Comey’s investigation into Clinton’s emails as “gutsy,” and it’s widely believed that Comey’s interference in the 2016 election helped Trump win.
According to CNN, the White House has said that it will immediately begin searching for a new director of the FBI.