President Trump set off a political firestorm on Tuesday by firing FBI Director James Comey. Only one other FBI Director has ever been fired by a President. The letter of termination references recommendations from both the Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Administration staff, including V.P. Pence, Adviser Kellyanne Conway, and Assistant White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders confirmed that the basis for the termination was because of the recommendations from the Department of Justice. Huckabee also claimed that the rank and file in the FBI had lost confidence in their Director. Appearing before Congress the next day, Associate FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified that contrary to the statements made by the White House, Director Comey enjoyed broad support in the FBI and that he personally holds him in the highest regards.
Trump’s letter can be found here: Comey Termination Letter
Many people viewed the timing of the firing as suspect, as Director Comey oversaw the investigation into the possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and various Russians during the 2016 presidential election, and had just recently requested more funds for the investigation. Arguments that the firing could be considered an Obstruction of Justice were discussed on various news shows. If Comey’s firing was because of his actions in regards to his investigation into Hillary Clinton use of a private email server, then why didn’t Trump fire him as soon as he became President? and Attorney General Jeff Sessions had even praised Comey for his actions during the Clinton investigation, as seen in this video clip:
In a curious side note, Director Comey was in California at the time Trump instructed his bodyguard to deliver the letter. Comey was not reachable by Trump’s bodyguard and subsequently learned of his termination by watching television news.
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