Criminal law, Politics

TRUMP FIRES FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY

President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey this evening in a surprise move.  Various politicians and the media have openly referred to the act as “Nixonian” and “another Saturday Night Massacre.”  I have previously stated how the Saturday Day Massacre has been misrepresented.  I also do not agree with Jeff Toobin on CNN tonight that the decision was clearly due to the fact that Comey’s investigation was getting “too close” to President Trump.  I do not see how one can reach that conclusion after months of criticism over Comey’s past conduct, including widespread anger from Democrats over his public statements on Hillary Clinton.  I agree that the timing is concerning and legitimately questioned.  However, the Administration may also have waited for the Deputy Attorney General to be confirmed to allow a career prosecutor to review the matter and to concur with the decision.  Democrats denounced Comey over his actions regarding the Clinton Administration.  The matter was given to the Deputy Attorney General who was just confirmed recently.

President Trump took efforts in his letter state that Comey assured him that he was not under investigation.  He stated that  “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau.”

The White House released a memorandum from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a respected career prosecutor.  He found that Comey’s prior conduct did “substantial damage” to the FBI’s “reputation and credibility.”  He noted that the FBI Director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department” and that his conduct was “a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do.”

Rosentstein served in both Republican and Democratic administrations. He is not viewed as a political hack.  Moreover, the firing of Comey results in the elevation of an individual widely denounced by Republicans: Andrew McCade.  That would hardly be an optimal political switch.  The question is whether the White House will bypass McCade due to his political controversy involving his wife and select someone else to serve as acting FBI Director.

Notably, Comey’s testimony last week resulted in a correction issued today by the FBI as to one of his representations.  After that hearing, a source referred to Comey in saying that he was “as popular as cholera” on the Hill.

FBI directors generally hold 10-year term limits and cannot be reappointed, but Comey’s predecessor, Robert Mueller III was given special permission by Congress to serve an extra two years.  However, the director is effectively an at-will employee who serves at the pleasure of the president.  Only one president has fired a director.  In 1993, President Bill Clinton fired William Sessions after the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility found ethical problems involving the use of FBI plane to visit his daughter and the payment for a security system installed in his home 

162 thoughts on “TRUMP FIRES FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY”

    1. Interesting that the only other president to fire his FBI Director was Hillary’s husband – Bill Clinton.

      1. The Sessions firing is a reminder of what used to count as a scandal in Washington, before the Clintons and their camp followers pioneered the practice of concealing the muck by hiding it behind a bigger pile of muck.

  2. WH soiling their britches after Yates and Clapper testimony yesterday.

    Popping some corn.

    1. What came of it? The testimony of Yates and Clapper was supposed to reveal some ‘smoking gun’ – it did not. In fact, Clapper confirmed that to his knowledge, there is NO evidence of any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. You know if there was even a shred that it would have been leaked to the press by now.

      1. Clapper said he didn’t even know there was an investigation into Trump/Russia until late March AFTER he retired. And Comey has confirmed this. So when Clapper said in December, and the other day, that he didn’t see any evidence of collusion it was because he was not in the loop on this story. He was NOT BRIEFED! Why do you people keep parroting this nonsense? Maybe bc you have no other leg to stand on??

      2. My sense from the testimony was that the real smoking gun or guns, was still classified. Not that there were no smoking guns, but rather that they could not be revealed at this time.

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  6. I do not see how one can reach that conclusion [that Comey was getting too close to Trump’s Russian connections] after months of criticism over Comey’s past conduct, including widespread anger from Democrats over his public statements on Hillary

    While I’m not at all sure Comey was “getting too close to Trump…”, the criticism over Comey’s past conduct, by Dems or Repubs for that matter, has little to do with the accuracy or inaccuracy of that statement. Comey at one time or another seems to have been for and then against both Hillary and Trump, each in their turn, so from that POV, one can argue most anything.

  7. The Trump-Russia story is just some bullsh*t for the Democrats to throw against the wall, hoping that something sticks. Period. There is absolutely no story there.

    I hope that Trump fired Comey for not going after Hillary the way he should have. Comey rewrote the law which made negligence a crime, into one where specific intent was required.

    Time will tell.

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

    1. Yes, it is and I wonder when they are going to drop it. This craziness of Russian-Trump coziness is crazy!! If Russia would have wanted anyone to win it surely would have been Clinton! Imho.

      1. They can’t. In too deep to give it up and on top of that too stupid. You are wrong about Clilnton. She loathed Russia and loathed Putin even more because he is vastly smarter than she and greatly enjoyed letting her know it. It really sucks to get put down by your supposed inferiors on the geopolitical scene and few have deserved it so richly as Hillary.

        That said, there are as many shades of collusion as there are colors. The unvarnished truth is that there is no proof positive – available to the public – of any collusion between Trump or his agents and Putin or his. That does not mean there is or was no collusion. Without an independent investigation, and perhaps in spite of one, we will likely never know.

    2. Squeeky –
      Are you asserting that Trump has received NO Russian payments or investments, and is therefore invulnerable to any Russian blackmail or coercion? How would you know this?

  8. Comey should be prosecuted for obstruction of justice and for allowing a criminal to run for the highest office in the land and then suggesting that she lost because Putin didn’t like her , who in the world appointed him as the FBI director in the first place , oh never mind it was me Hussein Obama !

  9. A Tale of Schizophrenia:

    {Comey smacks down Alberto Gonzales for trying to coerce Bush’s AG to reauthorize spying program against Americans}

    Dem’ radicals: Comey’s great, Comey’s really great.

    {FBI announces it’s investigating Hillary’s emails}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s bad, Comey’s bad.

    {Comey announces no charges against Hillary}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s great, Comey’s great.

    {Comey announces reopening of Hillary email investigation}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s evil. Comey’s really evil.

    {FBI’s announces it’s investigating Russian influence on campaign}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s great, Comey’s great.

    {Comey misstates number of emails Huma sent to husband The Weiner-man}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s really, really evil.

    {Trump fires Comey for misstatements}

    Dem radicals: Comey’s great, Comey’s great.

      1. Squeeky:

        It just writes itself. I love the frothing-at-the-mouth radical. He provides so much fodder for satire!

    2. I’m not sure that is entirely fair and balanced, but it is damn well said nonetheless… 🙂

  10. It took over a 100 days before the President did the firing. Many are surprised it took that long.

  12. I thought his most recent testimony had flop sweat thru parts of it. Over the years he was able to present in much more competent professional manner,…. there has been an unraveling of some sort. Time to go.

  13. So can someone please show me one voter in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada that was influenced by any Russian meddling?
    Please just one.

    1. I agree with Roscoe. What particular “issue” was promoted by the Russians? None has been revealed. “Meddling”? Someone show us some proof. Its a bunch of itShay.

      1. CRAP, JACK! Next you’ll deny Iraaq WMDs! Get over it! TRUST YOUR OVERLORDS, JACK!

        /sarc off

      2. I have it on good authority the Russians hacked the voting machines and it changed the results to:

        Hillary 65,844,954
        Trump 62,979,879
        Stolichnaya Vodka 109,446,676

      3. The issue was, “not Hillary.” It was a position they favored as payback for her anti-Russian positions and actions as Secretary of State.

    2. You mean influenced by hearing the TRUTH that exposed the corruption and the blatant media collusion behind the scenes in the Clinton campaign and within the DNC?

      But then again, I knew Hillary Clinton would never be president – ever- in this lifetime, so it did not influence my vote.

      The media line is that Hillary was THE MOST QUALIFIED EVER to run for president. But the truer line is that Hillary was THE MOST CORRUPT EVER to run for president.

  14. Its about time! I can’t believe he wasn’t fired a long time ago. I don’t know if he was in kahoots with Loretta Lynch and the Clintons or not, but my cynical mind says “probably”!

  15. Somehow Clinton getting a hummer or two in the oval office and lying and weaseling about it, doesn’t look that bad. Trump just pulled the classic ‘create chaos to take the focus off’ routine. Also, Comey seemed to have handed it to Trump. The big question is, ‘Is this just another game show?’

    3. When asked about his sexapades, President Clinton lied under oath, being felony perjury. If Bill’s sexapades are so innocent, why did it result in felony perjury?

      The Federal Court’s punishment was to permanently remove Bill’s law license, which means Bill can never hold office in any SEC-ruled industry. (If not for Bill’s felony perjury, he’d hold at least one honorary CEO job pulling in several million $ annually. Poor Bill!)

      To democrap sycophant Isaac, Bill’s felony perjury is like stealing a cookie.

    1. This is where I think Comey made his biggest mistake. He should have refused and resigned when Lynch told him to appear before Congress on her behalf. He’s an LEO, not a prosecutor, who shouldn’t have been involved in the decision regarding whether there was enough evidence of H. Clinton’s misconduct to prosecute her. Because he didn’t resign but instead testified for Lynch, he gets all the blame and rightfully so.

  18. Great let’s open the Clinton investigation parallel to the Trump transition/ Russia ties.
    The Democrats have no idea what kind of can of crazy be careful what you have wished for they have opened.

  19. Of course that’s what the leftist, fascist media is going to say. I have a great deal of technical knowledge, and I can tell you that a great many things comey and his ilk have said are straight up utter and complete BS (as could sny other technically inclined person), I have zero doubt he is in bed with the Clintons. I have legitimate reasons of my own to loathe Trump, but this isn’t one of them.

    The same logic applies to the republicans’ FCC move – utter and complete BS. We didn’t have a choice this time around, truly.

  20. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said on CNN’s Situation Room that ‘The President fired the person leading an investigation in which he, the President was a TARGET of the investigation.’
    Blitzer said nothing to challenge his assertion.
    So Sen. Blumenthal has said unequivocally that the President was in fact a target.
    Total BS.

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