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U.S. House members from Delaware on the firing of James Comey

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President Donald Trump (R) fired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey on May 9, 2017. Trump stated in a letter that he no longer had confidence in Comey's ability to lead the agency.[1]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • President Donald Trump (R) fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017.
  • Comey's firing occurred in the midst of the FBI's investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
  • According to the memo recommending his removal, Comey's firing stemmed from his handling of the investigation into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server.
  • On May 16, 2017, The New York Times reported that Comey had penned a memo documenting a conversation in which Trump allegedly asked Comey to halt an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

    • Comey's dismissal occurred after Trump received a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to Attorney General Jeff Sessions recommending Comey's removal. According to the memo, Rosenstein recommended Comey's ouster due to what Rosenstein and his colleagues viewed as mistaken actions taken by Comey during the course of the investigation into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server. Trump later stated that he had lost confidence in Comey's ability to lead the agency and had made the decision to fire Comey prior to receiving the memo. According to White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the memo was the "final straw that pushed [Trump]" to remove Comey from the post.[2][3]

    Comey's dismissal sparked varying responses from congressional members. Many Democrats and Republicans expressed concern over the firing in light of the FBI's ongoing investigation into Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Others supported Trump's decision, stating that he had acted within his authority as president and citing many Democrats' prior condemnations of Comey during the course of the Clinton email investigation. Comey's removal also sparked calls from a number of Democrats to appoint a special prosecutor to lead the FBI's Russia investigation.[2][3]

    On May 16, 2017, The New York Times reported that Comey had penned a memo documenting a conversation in which Trump allegedly asked Comey to halt an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The report generated additional responses by congressional members.[4]

    U.S. House members from Delaware on the firing of James Comey

    Lisa Blunt Rochester (D), Delaware's At-Large Congressional District

    U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester issued the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 9, 2017:

    “ Firing Director Comey at a time when the FBI is investigating Russian ties to the Trump campaign and the presidential election is suspect to say the least. Furthermore, Attorney General Sessions rightly recused himself from any investigation into cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russia, yet he made a recommendation to President Trump that Director Comey be fired. Rather than building confidence and providing Congress - and the American people with answers, we are left only with more questions as a result of the actions of the Trump Administration.

    What we know for sure is that there has never been a more pressing time for a special prosecutor and an independent investigation into Russian ties to President Trump and the presidential election. Calmer heads must prevail and we must put politics aside to protect our democracy. We cannot allow public trust in the Department of Justice or in our government as a whole to be eroded because partisanship is prioritized over the truth. The American people deserve answers, and we in Congress must do everything in our power to ensure they get them.[5][6]

    		”

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The New York Times, "F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump," May 9, 2017
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 CNN, "Trump: I was going to fire Comey regardless of DOJ recommendation," May 11, 2017
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 NPR, "'I Will Be Fine,' Comey Reportedly Tells FBI Agents In Farewell Letter," May 10, 2017
    4. ↑ The Atlantic, "The House Demands to See the Comey Memos," May 16, 2017
    5. ↑ U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, "Blunt Rochester Statement Following Comey Firing," May 9, 2017
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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