Everything you need to know about ranked-choice voting in one spot. Click to learn more!

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

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Portal:Legislative Branch
Features of Congress
Definitions
Classes of United States Senators • President Pro Tempore of the Senate • United States Speaker of the House • Filibuster • Reconciliation • Vote-a-ramas • Parliamentarian • Christmas tree bill
Notable events
Key votes • Presidential addresses
Elections
Election dates • Filing requirements for congressional candidates • Filling vacancies in Senate • Filling vacancies in House
Campaign finance
Federal Election Commission • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee • National Republican Congressional Committee • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee • National Republican Senatorial Committee
Sessions
119th Congress
118th • 117th • 116th • 115th • 114th • 113th • 112th • 111th • 110th

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 Missouri on the firing of James Comey

    Emanuel Cleaver (D), Missouri's 5th Congressional District

    According to The Kansas City Star, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver had the following response to Comey's firing:

    “ 'The winner today, the biggest winner is Vladimir Putin,' Cleaver said. 'He’s the big winner today. When I heard that announcement, I told my staff — everyone’s running to the televisions — I said, "Look, there’s not American winners today. Vladimir Putin is seeing the fruits of his work, and this confirms for him and the people of Russia that this democracy thing isn’t as great and honest and pure as you’ve been led to believe."’[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. ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Kansas City congressman calls Trump’s decision to fire FBI director a win for Putin," May 9, 2017
    6. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=U.S._House_members_from_Missouri_on_the_firing_of_James_Comey&oldid=10185909"