U.S. House members from New York on the firing of James Comey
 |
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]
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 New York on the firing of James Comey
Joseph Crowley (D), New York's 14th Congressional District
U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley issued the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 10, 2017:
| “ | Director Comey's dismissal is extremely troubling. President Trump fired the man investigating him and his cohorts. I strongly support calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor.[5][6] | ” |
Jerrold Nadler (D), New York's 10th Congressional District
U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler issued the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 10, 2017:
| “ | The firing of FBI Director Comey by President Trump is a terrifying signal of this Administration’s continued abuse of power on so many levels. The FBI Director was fired for one reason and one reason only – he appears to have been conducting a serious investigation into the Trump campaign’s connection with the Russians. Period. It is clear that the reasons given today for the firing of Director Comey are pretext, they are excuses, they are not true, they are lies. All other justifications offered by this Administration are a smokescreen.
Attorney General Sessions lied about his connections to Russia and was forced to recused himself from the investigation. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn lied to the Vice President about his connections to Russian agents and was fired. Representative Nunes, Chairman of the House Select Intelligence Committee, concealed evidence from his colleagues after improper communications with the White House. Jared Kushner failed to disclose his meetings with Russian officials on his security clearance forms. Former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort resigned his position amid allegations of connections to Russian officials. Former Trump foreign affairs advisor Carter Paige had unexplained contacts with the Russian government. And when former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates tried to warn the Administration about these conflicts, she was fired. The Trump Administration fired U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Preet Bharara, who had jurisdiction to investigate these troubling connections. Now, the President fires Director Comey who has been heading investigation into these matters for months. And to add terrible insult to injury, the ‘justification’ for the firing was handled by the ostensibly recused Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The message to all federal investigators is crystal clear: if you ask too many questions, if you seek to put these pieces together, if you seek justice, if you seek the truth, you too may be fired. And anyone who this President now appoints will have zero credibility to carry out an honest investigation. As such, we are now careening towards a constitutional crisis in our country with the Administration systematically attacking all of the institutions that are meant to put a check on the power of the President. A fair, thorough, and comprehensive investigation is necessary to protect democratic government in the United States. The President's firing of Director Comey ranks with Nixon's firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox in October 1973. As such, the only path forward is the appointment of a special prosecutor and an independent 911-style investigative panel.[7][6] |
” |
Sean Maloney (D), New York's 18th Congressional District
U.S. Representative Sean Maloney made the following comments regarding Comey's firing via Twitter:
For 2nd time in U.S. history POTUS has fired Director of the FBI. It's a Tuesday night massacre. #ComeyFiring
— Sean Patrick Maloney (@RepSeanMaloney) May 9, 2017
This raises as many questions as it answers and the public deserves a real explanation from the President. #ComeyFiring
— Sean Patrick Maloney (@RepSeanMaloney) May 9, 2017
I only have two words - independent investigation. #ComeyFiring
— Sean Patrick Maloney (@RepSeanMaloney) May 9, 2017
See also
- House Intelligence Committee investigation on Russian activity in 2016 presidential election
- Hillary Clinton email investigation
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "F.B.I. Director James Comey Is Fired by Trump," May 9, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 CNN, "Trump: I was going to fire Comey regardless of DOJ recommendation," May 11, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 NPR, "'I Will Be Fine,' Comey Reportedly Tells FBI Agents In Farewell Letter," May 10, 2017
- ↑ The Atlantic, "The House Demands to See the Comey Memos," May 16, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley, "Chairman Crowley on FBI Director James Comey," May 10, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, "Rep. Nadler Responds to Firing of FBI Director Comey," May 9, 2017
