U.S. House members from Rhode Island 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]
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 Rhode Island on the firing of James Comey
Jim Langevin (D), Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Representative Jim Langevin issued the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 9, 2017:
| “ | The firing of FBI Director Comey today, while he was in the midst of investigating the President’s ties to the Russian government, is deeply disturbing and raises a host of questions. It is imperative that a special prosecutor, immune from dismissal by the President, be appointed immediately to continue that investigation free from political interference.
The Russian information operations targeting last year’s election represented a direct assault on our democracy, an assault that is now being waged against our allies as well. That is why Congress must also act by enacting my resolution to form a Joint Select Committee on the election hacking and by creating an independent commission to ensure that the American people know the facts of the interference and any collusion that may have happened with the Trump campaign. President Trump claims that Congress and the public have lost faith in the FBI when what they are losing faith in is his presidency.[5][6] |
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See also
- Donald Trump firing of FBI Director James Comey, 2017-2018
- 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 Jim Langevin, "Langevin Statement on Trump’s Decision to Fire FBI Director Comey," May 9, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
