U.S. senators from Maryland 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. Senators from Maryland on the firing of James Comey
Ben Cardin (D)
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin issued the following statement in response to Comey's firing on May 9, 2017:
| “ | There is little President Trump does anymore that surprises me, but that he would fire the lead investigator into collusion between Russia and Trump campaign officials is beyond the pale – even for him. This is the biggest evidence to date of why we need an independent commission to investigate Russia’s interference in our election. We also need a special prosecutor to complete the ongoing criminal probe, now that the president has undermined the integrity of the FBI’s investigation.
There is no doubt that President Trump is threatened by the investigations of Russia's ties to his campaign. His actions reinforce the need for a nonpartisan commission to work full-time on behalf of the American people to figure out who did what, when and why. The American people are entitled to answers.[5] [6] |
” |
Chris Van Hollen (D)
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen released the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 9, 2017:
| “ | Firing FBI Director Comey has the foul stench of an attempt to stop an ongoing investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. We know that the Russians interfered in our election. We know that every intelligence agency concluded that Russia interfered on behalf of Donald Trump. And we know that Director Comey was investigating potential collusion between Donald Trump’s associates and Russia. While I’ve long had concerns about Director Comey, it’s shocking that the Justice Department and the White House would blatantly interfere in an ongoing and very active investigation by firing him. Congress must continue its work to investigate possible collusion, but the timing of Director Comey’s firing requires that the Justice Department immediately appoint a special prosecutor in order to reinstall confidence in our justice system and in our intelligence agencies.[7][6] | ” |
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. Senator Ben Cardin, "Cardin Statement on the Firing of FBI Director Comey," May 9, 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. Senator Chris Van Hollen, "Van Hollen Statement on Firing of FBI Director Comey," May 9, 2017
