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U.S. senators from Oregon 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 Oregon on the firing of James Comey
Ron Wyden (D)
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden issued the following statement regarding Comey's firing on May 9, 2017:
| “ | I have long been a critic of Director Comey, for his views about surveillance and torture, his stance on secret law and his conduct during the investigation into Secretary Clinton. But Donald Trump’s decision to fire him now, in the midst of an investigation into Trump associates and their ties to Russia, is outrageous. Director Comey should be immediately called to testify in an open hearing about the status of the investigation into Russia and Trump associates at the time he was fired.
There can be no question that a fully independent special counsel must be appointed to lead this investigation. At this point, no one in Trump’s chain of command can be trusted to carry out an impartial investigation. The president would do well to remember that in America, the truth always comes out.[5] [6] |
” |
Jeff Merkley (D)
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley made the following comments regarding Comey's firing via Twitter:
In case the need for an independent special prosecutor to investigate #TrumpRussia ties wasn’t clear enough already… it sure is now. https://t.co/G3yoovqi0a
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) 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. Senator Ron Wyden, "Wyden Statement on Firing of FBI Director James Comey," May 9, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.