Did President Trump fire Comey because of his handling of the Clinton emails and not the Russian investigation
President Donald Trump, surprised everyone in Washington Tuesday when he fired FBI Director James Comey. The reason that he fired Comey, for “Being to mean to Hillary Clinton, “according to a letter sent to the White House from the new assistant attorney general Rod J Rosenstein.
It might be the Republican’s in the Senate who are likely to be at odds with their own president when it comes to this firing the FBI Director. They may have no choice other than to ask for an independent prosecutor.
Comey, found out about his termination on television Tuesday afternoon while speaking to FBI field agents in Los Angeles. He was not called by anyone from the Justice Department nor the White House.
Was the real reason why Comey was fired because of his investigation of the Trump into the Trump 2016 presidential campaign’s possible collusion with Russia to influence the election outcome?
The firing of Comey came less than 24 hours after former Attorney General Sally Yates testified she warned the White House that former Trump national security advisor Gen. Michael Flynn was a security risk because of his relationship with Russia.
It also came after Monday’s announcement that federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas as part of the ongoing probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to multiple media reports.
The recommendation to fire Comey came from the Department of Justice led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and newly minted Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein.
First, it was Rosenstein’s letter to President Trump that detailed why Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation warranted an immediate dismissal. Rosenstein made the accusations Comey attempted to “usurp the attorney general’s authority” by publicly announcing why he felt the case should be closed without prosecution.
“Compounding the error, the director ignored another longstanding principle: We do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation,” Rosenstein argued in his memo.
“We should reject the departure and return to the traditions (of the bureau),” Rosenstein said. “The way the director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong. As a result, the FBI is unlikely to regain public and congressional trust until it has a director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them.”
Secondly, President Trump followed Rosenstein’s direction and fired Comey. In a signed letter released by the White House, Trump informed Comey that he was “hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately,” explaining that he reached the conclusion that Comey is “not able to effectively lead the bureau.”
“It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,” Trump told Comey in the letter. “I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”
Thirdly, Rosenstein will act as the temporary FBI Director until a new person can be chosen and confirmed. The naming of a new director is expected to take a while and requires Senate confirmation once the person has been chosen by President Trump.
Forth, the investigation into the Trump Campaign’s possible contacts with Russia. Rosenstein, a career prosecutor who has a stellar record as a legal scholar. It is possible that Rosenstein could should he wish propose a possible special prosecutor to handle the Russia investigation.
Fifth, the Democrats don’t have the moral side because they were highly critical of Comey’s handling of the Clinton email scandal. The firing of Comey came just a few days after Hillary Clinton herself blamed Comey, in part, for her loss to Trump.
Look for the Republican’s to lead the charge on the Russian investigation. It has already begun with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker of Tennessee said that though Rosenstein’s rationale for removing Comey was sound, it, would “raise questions.”
Sen. John McCain added: “While the President has the legal authority to remove the director of the FBI, I am disappointed in the President’s decision to remove James Comey from office.”
Quotes used in this story came from CNN and Associated Press.
