In a surprising move that stirred much debate, President Donald Trump fired Fbi Director James Comey. Trump tweeted several times after the move, explaining that it will be seen in better light later on and that Comey’s replacement will do a much better job. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein explained the justification for the dismissal of Comey in a letter as it seems they were expecting no backlash at the time the decision was announced. However, Democrats had an issue with the timing of the dismissal and how it could be translated into something related to Russia.
Therefore, reactions to firing Comey were not as quiet as anticipated.
It is thought that the move came as a recommendation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein. The Democrats were quick to point out that the Attorney General was plotting the removal of the man too close to a case from which he had disavowed involvement. However, it was Rosenstein who produced a memo detailing the rationale behind the decision. White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that Rosenstein was the man behind the move and that it is totally a Department of Justice decision.
Reactions of both parties to the firing
Comey was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for the handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Trump announced that Comey lost the trust of both Republicans and Democrats, making him under fire by everyone in Washington. Democrats and some Republicans were suspicious that the move came after Comey was too involved in the relationship between Trump’s associates and Russia.
Before the public was able to access any of Trump’s comments, Vice President Mike Pence announced his support for the decision on Capitol Hill, making a remark about it being at right move at the right time.
The move is linked to the Russian investigation
Trump denied any effect that the Comey controversy might have on his meeting with the Russian envoy. However, he refrained from answering a question concerning the role of a new director in the agency’s investigation of possible ties between Trump campaign officials and the Russians.
It was emphasized in the comments by Pence that no conflict exists between the campaign and the Russian officials.
At the moment, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a 20-year veteran of the bureau is undertaking the Russian investigation. The duration of this investigation is not known but the White House assured the public that as soon as Trump fired FBI Director Comey, the search for a new FBI Director began at once.
