Former Bush advisor Fagen says Comey’s firing ‘stinks to high heaven’
“To take this action without addressing the profound conflict of interest of the President and Attorney General harkens back to a similarly tainted decision by President Nixon”. But he said he had no regrets and would make the same decision again.
The remark about the second paragraph refers to the firing letter President Donald Trump sent Tuesday to James Comey on Tuesday.
His handling of Comey’s dismissal vividly illustrated the mercurial, scorched-earth style that Trump forged in the business world and last year’s campaign, but has been met with fierce resistance in Washington. In March, it was Mr. Trump’s tweets about being “wiretapped” by President Obama.
With the shock from Mr Trump’s move still reverberating, the Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, called on the same Trump administration official who had recommended Mr Comey’s ousting, to now appoint a special investigator. The Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russian Federation. Shortly afterward, an official letter from Trump that told Comey he was sacked was sent to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Not pleased with how Comey was sacked, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee vowed to keep pushing forward on their probe of Russian election meddling, sending out their first subpoenas to former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was sacked over his contacts with Russian officials.
Mr. Comey’s tenure as head of the bureau has been marked by intense controversy and unusual decisions, drawing sustained attacks from all sides of the political spectrum. “Jim Comey is an honorable public servant, and in the midst of a crisis of public trust that goes well beyond who you voted for in the presidential election, the loss of an honorable public servant is a loss for the nation”.
Also on the show, former Central Intelligence Agency agent John Sipher said Comey’s firing likely won’t end the FBI ‘s investigation into possible links between Russian Federation and President Donald Trump ‘s campaign.
The executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, Danielle Brian, said Trump’s move – whether or not so intended – “undermines the independence and credibility of that investigation”. Stunned aides scrambled to put together a plan to explain what happened.
“When [Rosenstein] saw that, he had to speak up”, Sanders told the White House press briefing room on Wednesday. It was the first public comment Trump has made about summarily dismissing Comey, a move that has sparked a political storm. Judging panels, led in past seasons by Trump, Martha Stewart, or most recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger, checked in on every team throughout the episode and understood each group’s pain points. The top official at the Justice Department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, recused himself from the Russian Federation probe, which leaves the special-counsel decision-making to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
“I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination”, Sen.
“We encourage them to complete this investigation…”
As he met with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger at the White House, Mr Trump was asked by reporters why he fired Mr Comey, responding: “He wasn’t doing a good job, very simply”.
She added that Mr Trump had been considering firing Mr Comey since he took office, noting that there had been an “erosion of confidence” in Mr Comey. “He wasn’t doing a good job”.