U.S. House members from Georgia 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. House members from Georgia on the firing of James Comey[edit]
Hank Johnson (D), Georgia's 4th Congressional District[edit]
U.S. Representative Hank Johnson issued the following response to Comey's firing on May 10, 2017:
| “ | By terminating FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump has continued his assault on our Republic.
As recently as last week, Comey confirmed that the FBI has active ongoing counter terrorism and criminal investigations into the Trump campaign’s connections to the Russian government's attempts to influence the outcome of this country’s most recent presidential election. The abrupt and unwarranted firing of James Comey appears to be another impulsive act; but a deeper view may reveal a cold, calculated and self-serving attempt to derail ongoing investigations. Taken together with the recent firings of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and New York's U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, James Comey's firing suggests an attempt to squelch an investigation in an effort to cover up wrongdoing. This course of conduct must not be allowed to stand unchallenged. President Trump cannot be allowed to bully Congress and the American people into silence. The future viability of our Republic requires Congress to conduct an independent and immediate investigation led by a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of what 17 different intelligence agencies have all concluded, which is that Russia meddled in this country’s presidential election. For the security of our democracy, Americans deserve to know whether there was any collusion between the Russians and anyone connected to the Trump campaign.[5][6] |
” |
See also[edit]
- House Intelligence Committee investigation on Russian activity in 2016 presidential election
- Hillary Clinton email investigation
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 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. Representative Hank Johnson, "Congressman Hank Johnson's Statement on the Firing of FBI Director Comey," May 10, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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