Justice

Trump Fires FBI Director James Comey

May 9th 2017

President Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey on Tuesday.

james-comeyAP/Carolyn Kaster - apimages.com

The termination comes a week after Comey testified before a Senate subcommittee on his decision to inform Congress about an FBI investigation into former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails.

In a statement, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that the president “acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”

Trump wrote a letter to Comey informing him of the decision.

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," he wrote.

“It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission," he added.

In a letter explaining his recommendation to terminate Comey, the deputy attorney general said that "almost everyone agrees that [Comey] made serious mistakes" when he closed the agency’s investigation into Clinton's emails “without prosecution."

Rosenstein said that decision represents “one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives.”

What you need to know.

  • FBI director James Comey was terminated on Tuesday over his handling of a federal investigation into presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails.
  • Comey did not disclose that the agency was also investigating alleged collaborations between Trump campaign advisors and the Russian government.
  • Last week, Comey told a Senate subcommittee that it made him feel "mildly nauseous to think that we might have had some impact on the election" by announcing the Clinton investigation, he "wouldn't change the decision."
  • Trump fired Comey on the basis of recommendations by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to a White House statement.

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