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'James Comey fired as FBI director'

https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-comey-fired-fbi-director-214803630.html

Allan Smith
Business InsiderMay 9, 2017

The White House announced Tuesday afternoon that FBI Director James Comey was fired.

"Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement. "President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions."

The search for a new director will begin immediately, Spicer added.

"The FBI is one of our nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement," Trump said in the statement.

In a letter sent to Comey, Trump said he accepted the recommendation of Sessions and Rosenstein, which was to fire Comey. His termination is effective immediately.

"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump wrote. "It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."

Rosenstein, in his letter to Sessions, pointed to Comey's July public announcement of his recommendation regarding the investigation into then-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she served as secretary of state. The deputy attorney general said Comey was "wrong to usurp the attorney general's authority" by going public with the FBI's recommendation to not bring charges forth against Clinton for her use of the server.

"It is not the function of the director to make such an announcement," Rosenstein wrote. "At most, the director should have said the FBI had completed its investigation and presented its findings to federal prosecutors. The director now defends his decision by asserting that he believed Attorney General Loretta Lynch had a conflict. But the FBI director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department."

Rosenstein wrote that the FBI suffered "substantial damage" to its credibility in the past year as a result of Comey's actions related to the Clinton investigation. the deputy attorney general added that he does not "understand [Comey's] refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken" in his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

"Almost everyone agrees that the director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives," he said.

He called the July press conference a "textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do."

Rosenstein additionally criticized Comey's handling of his October 28 letter to Congressional leaders announcing a reopening of the Clinton investigation based on emails recovered from disgraced New York City politician Anthony Weiner's computer. Weiner was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, who forwarded some emails onto his computer for printing purposes.

Citing Comey's testimony last week, Rosenstein said Comey made a false assertion that his only choice was to either "speak" on or "conceal" what he uncovered, which later turned out to not be sufficient to move forward with the investigation and led to a subsequent FBI announcement days before the November election that the investigation would remain closed.

"When federal agents and prosecutors quietly open a criminal investigation, we are not concealing anything; we are simply following the longstanding policy that we refrain from publicizing non-public information. In that context, silence is not concealment."

Rosenstein additionally cited past DOJ officials who agreed with his assessment of Comey.

Sessions, in his letter to Trump, said he "concluded" it was time for a "fresh start" at the FBI after reviewing Rosenstein's letter.

"It is essential that this Department of Justice clearly reaffirm its commitment to longstanding principles that ensure the integrity and fairness of federal investigations and prosecutions," Sessions said. "The director of the FBI must be someone who follows faithfully the rules and principles of the Department of Justice and who sets the right examples for our law enforcement officials and others in the department."

"Therefore, I must recommend that you remove Director James B. Comey, Jr. and identify an experienced and qualified individual to lead the great men and women of the FBI," he continued.

Comey becomes the second FBI director in history to be fired from the post. In 1993, President Bill Clinton fired FBI Director William S. Sessions, who was a holdover from the prior administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

One of the most controversial government figures, Comey was blasted by both the left and the right for his handling of the Clinton email investigation and the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's possibly collusion with Russian officials to swing the election.

In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in March, Comey publicly announced the existence of the FBI's investigation into possible ties between Trump associates and Russian officials making an effort to influence the presidential election.

Trump has repeatedly called the Russia-related controversy casting a cloud over his administration a "total hoax," which he repeated as recently as Monday following former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.

Comey came under fire Monday night for misstating the amount of email forwarded by Abedin to Weiner's computer in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. ProPublica published that the FBI was scrambling to figure out how to respond after Comey incorrectly stated that Abedin had forwarded "hundreds" and "thousands" of emails to Weiner. The FBI then issued a clarification to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley Tuesday afternoon, just before Comey was ousted.

In a statement shortly after the announcement, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the move "a difficult decision for all concerned."

"I appreciate Director Comey’s service to our nation in a variety of roles," he said in the statement. "Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well. I encourage the president to select the most qualified professional available who will serve our nation’s interests."

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who, like Graham a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Trump called her at 5:30 p.m. ET to alert her of the firing, "saying the FBI needed a change."

"The next FBI director must be strong and independent and will receive a fair hearing in the Judiciary Committee," Feinstein said.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who's made a name for himself as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, blasted Trump for his decision to oust Comey and called it the "Tuesday Afternoon Massacre," referencing the infamous "Saturday Night Massacre" during President Richard Nixon's term in office when he fired the independent special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal, which led to subsequent resignations from his attorney general and deputy attorney general.

"President Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey – who less than two months ago told the House Intelligence Committee that the president and his administration were the subject of criminal and counterintelligence investigations regarding their close personal, political and financial ties to Russia and Russia’s active interference in our 2016 presidential election on Trump’s behalf – should send a chill down the spine of every American, no matter who they voted for," he said in a statement. "This is not what an innocent person would do; this is an abuse of power, and shows a consciousness of guilt."

"The administration of justice must remain free of political influence, and President Trump has just leaped over that line," he continued. "If he thinks this will halt or even slow investigations into his and his associates’ conduct, he is sadly mistaken. The American people deserve to know what happened, and Trump’s 'Tuesday Afternoon Massacre' won’t interfere. Nobody recommended by this administration can be trusted to oversee this investigation, and so the need for an independent bipartisan commission is now more urgent than ever."

This is a developing post and will be updated.

All I gotta say is wow!

Who?

Trump cant really intimidate the FBI by doing this.

I dont think so.

Did anyone else notice this?

Both quotes from the article above: (bold added)



And later:



Political payback? Or amazing coincidence.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday he is “disappointed” with President Trump's decision to fire FBI Directory James Comey, arguing such a move reinforces his calls for a special congressional panel to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332649-mccain-disappointed-in-trump-for-firing-comey

This is NOT TRUE is it? Did Comey tell Trump that he is not under investigation? If he did then he should have been fired. Trump better be under investigation...

Sooo.. Cheeto fires the guy that's investigating his campaign and their Russian ties?

So far he's skated and gotten away with a lot of crap.. still hasn't released his taxes, still hasn't put his businesses in a blind trust, still plays golf..

But this one.. I don't think is gonna fly. This is gonna whet the appetite of the public to know the truth.

CNN checked with both dem and Republicans leaders and they aid as far as they know it is not true

Also CNN just reported grand jury in connection with the FBI issued supoenas in connection to Flynn and Russia

Uh oh, it's all beginning to unravel for Trump and Company.

Makes you wonder if the whole situation just got accelerated because of the firing.

Or this is an effort to control who does the questioning under these subpoenas.

How transparent.

Pick your battles...


Link

What a bunch.

No kidding....108 days overdue! I hope Hillary is sweating.

In the mean time, back in reality, Trump is picking New Conservative Judges and loading up.

Funny thing about Comey, he lasted over 100 days longer in his job than he would have if Hillary was Prez.

Well it will be very interesting to see if you are right on this one 40. I hope for your sake you are right, I'd hate to see your special little reality ripped apart in front of you. I don't think you are stable enough to handle that.

Come on bro.

40 will somehow blame Obama for the reason Trump had to go to Putin in order to win the election.

You see the conservatives are already tried to pin the firing on Hillary. It's always someone else's fault on Conservative Island.

I can't believe I actually waded in here ..... and i am wading out just as quickly .... but I had to respond to this.

John McCain is about as Republican as Bill Clinton was. McCain occasionally supports a Republican position, when he feels he must, but is more a Centrist Democrat type, as opposed to being a Republican.

I had to laugh when he ran for President, and the opposition tried to make him out to be some far right ideologue. He has been anything but.

Also, John McCain seems to really hate Trump .... and with good cause. (because of some of the things Trump said about him during the campaign)

I am glad that Comey has been fired. I think that he was an awful FBI director. Hopefully Trump will appoint a high quality director to replace him.

What I am getting from all this is if the Russians intent was to undermine American Democracy, well they have been very successful so far.

Victory Putin.

Shame on us.

We agree on that one 40.

I think Russia's mission is to destabilize trust in opposing world governments. I'm not really sure if Trump made a deal and is corrupt or colluded, but I have no doubt that Russia had their fingerprints all over his campaign. Flynn sure looks guilty of something.

I know regardless of politics, it's a sad time for America.

The word that keeps popping in my head about this administration is: Incompetent.

The word that keeps popping in my head about the Democrats is: Unbelievable.

Comey had to be one of the worst directors and he should have been let go but Trump has no idea how to do that without being a bull in a china shop and the Democrats were basically questioning Comey's leadership just a week ago! lol

"The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!"

"Cryin' Chuck Schumer stated recently, "I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer." Then acts so indignant."

-President Trump

The problem is that if this was really about the investigation into Hillary, then he should've been fired Day one.

The reality was that all the investigations happened BEFORE trump got into office. And Trump couldn't stop singing Comey praises when he dropped the bombshell on Hillary being investigated. So putting two and two together, trump had zero issue with Comey at that point.

But trump wouldn't shut up once he found out his team was the one under the microscope now.

And so now here's the facts:

Flynn got fired over the allegations, and Yates told everyone that the team tried to warn trump about him, yet they didn't give a damn.

An Deputy AG as well as an AG who had to recuse himself over the same crap now recommended that Comey gets fired.

Trump, who's team is being investigated over Russian allegations, decides to go ahead and fire the guy.

Comey has to find out on TV that he got fired, which speaks to the overall incompetence of this administration.

And now trump is going to meet with the top diplomat of Russia, Lavrov.

This is a cover up. Straight up.

Commentators mostly agree: Firing Comey was positively Nixonian

https://www.yahoo.com/news/commentators-mostly-agree-firing-comey-positively-nixonian-014845404.html

For many, the news that President Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey evoked memories of former President Richard Nixon.

“This is nothing less than Nixonian,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., of the president’s decision dismiss Comey, who was leading an ongoing investigation into whether Trump campaign officials colluded with Russian agents to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that Comey’s firing was “shocking” and “bizarre” and “raises troubling questions about the president’s motivations.”

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., echoed Leahy’s comments, also referring to Trump’s actions as “Nixonian” and calling for the immediate appointment of a special prosecutor to continue the Russia investigation.

Of course, as the Twitter account for the Richard Nixon Library was quick to note, Nixon never fired a director of the FBI.

13h
Patrick Thornton ✔ @pwthornton
@NixonLibrary This is not a fun fact.
Follow
RichardNixonLibrary ✔ @NixonLibrary
@pwthornton We use the term FUN FACT a lot. Sorry if it doesn't work in this context. Setting the record straight about #SaturdayNightmassacre
8:11 PM - 9 May 2017
52 52 Retweets 600 600 likes


But that detail hardly prevented “Nixonian” from quickly climbing Twitter’s list of trending terms Tuesday night, as many compared Comey’s unexpected ouster to the 1973 “Saturday Night Massacre,” in which Nixon fired Archibald Cox, the independent special prosecutor overseeing the Watergate investigation. That, in turn, prompted the resignations of then Attorney General Elliot Richardson and then Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus.

Archibald Cox View photos
Independent prosecutor Archibald Cox at the time of the Nixon-era “Saturday night massacre,” October 20, 1973. (Photo: John Duricka/AP)
More
“This is an investigator who is investigating the White House, and he was just fired by the White House,” said CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. This doesn’t happen in the United States, except on October 20, 1973, when Richard Nixon fired Archibald Cox.”

Recent Nixon biographer John Aloysius Farrell agreed, tweeting: “Tuesday night Massacre. We know why Richard Nixon fired Archibald Cox: the president was guilty of obstruction of justice.”

Pelosi and Schumer both announced they had lost confidence in Comey last week.

Then Trumps own AG tells Trump he has lost confidence in Comey's ability to do his job.

Now, if Comey does something stupid, Democrats and Media will say Trump should have fired him. Why did you delay when you even had your own people telling you Comey must go. Must be because he was on your side.

But, instead, Trump fires Comey and now they cry cover up.

The agenda from the beginning was to disrupt the Trump administration at every opportunity and we see it continue to this day.

"If it is a constitutional crisis, gold should be flying. If it is a constitutional crisis, the S&P should be down a percent and a half," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street."

Rod Rosenstein, who recommended to President Trump that he fire FBI Director James Comey, is widely respected by both career civil servants and members of both political parties.

The Justice Department's newly appointed deputy attorney general earned praise from Democrats during confirmation hearings earlier this year before getting overwhelming approval, 94-6, in the Senate.

Some Republicans said Comey's firing will be a fresh start, while others called Trump's dismissal bad timing.

Nixonian, not.

No, but he can fire anyone that doesn't do his bidding..

I'm no Comey fan. Thought he made a mistake jumping into the fray last summer with his statement about finding nothing on Clinton. I always, perhaps incorrectly, thought that the FBI investigates, turns over the findings to the Justice Department and they decide the disposition.

Comey took it upon himself to say no charges would be filed.. Just not his place.

Then to open the door back up a week or so before the elections was another mistake. He should NEVER discuss ongoing investigations... EVER. I think that either of those two things would have been enough for President Obama to fire him.. I think he'd have been well within his rights to do so.

But after the pre-election statement Comey made, Trump praised him for his courage.

That in and of itself tells me that Trump didn't want him investigating the possible Russian Connections. And that is the real reason he was fired.

If I understand this correctly, this could end up being a problem for Trump and his team.

All depends on how far Comey is allowed to go with his testimony now that he's no longer the Director of the FBI.

And another thing this has the possibility of starting is a special investigation into the entire situation.

Depending on his and his teams level of involvement, it could spell the end or total clearance.

Either way, this could be entertaining.

Our country is slowly burning down around us...

Well he turned into one once he started running for president.



Are you sure? Just because someone sees problems with the president, no matter the party, seems to make him more of a Patriot than a Dem or GOP.



I'm not sure if the new FBI director will be highly qualified or not, but you can be sure it will be someone who refuses to further investigate the Trump administration.

Why the market's not worried: Trump's firing of Comey may speed up tax reform

-"Republican members of Congress will want to speed up their policy achievements to overcome recent political developments," according to Strategas Research.

-Republicans will want tax reform done to help insulate them from Trump controversy and preserve their majority in the House of Representatives, the analyst said.

-Stocks barely flinched at the Comey firing during trading Wednesday.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/10/why-the-m...tax-reform.html

How rich is this?

Bigly cover up going on in DC. They're all just buying time in full explanation and damage control mode. It's only a matter of time now before Trumps tax returns are subpoenaed by a special prosecutor to be named soon.

Sit back and enjoy the show. WGII.... it's on!

That's the spirit, put the focus on the stock market.

Comey fallout: Grassley backs Trump, tells media to 'suck it up and move on'

Top Senate Republican Chuck Grassley backed President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday and had a strong message for outraged media outlets: “suck it up and move on.”

Grassley, R-Iowa, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on "Fox & Friends" that he supports Trump’s decision to fire the controversial FBI chief.

“Of course I support it,” he said.

Earlier Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., called the move “Nixonian,” while a coalition of Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee called it a “shocking decision” and called on the Department of Justice and FBI to preserve all documents relating to the Russia probe.

But Grassley said that Democrats are jumping on the issue as it gives them a chance to renew their calls for a special prosecutor.

“I think it gave them a chance to get back to something they argued about a month ago and it was losing steam – to have a special prosecutor or have a commission to look into it,” Grassley said. “But there’s committees of Congress, including my own committee, investigating this and it gives them an opportunity to bring those issues up again.”

Grassley added that Democrats’ arguments are damaged based on their criticisms of Comey’s decision in October to temporarily re-open the investigation into Clinton’s private email server.

“I don’t think they have much credibility,” he said.

Asked for what he thought of media outlets calling the firing "Nixonian" and reminiscent of President Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre,” Grassley dismissed the claims.

“My message is this – suck it up and move on,” he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/...nd-move-on.html

I agree, suck it up buttercups and melt away like a snowflake should!