Reactions to James Comey’s Firing Continue to Pour In
Arguably, the biggest news story of the year to-date is President Donald Trump’s decision Tuesday to fire FBI Director James Comey. And, as one might expect, everyone—and we mean literally everyone—in Washington, D.C. has an opinion about it.
Here are some of the comments that have been released so far.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton—”This is an important move to restore public confidence in the fair administration of justice at the federal level. Mr. Comey did not seem to understand some of the laws he was asked to enforce and unfortunately politicized his sensitive position as the FBI director. President Trump took the right step in cleaning house at the FBI.”
American Center for Law & Justice Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow—”President Trump’s action is not only appropriate, but represents the correct action taken against Comey who has become a renegade FBI Director. Comey serves at the pleasure of the president. And once President Trump lost confidence in the leadership of Comey, he acted on the recommendations of the attorney general and deputy attorney general. President Trump’s decision to fire Comey is proper and constitutional and is in the best interest of the American people and the FBI. This country is grounded in the rule of law and the constitution. Comey failed to adhere to those critical principles and President Trump took the correct action in removing him from the FBI.
“The president’s letter further states that, based on the recommendation of both the attorney general and the deputy attorney general, Comey is ‘hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.’ As we said on numerous occasions, Comey ‘has broken the sacred trust of the American people.’ We have repeatedly called for his removal from office. Over 236,000 of you have joined this call.
“Comey has been coy with Congress, inserted himself into the political debate like no other FBI director in history, and has quite frankly become untrustworthy in office. As President Trump correctly noted: ‘It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.'”
Michael Goodwin of The New York Post—”A curious belief in some circles of journalism holds that if both sides are equally unhappy with your story, you’ve done a good job. I never subscribed to that approach, and thankfully, President Trump didn’t when it came to the performance of James Comey.
“The suddenly former FBI boss was long cavalier about making enemies among both Democrats and Republicans, as if going rogue repeatedly proved his rectitude. On occasion it did, but Comey increasingly wore his self-righteousness on his sleeve, confident he was too big to fire.
“That was his fatal mistake. And it’s why Trump made the right decision to show him the door.”
Click here to read the rest of his commentary.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.—”I know this was a difficult decision for all concerned. I appreciate Director Comey’s service to our nation in a variety of roles. 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.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. via Twitter—”I was not a huge Comey fan. He politicized investigations, [and] both sides of the aisle lost confidence in him. Lots of crocodile tears in D.C. Hypocrisy and fake outrage? [Democrats] had been calling for months for the firing of Comey!”
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board—”President Trump fired James Comey late Tuesday, and better now than never. These columns opposed Mr. Comey’s nomination by Barack Obama, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director has committed more than enough mistakes in the last year to be dismissed for cause …
“[W]e advised Mr. Trump to sack Mr. Comey immediately upon taking office. The president will now pay a larger political price for waiting, as critics question the timing of his action amid the FBI’s probe of his campaign’s alleged Russia ties. Democrats are already portraying Mr. Comey as a liberal martyr, though last October they accused him of partisan betrayal.
“The reality is that Mr. Comey has always been most concerned with the politics of his own reputation. He styles himself as the last honest man in Washington as he has dangled insinuations across his career about the George W. Bush White House and surveillance, then Mrs. Clinton and emails and now Mr. Trump and Russia. He is political in precisely the way we don’t want a leader of America’s premier law-enforcement agency to behave.”
Click here to read the entire editorial.
Additionally, here is one observer’s list of the Top 10 FBI Embarrassments during Comey’s tenure as director. {eoa}
