Washington, DC – President Donald Trump has informed FBI Director James B. Comey that he is out as head of the bureau. The dismissal had the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. White House spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed the firing earlier this evening.
“The FBI is one of our nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel in law enforcement,” Trump stated in a letter.
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin [D-MD], Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, issued the following statement in response to the firing of James Comey. “There is little President Trump does anymore that surprises me, but that he would fire the lead investigator into collusion between Russia and Trump campaign officials is beyond the pale – even for him. This is the biggest evidence to date of why we need an independent commission to investigate Russia’s interference in our election. We also need a special prosecutor to complete the ongoing criminal probe, now that the president has undermined the integrity of the FBI’s investigation. There is no doubt that President Trump is threatened by the investigations of Russia’s ties to his campaign. His actions reinforce the need for a nonpartisan commission to work full-time on behalf of the American people to figure out who did what, when and why. The American people are entitled to answers.”
House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer [D – MD District 5] issued this statement upon learning of Comey’s dismissal.
“For the president to fire the head of a law enforcement agency investigating his own campaign’s ties to a foreign adversary – one proven to have sought to sway the election in his favor – is deeply troubling and raises serious questions. President Trump needs to explain exactly why he dismissed FBI Director Comey and provide Congress and the American people with a full accounting and justification for this move. It must be determined whether there was any political motivation or conflict of interest underlying this decision. Congress has a responsibility to seek answers.”