FORMER FBI DIRECTOR James Comey has said in a farewell letter to colleagues that he will “be fine,” and won’t dwell on how he was fired by President Donald Trump.
CNN reported the text of the letter sent by the former FBI director last night,
Comey was abruptly dismissed Tuesday by the Republican president, who said the issue was Comey’s inability to lead. But the decision surprised many since it was Comey himself leading the investigation of Trump’s campaign and Russia.
“I have long believed that a President can fire an FBI Director for any reason, or for no reason at all. I’m not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed,” Comey said in a letter to agents and colleagues.
I hope you won’t either. It is done, and I will be fine, although I will miss you and the mission deeply
“In times of turbulence, the American people should see the FBI as a rock of competence, honesty, and independence. What makes leaving the FBI hard is the nature and quality of its people, who together make it that rock for America,” Comey added.
Trump’s stunning sacking of Comey sparked a political firestorm in Washington and plunged his young presidency into turmoil.
Furious Democrats suggested the FBI’s work will now be hopelessly tainted and demanded a special prosecutor akin to those appointed during Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal or the run-up to Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
The White House rejected the idea.
“We don’t think it’s necessary,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Trump yesterday lashed out on Twitter against his critics over Comey’s sacking.
“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!” Trump said in a series of morning tweets.
He referred to Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as “cryin’ Schumer” late Tuesday.
Subpoenas
As the controversy continued, it emerged that the US Senate intelligence committee had subpoenaed former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn for documents related to the panel’s investigation into Russia’s alleged election meddling.
Senator Richard Burr, the Republican chairman, and Senator Mark Warner, the committee’s Democratic vice chairman, said the panel had first requested the documents from Flynn on 28 April. They say Flynn’s lawyer declined to cooperate with the request.
Flynn was fired by Trump after less than a month on the job. The White House said he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials about his communications with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
Flynn’s Russia ties are also being scrutinised by the FBI as it investigates whether Trump’s campaign was involved in Russia’s election interference.
With AP reporting
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say