UNEXPECTED MOVE: President’s abrupt move was condemned by Democrats and by some in his own party -
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump defended his firing of FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, fighting a storm of criticism that the ouster was aimed at blunting an agency probe into his presidential campaign’s possible collusion with Russia to sway the 2016 election.
The Republican president’s abrupt move on Tuesday stunned Washington and was swiftly condemned by Democrats and by some in his own party. Senior Democrats pressed for an independent investigation into the Russia issue.
In a series of posts on Twitter on Wednesday morning, Trump sought to explain his move and lambasted his critics.
“Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me,” he said. “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!” he said.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday Comey’s firing was over his handling of an election-year FBI probe into then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.
Many Democrats have criticised Comey’s management of that investigation, but they sharply questioned the timing of his dismissal, given that Trump could have acted soon after taking office on Jan 20 and that he has repeatedly criticised the FBI and congressional probes into alleged Russian involvement in the election.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, and a growing number of Republicans also expressed doubts over Trump’s move. However, the Senate majority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, ridiculed Democrats’ criticism, saying they were “complaining about the removal of an FBI director who they themselves repeatedly and sharply criticised.”
On the Senate floor, McConnell also dismissed Democratic calls for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to look into Moscow’s role in the 2016 election and possible ties between Trump associates and Russia. McConnell said a new investigation would “only serve to impede” existing probes such as one under way in the Senate intelligence committee.
The Senate’s minority leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, said Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein should appoint a special prosecutor, adding, “If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now.”
Schumer also called on McConnell to hold closed and potentially classified briefings with all US senators to question Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and Rosenstein.
Schumer said such briefings should address why Sessions, who previously recused himself from involvement in the Russia investigation after misstating his own contacts in 2016 with Russia’s ambassador to Washington, was able to influence the firing of the man conducting the FBI’s Russia investigation.
“We know Director Comey was leading an investigation in(to) whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians, a serious offence. Were those investigations getting too close to home for the president?” Schumer said.
Vice-President Mike Pence said Comey’s firing was unrelated to the Russia probe. Trump was in the process of evaluating candidates with “great integrity and great experience” to take over the FBI, Pence told reporters after meetings with lawmakers in the US Capitol. — Reuters
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