Comey committed atrocities as FBI chief: White House
11 May 2017 11:29 PM IST
The White House has said that FBI Director James Comey committed "atrocities" during his tenure which prompted US President Donald Trump to fire him.
Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at the daily press briefing on Wednesday said Trump had been thinking about firing Comey from the moment he was elected, Efe news reported.
Filling in for Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Sanders explained Comey's sudden Tuesday departure on his "circumventing the chain of command of the Department of Justice".
Trump was advised in a letter by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions of "the basic atrocities" by Comey which moved Trump to make the FBI chief's exit "effective immediately".
She said that Trump had lost confidence in Comey over the past few months, although he had supported the investigating agency's actions during the Presidential campaign with regard to Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server.
However, Sanders said that the White House was encouraging the FBI to continue with its investigation into Russian contacts with the Trump campaign. She, however, made it clear that the administration feels no need for an independent prosecutor, as Democratic and some Republican lawmakers have demanded to guarantee a thorough examination of the facts. The very Democrats that are criticising the President now would be dancing in the streets celebrating, so it's just the purest form of hypocrisy, she said. Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to abruptly fire Comey, saying that he did so because "he wasn't doing a good job".
It was the first public comment Trump has made about summarily dismissing Comey, a move that has sparked a political storm. The President had made the Comey-remark during a meeting with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office. "He wasn't doing a good job. Very simply. He was not doing a good job," Trump said upon being asked why he had suddenly booted the FBI chief on Tuesday. He also said on Twitter that "Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!"
However, the acting head of the FBI said that James Comey enjoyed broad support among its staff – directly contradicting the White House's assertion that he had lost the confidence of the FBI rank and file. When confronted with the Trump administration's claim of Comey's unpopularity, Andrew McCabe – who has been FBI acting director since the sacking – said: "That is not accurate." Making his first public appearance since Comey's firing on Tuesday, McCabe promised to tell the Senate committee if he came under pressure to shut down the investigation into possible links between Trump's associates and Russia.
I have come to terms with my sacking, Comey tells FBI agents
Amidst a raging political storm over his abrupt dismissal, FBI chief James Comey on Thursday told his colleagues that the US President had the right to sack him for any reason "or for no reason at all" and that he had come to terms with it. He has used his resignation letter to urge former colleagues at the bureau to continue "upholding the constitution". In the letter, Comey also said he would not dwell on the decision and hoped others would not either, despite the brutal method by which he was dispatched.He wrote: "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. I hope you won't either."
The short note released on Wednesday evening continued: "My hope is that you will continue to live our values and the mission of protecting the American people and upholding the constitution." Comey's surprise dismissal on Tuesday stunned Washington and plunged Donald Trump deeper into a controversy over his campaign's alleged ties with Russia.Comey has been invited by a powerful Congressional committee to testify before lawmakers at a closed session on Tuesday.
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