On May 9, 2017, President Trump fired the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James B. Comey. The White House explained the decision as being prompted by Mr. Comey’s poor handling last year of the investigation of candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server during her tenure as Secretary of State. But this claim, as many have said, is extremely difficult to accept. Shortly before the end of the campaign last year Mr. Trump praised Mr. Comey and the time to fire Mr. Comey for this reason would have been President Trump’s first day in office not after more than 100 days on the job.
The only investigation Mr. Trump mentioned in his letter to Mr. Comey dismissing him from office was Comey’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign organization and the Russian Government, during the election, saying that he was grateful that Mr. Comey three times told him that he was not himself under investigation.
The New York Times on May 10th reported that reaction to Mr. Trump’s firing of Mr. Comey was “swift and fierce”. The Democratic Senate leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said that Trump’s action would make Americans believe that there was a coverup. Many Republicans attacked the President for his action as well. Representative Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, said that he now supported an independent commission to investigate Russia links to Mr. Trump. He was reported to have referred to the President’s claim that Mr. Comey had cleared him as “bizarre”. Senator Flake, Republican of Arizona, reportedly said, “I’ve spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rational for the timing of Comey’s firing. I just can’t do it.” And the first grand jury subpoena for records from a Trump advisor, General Michael T. Flynn, were recently issued.
The New York times in an editorial said on May 10th: “The obvious historical parallel to Mr. Trump’s action was the so-called Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973, when President Nixon ordered the firing of the Special Prosecutor investigating Watergate prompting the principled resignations of the Attorney General and his deputy. But now, there is no Special Prosecutor in place to determinate whether the public trust has been violated, and whether the Presidency was effectively stolen by a hostile foreign power. For that reason, the country has reached an even more perilous moment.”
Also on May 10th rumors began to circulate in Washington about who the President might select to succeed Mr. Comey which were focused on Rudolph Giuliani and Governor Chris Christy, both Trump campaign officials. Whether these rumors are based on fact or not, their existence reveals what the public thinks of Mr. Trumps actions – that he appears to be trying to organize a coverup which of course would be assisted by his earlier firing of all US Attorneys around the country.
The founders of our country has some thought about issues like this:
Alexander Hamilton may have said it best:
“Nothing was more to be desired than that every practical obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally be expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter but chiefly in the desire of foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this then by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union. – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers 68, 1788.
“The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations ought to be to have as little political connection with them as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements let them be fulfilled – with circumspection but with perfect good faith.” – George Washington , Farewell Address, 1796
John Jay