Calls for special prosecutor after Trump sacks FBI director – as it happened

Comey is just the latest high-profile firing by the president whose trademark line on reality TV was, “You’re fired.”

On 30 January – amid nationwide uproar over Trump’s travel ban for seven Muslim-majority countries – Trump fired the acting US attorney general, Sally Yates.

Yates had written a letter to justice department attorneys advising them that she was not “convinced that the executive order is lawful.” She was fired within three hours, touching off the first round of comparisons between Trump’s young administration and Nixon’s Saturday night massacre.

Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, was fired by Trump on 10 March, after he refused to resign. Bharara had a national profile thanks to his prosecutions and investigations into Wall Street and New York politicians.

Trump has also aimed his fire closer to home. On Friday, the Washington Post reported that chief usher Angella Reid was fired. Reid was the first woman and second African American to hold the post, which involves overseeing the White House residential staff.

John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona, is criticizing Trump’s decision to fire Comey and repeating his calls for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia ties:

While the President has the legal authority to remove the Director of the FBI, I am disappointed in the President’s decision to remove James Comey from office. James Comey is a man of honor and integrity, and he has led the FBI well in extraordinary circumstances. I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. The president’s decision to remove the FBI Director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.”

Congressman Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has called for “immediate emergency hearings” on Comey’s termination:

Congress needs to have immediate emergency hearings to obtain testimony directly from Attorney General Sessions, the deputy attorney general, and FBI Director Comey. The White House was already covering up for Michael Flynn by refusing to provide a single document to Congress, and now the President fired the one independent person who was doing the most to investigate President Trump and his campaign over allegations of coordination with Russia. It is mindboggling that the Attorney General – who claimed to have recused himself – was directly involved in the decision to fire Director Comey according to the White House itself. There is now a crisis of confidence at the Justice Department, and President Trump is not being held accountable because House Republicans refuse to work with us to do our job. Congress must restore credibility, accountability, and transparency to this investigation and finally pass legislation to create a truly independent commission.”

Here are some excerpts from deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein’s memo on Comey’s firing, which goes into great detail about the FBI’s handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails:

• “I cannot defend the Director’s handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton’s emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken.”
  
• “The Director was wrong to usurp the Attorney General’s authority on July 5, 2016, and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution.”
• “The Director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation.

Comey has not yet released a statement on his firing. According to one CNN reporter, he is not in Washington DC but traveling in California.

He was reportedly scheduled to speak at a recruitment event in Los Angeles.

9 May 201718.40 EDT

Julia Carrie Wong

Here’s a quick overview of Comey’s legacy in the FBI and recent political controversies:

• Comey’s FBI conducted investigations into both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the 2016 election – though he only disclosed the investigation into Trump’s ties with Russia after his inauguration.
• The FBI director’s controversial decision to release new details about the investigation into Clinton’s email server just days before the election prompted widespread outrage – and lingering suspicion that he swayed the final outcome.
• Comey was appointed to the top FBI post by Barack Obama in 2013. He served in the George W Bush administration as a US attorney and deputy attorney general, before spending several years in the private sector.
• Comey was the country’s top law enforcement during the period of turbulence over police killings of African Americans. He drew widespread condemnation for statements suggesting that violent crime was rising because law enforcement had been hampered by the so-called “Ferguson effect”.
• Comey also waged a high-profile campaign against encryption, calling for tech companies to create “backdoors” to allow law enforcement access to user’s data.

Several Democratic officials have compared Trump’s decision to fire Comey to Richard Nixon’s “Saturday night massacre” when the president removed the special Watergate prosecutor, Archibald Cox, leading to the the resignation of attorney general Elliot Richardson.

From Martin Heinrich, US senator from New Mexico:

Senator Bob Casey called the termination “Nixonian” in a statement and noted Comey’s earlier statements saying he was authorized by the justice department to confirm the FBI’s investigations into Russian interference with American elections:

This is Nixonian. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special counsel to continue the Trump/Russia investigation. On March 20th Director Comey said, ‘I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.’

This investigation must be independent and thorough in order to uphold our nation’s system of justice.”

Here are some initial high-profile reactions to the termination of Comey, a polarizing figure whose decision to disclose an inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails just before the election last year sparked widespread debate.

From a former Clinton manager:

Edward Snowden, who has been targeted by the FBI, criticized the firing, saying: “every American should condemn such political interference in the Bureau’s work.”

From Clinton’s former vice presidential candidate:

Reporters have obtained copies of Trump’s letter to Comey, which states that the FBI director is “not able to effectively lead”:

While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.

In March, Comey confirmed for the first time that the FBI was investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to interfere with the results of the presidential election. Here’s the full letter.

And here is a copy of the released letter from attorney Jeff Sessions to Trump stating that he has concluded that a “fresh start is needed at the leadership of the FBI”, adding, “It is essential that this Department of Justice clearly reaffirm its commitment to longstanding principles that ensure the integrity and fairness of federal investigations and prosecutions.”

Donald Trump has fired James Comey, the director of the FBI, who has been at the center of numerous political controversies since the 2016 election. Tune in here for live updates and reactions to the unexpected termination.

Here’s the full statement released by the White House late Tuesday, which states that Trump’s decision was “based on the clear recommendations” of US attorney general Jeff Sessions and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.

Trump said:

The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement.”