President Donald Trump did the nation, himself and his credibility no favors in . It’s hard to buy the president’s explanation for Comey’s removal, which strikes us more as a naked effort to sabotage the ongoing investigation into Trump’s campaign’s dealings with Russia.
Yes, the presidentap angst with Comey goes back a ways. Comey’s July 2016 exoneration of Hillary Clinton for her wrongheaded email arrangement angered the blustery billionaire. But claiming that Comey’s handling of that investigation was reason enough to fire him collides full on with the fact Trump praised the FBI director for his “guts” in reopening the investigation shortly before Election Day. And little wonder, as Comey’s actions likely played a role in Trump’s stunning victory.
Had Trump wished to sack Comey over the Clinton emails, he should have done so in his first days on the job, when such a move could have been reasonably accepted without harming the reputation of his office. His waiting until this week, after so many high-profile stories about the Russia investigation, cannot avoid the perception of political interference in a critical law enforcement investigation.
The charade is complicated by the fact that reporters from The New York Times have learned , and that he did so as more heat from the Russia probe was coming. Trump certainly wouldn’t have relished the possibility of another day of testimony on the Russia situation. We’ll never forget Comey’s testimony to Congress flatly refuting . But more embarrassment is exactly what Trump got with Monday’s damning testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates.
How telling that that his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was compromised by his Russian involvement — and then only after media reports of the warning surfaced. But it took Trump less time than a game of golf to act on advice from Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, to end Comey’s FBI career.
Then came news Wednesday that in the days before his firing, .
Certainly, Trump is within his rights to fire the director. But the standard for removing such a high-level law enforcement official has been much higher for past presidents.
Republicans in Congress should join Democrats in demanding a special prosecutor to settle the Trump-Russia question. And senators should make sure whomever Trump picks to replace Comey can stand up to the president’s Tricky Dick maneuvers. Getting to the bottom of the Trump-Russia situation is critical for our nation and for democracies around the world.
Trusting the Trump administration to do so, at this point, would be futile.
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