Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Just when you thought Donald Trump couldn’t do anything else to shock you or throw the nation further into a tizzy, he makes another outrageous political move. In dramatic fashion, Donald Trump cast aside James B. Comey, the man many believe helped make him president – and the man who potentially most threatened the future of his presidency.
Here’s the truth: James Comey was NOT fired from his post as the director of the F.B.I simply because he opted to deviate from convention in not politicizing the agency. Nor was he removed from office because Trump felt that he had treated Mrs. Clinton so unfairly during the presidential campaign that necessitated that he had to go. Because, if that had been the case, Mr. Trump could have removed Mr. Comey on the very first day he assumed office (January 20th).
It makes much more sense to believe that Director Comey was probably fired for one of two reasons – if not both. The first, and most obvious, reason suggests that Trump was growing increasingly more apprehensive about Comey’s F.B.I. investigation and what it might uncover regarding Russian meddling in our election and members of his campaign team. The second reason, and just as daunting for the president, was his fear that Comey might decide to hold another press conference and disclose pertinent information relative to his Russian inquiry.
Moreover, it is now being reported in the media that just days before his sudden dismissal Mr. Comey had made a request for additional resources for the Russia inquiry. This has led many to believe that this may have played a part in the director’s unceremonious removal.
Not surprisingly, the White House, in a series of shifting and contradictory accounts, first alleged that Trump decided to fire Mr. Comey because the attorney general and his deputy recommended it. By Wednesday of that same week, it had amended the timeline to say that the president had been thinking about getting rid of the F.B.I. director as far back as November, after he won the election, and then became strongly inclined after Mr. Comey testified before Congress.
At the end of the day, one thing is both obvious and certain: Mr. Comey’s firing was not predicated on his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, which Trump totally applauded at the time and used to great political advantage. Trump’s assertion for Comey’s sudden departure is nothing more than another damnable lie.