In yet another surprising, and maybe controversial, move, President Trump has fired former FBI Director James Comey from head of the most recognized federal bureau in the nation. Comey had been elected to director under the Obama agency in 2013. He had several landmark investigations throughout his time at the FBI that may have aided in his demise as director. Two investigations have highlighted the news in the recent year that have shed light upon both former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and current US President, Donald Trump.
Firstly, there has always been a historical distance between the White House and Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are under the same government structure but are kept separate. This was especially true with the director and president before Donald Trump took the office. Comey and Trump had an unusual relationship, as some argue that Comey helped secure Trump the presidency with his Clinton investigation.
The Clinton email scandal had been a thorn in the side of her campaign since she launched her bid for presidency. President Trump continued to question her emails again and again until the American public started to ask questions themselves. Entering the final campaign stretch, former director Comey reopened the Clinton case, saying he had a new lead with new emails being released. The opening of the case against Clinton is highly debated on both sides about how it affected Clinton’s presidential bid. Republicans argue there were other factors, while Democrats blame the fake investigation on Comey. The argument gets even more interesting when discussions about the swing states come into play, in which Trump claimed the critical states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Although the debate is still alive, Comey’s investigation played a part in the presidential results.
The other significant investigation by Comey came recently, as he opened up an investigation into the connections between Donald Trump and Russia. The claims against President Trump are that he and his cabinet have been sharing highly classified information with Russian officials that could result in an impeachment case. However, as the case started to fire up, Comey was fired from his position as director of the FBI. The move from President Trump has raised plenty of questions from both ends of the political spectrum about the reasons behind the firing. Now, there are calls from the Democratic party for an independent investigator to take over the case as to not let the scandal between Trump and Russia rest.
Although the move was debatable, the Washington Post reported that the public satisfaction and trust with the FBI has improved from 47% to 53% for both parties. Until Trump selects a new director, Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI will act as director.
