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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2017/may/09/james-comey-fired-fbi-trump-white-house-live
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| James Comey fired: calls for special prosecutor after Trump sacks FBI director – live updates | James Comey fired: calls for special prosecutor after Trump sacks FBI director – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 3.05am BST | |
| 03:05 | |
| Republican senator for Nebraska, Ben Sasse, has put out a statement, saying the timing of Comey’s firing is troubling. | |
| Regardless of how you think Director Comey handled the unprecedented complexities of the 2016 election cycle, the timing of this firing is very troubling. Jim Comey is an honorable public servant, and in the midst of a crisis of public trust that goes well beyond who you voted for in the presidential election, the loss of an honorable public servant is a loss for the nation. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, I have reached out to the Deputy Attorney General for clarity on his rationale for recommending this action.” | |
| 3.01am BST | |
| 03:01 | |
| Julian Borger | |
| If confirmed, the news that a grand jury has been convened and has started issuing subpoenas suggests that the investigation into the Trump camp’s links with Moscow has entered a new phase. | |
| Under US law, grand juries (which are larger than normal 12-person court juries) have sweeping powers to compel witnesses to appear, to call for the presentation of documents and to issue indictments. | |
| While the Republican majorities in the House and Senate could hold back congressional investigations and a new FBI director to kill off its counter-intelligence investigation, a grand jury is not under Trump’s control. He may not be able to stop the Russian collusion affair from going to court. | |
| 2.56am BST | |
| 02:56 | |
| Marco Rubio “didn’t see it coming”. | |
| Marco Rubio "surprised" by Comey's firing, "but it's a decision the president's made and we'll go from here." https://t.co/PGVFL9o6DK pic.twitter.com/HWVS4DWLsR | |
| 2.52am BST | |
| 02:52 | |
| Front of tomorrow's @NYDailyNews: "COUP de TRUMP" pic.twitter.com/OCyoBc7Mxi | |
| 2.47am BST | |
| 02:47 | |
| Preet Bharara, the US attorney fired by Trump after refusing to step down, has spoken out: | |
| EVERYONE who cares about independence & rule of law in America should be "troubled by the timing and reasoning" of Comey firing. Period. https://t.co/nAFX0OnuvH | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.47am BST | |
| 2.43am BST | 2.43am BST |
| 02:43 | 02:43 |
| Our world affairs editor Julian Borger has written an analysis of Comey’s termination, saying the move has taken US democracy “into dark and dangerous new territory”. | Our world affairs editor Julian Borger has written an analysis of Comey’s termination, saying the move has taken US democracy “into dark and dangerous new territory”. |
| Here is his full take: | Here is his full take: |
| 2.40am BST | 2.40am BST |
| 02:40 | 02:40 |
| To borrow a joke from Twitter, you know things are bad when you get trolled by Nixon’s ghost ... | To borrow a joke from Twitter, you know things are bad when you get trolled by Nixon’s ghost ... |
| FUN FACT: President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #notNixonian pic.twitter.com/PatArKOZlk | FUN FACT: President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #notNixonian pic.twitter.com/PatArKOZlk |
| 2.37am BST | 2.37am BST |
| 02:37 | 02:37 |
| Meanwhile, Comey has his first job offer! | Meanwhile, Comey has his first job offer! |
| Mr. Comey knows where many bodies are buried. Working for WikiLeaks is fulfilling. James--don't become another lobbyist for Glock or Donkin. | Mr. Comey knows where many bodies are buried. Working for WikiLeaks is fulfilling. James--don't become another lobbyist for Glock or Donkin. |
| 2.35am BST | 2.35am BST |
| 02:35 | 02:35 |
| A bit of background on the relationship between the FBI and the White House in the weeks leading up to the firing of James Comey. | A bit of background on the relationship between the FBI and the White House in the weeks leading up to the firing of James Comey. |
| WaPo: WH has been pushing FBI to investigate leaks; FBI resisted calls to prioritize leak investigations over Russia https://t.co/gpiioJLaBn pic.twitter.com/hWVlQpk5IA | WaPo: WH has been pushing FBI to investigate leaks; FBI resisted calls to prioritize leak investigations over Russia https://t.co/gpiioJLaBn pic.twitter.com/hWVlQpk5IA |
| 2.25am BST | 2.25am BST |
| 02:25 | 02:25 |
| Here is more from CNN’s story on the subpoenas: | Here is more from CNN’s story on the subpoenas: |
| The subpoenas issued in recent weeks by the US Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia, were received by associates who worked with Flynn on contracts after he was forced out as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, according to the people familiar with the investigation. | The subpoenas issued in recent weeks by the US Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia, were received by associates who worked with Flynn on contracts after he was forced out as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, according to the people familiar with the investigation. |
| 2.18am BST | 2.18am BST |
| 02:18 | 02:18 |
| FBI's Russia investigation moves up a gear | FBI's Russia investigation moves up a gear |
| Meanwhile, it seems the Russia investigation is not going away. This appears to be the first sign of a significant escalation of activity in the inquiry. | Meanwhile, it seems the Russia investigation is not going away. This appears to be the first sign of a significant escalation of activity in the inquiry. |
| BREAKING ON CNN: Grand jury subpoenas were recently issued relating to the FBI Russia probe seeking records from associates of Michael Flynn | BREAKING ON CNN: Grand jury subpoenas were recently issued relating to the FBI Russia probe seeking records from associates of Michael Flynn |
| 2.08am BST | 2.08am BST |
| 02:08 | 02:08 |
| White House deputy press sec: 'Time to move' on from Russian investigation | White House deputy press sec: 'Time to move' on from Russian investigation |
| Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in the middle of all this, on the Russia investigation: "It's time to move on" pic.twitter.com/aJYO0UljCv | Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in the middle of all this, on the Russia investigation: "It's time to move on" pic.twitter.com/aJYO0UljCv |
| 2.01am BST | 2.01am BST |
| 02:01 | 02:01 |
| Another example of Trump’s former admiration for Comey. In January the president singled the FBI director out for praise at a White House reception for law enforcement, exclaiming: “he’s become more famous than me.” | Another example of Trump’s former admiration for Comey. In January the president singled the FBI director out for praise at a White House reception for law enforcement, exclaiming: “he’s become more famous than me.” |
| 1.54am BST | 1.54am BST |
| 01:54 | 01:54 |
| NYT reporting that initially Comey thought the whole thing was a practical joke. | NYT reporting that initially Comey thought the whole thing was a practical joke. |
| When James Comey first learned he had been fired, he thought it was a fairly funny prank https://t.co/cy1VYUKHJZ pic.twitter.com/QWqd8qNf5i | When James Comey first learned he had been fired, he thought it was a fairly funny prank https://t.co/cy1VYUKHJZ pic.twitter.com/QWqd8qNf5i |