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James Comey firing: FBI director's dismissal rocks Washington – live
James Comey firing: FBI director's dismissal rocks Washington – live
(35 minutes later)
3.42pm BST
15:42
Rosenstein declines comment
A Boston Globe reporter reached on his cell phone deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who signed the letter that Trump said motivated Comey’s firing.
Rosenstein declined comment.
.@AnnieLinskey reached Rosenstein on cell"I'm not going to talk about that. Are you surprised by that?" re letterhttps://t.co/slqw8M2LlE
3.35pm BST
15:35
Lavrov arrives at White House
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with Trump at the White House, the Associated Press reports:
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top diplomat did not speak to reporters and as he walked into a side entrance Wednesday morning.
3.29pm BST
15:29
Cruz says Comey had 'lost the confidence' of country
Senator Ted Cruz is not known for sacrificing political expediency on the altar of personal principle. In any case his statement about Comey’s firing, just out, says Comey had to go (thx @smithinamerica):
The Director of the FBI needs to be above reproach, with an unquestioned reputation for fairness and impartiality. Unfortunately, Mr. Comey had lost the confidence of both Republicans and Democrats, and, frankly, the American people. The next Director needs to be someone of the utmost integrity who can successfully restore the public’s confidence and lead the men and women of the FBI who selflessly serve and defend our great nation.
3.25pm BST
15:25
Counselor Kellyanne Conway dismisses the notion that Trump’s firing of Comey was “Nixonian”:
was it "Nixonian" for Trump to fire Comey? Kellyanne Conway: "ridiculous"
And the Richard Nixon presidential library agrees with her!
FUN FACT: President Nixon never fired the Director of the FBI #FBIDirector #notNixonian pic.twitter.com/PatArKOZlk
And the FBI website still lists James Comey as the current director https://t.co/iG75FaoQk2 pic.twitter.com/qM1H3UINRP
BREAKING: Justice Department officials say search for interim FBI director underway; Comey deputy has job now
The FBI director is meant to have a 10-year term designed not frequently to overlap with presidential terms in order to promote continuity and insulate the work of law enforcement from the vagaries of politics.
3.17pm BST
15:17
Republican senator John McCain:
“When you fire probably arguably the most respected person in America, you better have a very good explanation, and so far I haven’t seen that.”
On the explanation that Comey mishandled the Clinton emails inquiry:
“I don’t believe that that is sufficient rationale for removing the director of the FBI”:
Sen. John McCain says the Hillary Clinton email investigation is not “sufficient rationale” for firing James Comey https://t.co/b1BlZOC7SE pic.twitter.com/KISC170oKk
3.11pm BST
15:11
Here’s additional video of Lavrov’s sarcastic reaction to a question about Comey’s firing:
Lavrov's attitude here (his cocky body language & scornful sarcasm) is very disturbing. https://t.co/q2NnrmYEDZ
3.07pm BST
3.07pm BST
15:07
15:07
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has rejected calls for a special prosecutor to investigate ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. “Today we’ll no doubt hear calls for a new investigation, which could only serve to impede the current work being done,” McConnell said on the senate floor.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has rejected calls for a special prosecutor to investigate ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. “Today we’ll no doubt hear calls for a new investigation, which could only serve to impede the current work being done,” McConnell said on the senate floor.
Republican senator Rand Paul is also with the “meh” crowd:
Republican senator Rand Paul is also with the “meh” crowd:
Hypocrisy and fake outrage? Dems had been calling for months for the firing of Comey!
Hypocrisy and fake outrage? Dems had been calling for months for the firing of Comey!
3.03pm BST
3.03pm BST
15:03
15:03
Another Republican congressman with “concerns”...
Another Republican congressman with “concerns”...
Like many Americans, I have serious concerns and unanswered questions about the timing of Director Comey's dismissal.
Like many Americans, I have serious concerns and unanswered questions about the timing of Director Comey's dismissal.
...and Trump won his district by 17 points.
...and Trump won his district by 17 points.
3.01pm BST
3.01pm BST
15:01
15:01
Republican senator Ted Cruz reacts... sort of:
Republican senator Ted Cruz reacts... sort of:
Asked about Comey firing, Sen Ted Cruz R-TX tells reporters he will put out a written statement
Asked about Comey firing, Sen Ted Cruz R-TX tells reporters he will put out a written statement
2.59pm BST
2.59pm BST
14:59
14:59
Republican elected officials continue to express misgivings about the Comey firing. Here’s Arizona senator Jeff Flake, a longtime Trump critic:
Republican elected officials continue to express misgivings about the Comey firing. Here’s Arizona senator Jeff Flake, a longtime Trump critic:
I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it.
I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing. I just can't do it.
And here’s Virginia congresswoman Barbara Comstock calling for an independent investigation:
And here’s Virginia congresswoman Barbara Comstock calling for an independent investigation:
Another Republican, Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, calls for an independent investigation into Russia/2016. pic.twitter.com/zzZ2GXPq6Z
Another Republican, Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, calls for an independent investigation into Russia/2016. pic.twitter.com/zzZ2GXPq6Z
2.58pm BST
14:58
Here’s video of Schumer speaking on the floor:
Schumer: "The dismissal of Director Comey establishes a very troubling pattern." —via @MSNBC pic.twitter.com/khLMrB3QB9
Here’s further reaction to the Comey news, this time from two Democratic senators:
Senator Dianne Feinstein, former intelligence committee chairwoman: was Russia inquiry behind firing?
The real question we face today is whether Director Comey was fired because of the Clinton email investigation—which could have happened in January—or whether he was fired because of the FBI’s investigation of Trump connections to Russia.
If Director Comey was fired to stifle the FBI’s Russia investigation—and the timing of this action makes that a real possibility—that simply can’t be allowed to happen.
Toward that end, I plan to work closely with Senator Blumenthal on the appointment of an independent prosecutor. I will also support Deputy AG Rosenstein in the appointment of a special counsel who should be far removed from the politics of this place. [...]
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut: ‘it simply defies logic’
No matter the mistakes that Director Comey has made, the timing of his firing clearly suggests that President Trump is trying to influence or upend the FBI’s investigation into his campaign’s possible collusion with a foreign government. It simply defies logic that President Trump, who made the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mails a centerpiece of his campaign, would all of the sudden convert to the view that Clinton was treated unfairly.
Two things must happen now. First, clearly the time is now for an independent prosecutor. The president’s continued refusal to support the appointment of a prosecutor would confirm America’s worst fears about the motivation for Comey’s firing. Second, the Senate must rise to this constitutional challenge and insist that Director Comey be replaced by a person of unquestioned independence and integrity, not a partisan hack. The Senate, designed by the Founding Fathers as the guardian of democratic norms, must now rise to meet the gravity of this moment.
2.53pm BST
14:53
When Trump met Comey:
Pres. Trump greets FBI Director James Comey during First Responders ceremony at the White House: "He's become more famous than me." pic.twitter.com/9Rdgyqi1iM
"More famous than me." Is it possibly as simple as that? https://t.co/3GafnPgi0f
2.51pm BST
14:51
Schumer calls for Sessions and Rosenstein to hold briefing
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer is on the senate floor speaking about Comey’s firing. He asks why attorney general Jeff Sessions, after recusing himself from the Russian inquiry, could weigh in on the firing of the FBI director running that inquiry.
“Are reports that the president was searching to fire the FBI director for weeks true?” Schumer wonders.
Was this really about something else? No doubt we’ll have the opportunity to question Mr Comey, now a private citizen... but we need to hear from this administration.
Schumer calls for a closed briefing with Sessions and Rosenstein.
Updated
at 2.51pm BST
2.45pm BST
14:45
Dark and dangerous new territory for American democracy
Julian Borger
Donald Trump’s decision to fire the FBI director, James Comey, who was investigating links between the president’s associates and the Russian government, has taken US democracy into dark and dangerous new territory. That was the assessment of Democratic leaders, legal observers and security experts last night, with some drawing direct comparisons to Watergate and tinpot dictatorships.
FBI directors are given 10-year terms in office, precisely to insulate them from politics. It is very rare to fire them. The last time it happened was 24 years ago, when Bill Clinton sacked William Sessions, who had clung to office despite a damning internal ethics report detailing abuse of office, including the use of an FBI plane for family trips.
Comey’s sacking has taken place in very different circumstances. It came on a night when CNN reported that a grand jury had issued subpoenas in the investigation of the Trump camp’s contacts with Russian officials, and after Comey had confirmed to Congress that more than one person connected to the Trump campaign was the subject of an FBI counter-intelligence investigation. Comey had also indicated that he was investigating leaks from inside the FBI to the Trump campaign in the course of the election.
The New York Times has reported that Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was “charged with coming up with reasons to fire him”. The official reason offered was Comey’s handling of the enquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for classified information. Comey’s announcement in July 2016 that there would no be prosecution, while criticising the Democratic presidential candidate and her aides for being “extremely careless” in their handling of classified material, is singled out in a memo by the newly appointed deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.
In one of the first acts in his new job, Rosenstein said Comey had exceeded his authority with that announcement.
Comey was castigated from both sides for his handling of the Clinton emails. But Democrats were adamant on Tuesday that was not the real reason for his dismissal. It was pointed out that during the campaign, Trump and his team warmly praised Comey’s decision to speak up.
Updated
at 2.50pm BST
2.29pm BST
14:29
Eric Columbus, a former Obama justice department employee, shares information about deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, whose recommendation the White House says it took in firing Comey.
Columbus points out that in the letter circulated by the White House, Rosenstein does not actually recommend firing Comey. Here’s Columbus’ thread, culminating with musing on whether Rosenstein will appoint a special prosecutor, with a link to Rosenstein’s letter at bottom:
THREAD: The key player here is Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Rosenstein. I spent 5 yrs in the DAG’s office under Obama. Please indulge me.
Rosenstein is a rare breed – a Bush political appointee who Obama kept on for eight years, as U.S. Attorney for Maryland. (2/22)
Rosenstein was particularly beloved by then-Senator Barbara Mikulski, at whose recommendation Obama kept him. (3/22)
Dems praised Rosenstein at his DAG confirmation hearing, he was confirmed 94-6, and he took office on April 25 (4/22)
It’s no coincidence that the Comey firing took place now. Trump laundered it through Rosenstein to boost its legitimacy. (5/22)
Rosenstein’s letter to Sessions blasts Comey’s handling of Clinton case in terms that could have been written by a Clinton staffer. (6/22)
But one thing Rosenstein’s letter doesn’t do -- and it took me a second read to note this -- is expressly recommend Comey be fired. (7/22)
Sure, it comes very, very close to doing so. The title is “Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI” and it has language like this: (8/22)
“FBI is unlikely 2 regain public/congressional trust until has Director who understands gravity of mistakes & pledges never 2 repeat.”(9/22)
But it never expressly recommends that POTUS fire Comey. Is this deliberate? Who knows. (10/22)
Quite possibly Rosenstein, like most of us, thought Comey screwed up but didn’t want him fired with Russia investigation pending. (11/22)
Yet Sessions wanted a memo on Comey’s sins, and Rosenstein felt he had to oblige his boss . . . (12/22)
. . . as long as he didn’t have to expressly say something he didn’t believe, i.e. that Comey should be fired now. (13/22)
I suspect that the letter’s final paragraph -- whose sentences fit together awkwardly -- was highly negotiated. (14/22)
Why does any of this matter? Sessions is recused from Russia, so it falls to Rosenstein to decide whether to appoint special counsel.(15/22)
Rosenstein is no dummy. He knows that no one buys that Trump/Sessions wanted to fire Comey for actions they praised at the time! (16/22)
And he cares about DOJ’s reputation. He’s not a hack -- he’s been at DOJ for 27 years, under five different presidents. (17/22)
Note his language about the FBI -- he worries that it now lacks “public and congressional trust.” Same could be said now about DOJ. (18/22)
Appointing a special counsel would help DOJ regain that trust -- both with the public and with Congress. (19/22)
Sure, he’s not likely to get much pushback from this Congress, but if Dems win House or Senate in 2018, all hell could break loose. (20/22)
Comey did the wrong thing on 10/28 because he feared hell from Congress. Rosenstein could do the right thing for the same reason! (21/22)
I think he’ll do it. Would it shock me if he didn’t? No, because after 2015, as you may have noticed, shock ceased to be a thing. (22/22)
2.21pm BST
14:21
Guardian world affairs editor Julian Borger was in the room for the Lavrov moment. Julian notes that the Lavrov-Tillerson meeting is to be followed by one between Lavrov and Trump in about an hour.
You had to be there to get the full measure of sarcasm and disdain in these comments https://t.co/etCKpa90E2
2.17pm BST
14:17
Today’s presidential briefing will be conducted not by Sean Spicer, the press secretary, but by one of his subordinates, Sarah Sanders, the White House has announced.
No word on why. The Washington Post captured a strange scene outside the White House last night in which Spicer hid in the bushes and refused to go on camera:
No one writes scenes like @wpjenna, but this is insane. https://t.co/lGFViQJXAr pic.twitter.com/cUIREoN6WG
2.09pm BST
14:09
Trump denies that he spoke with Stone
Contra Politico’s earlier report that Roger Stone – the political operative whose name has come up a lot on the Russia inquiry – recommended to Trump that he fire Comey, here’s the president:
The Roger Stone report on @CNN is false - Fake News. Have not spoken to Roger in a long time - had nothing to do with my decision.
This is going to be even more of a "the president live-tweets cable news" day than usual, isn't it? https://t.co/yng6Z77YDo
Update: Stone denies:
I am not the source of Politico/ CNN stories claiming I urged @realDonaldTrump 2 fire Comey. Never made such claim. I support decision 100%
Updated
at 2.19pm BST
2.06pm BST
14:06
Alec Luhn
If Lavrov did not know about Comey (he was being sarcastic), it’s not because the news failed to reach the Russian media space. The Guardian’s Alec Luhn translates reaction on Twitter from Russian legislator Alexei Pushkov:
The FBI director was surprised by the decision to fire him. He was so busy monitoring the ‘Russian threat’ that he didn’t see the threat of his own dismissal.
Updated
at 2.32pm BST
2.02pm BST
14:02
Lavrov expresses shock at Comey firing
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting today with secretary of state Rex Tillerson.
When the men appeared briefly before cameras, a reporter asked whether Comey’s firing would overshadow their meeting.
At which Lavrov, who apparently has been in a hermetically sealed media blackout egg for the last 12 hours, expresses shock:
“Was he fired? You’re kidding. You’re kidding.”
Update: as Guardian world affairs editor Julian Borger, who was in the room, points out, Lavrov was being sarcastic.
Here’s video of Lavrov-Tillerson—>Q: “Does Comey cast a shadow over your talks?”Lavrov: “Was he fired? You are kidding, you are kidding" pic.twitter.com/8yJb2DkZnd
