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The new, temporary FBI Director Andrew G. McCabe says that employees loved Comey:
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe Thursday rejected assertions by the White House that FBI employees had lost faith in James Comey and that the bureau's probe into Russian election meddling was one of its most minor concerns. "I hold Director Comey in the absolute highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity," McCabe told members of the Senate intelligence committee. He said Comey, who was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, enjoyed "broad support within the FBI and still does to this day." He added, "The majority, the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey."
Furthermore, he will inform the Senate of any interference with the Russia investigation:
Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe vowed Thursday that he would tell the Senate Intelligence Committee if the White House tried to interfere with the bureau's probe of possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election — though he asserted that there had "been no effort to impede our investigation to date."
Meanwhile, President Trump has undermined the White House's messaging on Comey's firing, saying that he planned to fire "showboat" and "grandstander" James Comey regardless of any recommendation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Deputy Attorney General Ron Rosenstein. The President also insists that he is not under FBI investigation.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12 2017, @06:18PM (1 child)
If you want to understand Comey you have to break out from the simplistic 2-party theory of washington.
In washington there are more than two power centers. It isn't just democrats and republicans. There is also the CIA, the FBI, the Army, the IRS, the CDC, the DEA, etc.
They are all jostling for power and influence. It isn't just about naked power. It is about really believing in themselves - that their mission is more important than any other group's mission and their reputation is a big part of that.
Comey's actions all make sense when you see them as putting the FBI first. In his initial recommendation not to prosecute Clinton he exaggerated her actions hoping to make it clear he was not playing favorites, that he really didn't like her but that when it came to the matter of the law the evidence was not there. It kind of backfired, people so inclined to hate clinton took it the other way - that he knew she was a criminal, that he admitted it on tv and he still covered for her because of her status. When the weiner laptop emails were discovered and he decided to again do everything he could to make sure it did not look like he was protecting her. So he broke with FBI guidelines about not making public statements that could influence an election, hoping to show again that he was not giving her special treatment. It was about avoiding even the appearance of corruption at the FBI, not helping trump or hurting clinton.
As for Trump's ties with Russia, since the FBI had made no previous public comments about them, the technically correct approach was not to say anything just as the FBI routinely avoids public comment on any ongoing investigation. Was it the best choice for the country? Probably not. Was it the best (available) choice for the FBI? Probably.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday May 13 2017, @12:44AM
That sounds plausible, too, but his erratic behavior and departure from FBI norms inclines me to think that he was worried about his own neck, not the FBI's, and as such, panicked. It's perfectly understandable for a person to vacillate under such intense pressure. It also seems understandable to me that a career bureaucrat, who puts his own career's survival above all else, would try to play both sides to enhance his chances.
Washington DC delenda est.