Trump sacks FBI chief James Comey as Clinton s email saga continues

ISLAMABAD – President Donald Trump has sacked the director of the FBI over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails, the administration said in a statement.

The unexpected dismissal that came on Tuesday shocked US power corridors but Donald Trump while justifying his action said Comey was removed from office over his handling of an election-year email scandal involving then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Republican’s traditional foes, Democrats pitched another idea confronting Trump and said he was fired because the FBI was investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Some Democrats compared Trump’s move to the “Saturday Night Massacre” of 1973, in which President Richard Nixon fired a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal but White House administration shunned any political motives and especially the Russia episode behind the development.

Mr Comey was addressing FBI agents in Los Angeles when he was handed a note regarding his dismissal to which he reportedly laughed, thinking it was a prank but then he was dispatched an official letter by the president.

Mr. Trump in his letter to Mr. Comey betrayed his focus on the continuing inquiry into Russia and his aides.

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau,” Mr. Trump said in a letter to Mr. Comey dated Tuesday.

On the other hand, Trump known for his hard line stance was slammed by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer who claimed that he spoke to Trump and told him he was “making a very big mistake” in firing Comey, adding the president did not “really answer” in response.

An independent investigation into Moscow’s role in the election “is now the only way to go to restore the American people’s faith,” Schumer said.

But Trump, who took oval office on January 20 took a potshot at Chuck through the micro blogging site.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/862135824745467905

Mr. Comey who was fourth years into a 10-year term became the second director in Bureau history to be sacked by any US president, the first one was William S. Sessions in 1993 by Bill Clinton.

The 56-years-old official remained in spotlight as he was handling the landmark probe into the private e-mail server used by the then Democratic standard bearer Hillary Clinton.

Comey had said in July last year that the Clinton email case should be closed without prosecution, but then days before the election, he declared that he had reopened the investigation because of a discovery of a new trove of Clinton-related emails.

Donald Trump responded through his loaded tweets that Hillary Clinton was colluding with FBI and Department of Justice.

https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/788123233442824192?lang=en

In March, the FBI director also rejected claims made by Donald Trump regarding ‘wiretapping’ in Trump tower.

However, less than two months after it, Comey was removed from the position putting an end to the hidden friction prevailing between the US bigwigs.

The White House said the search for a successor would begin immediately.

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