President Donald Trump fired his FBI director Tuesday saying he was no longer able to effectively lead the bureau.
Trump said he turned to the attorneys general’s office to explain why James Comey needed to go. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recommended Comey be removed saying the FBI needed someone who faithfully follows the rules and principles of the department.
What Comey actually did –- according to the administration – was explained in a three page letter written by his deputy.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote that he could not defend the director’s handling of the investigation of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s emails.
“Almost everyone agrees that the Director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives.”
Rosenstein appeared to pick comments of several former attorney generals, including Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under President Obama, and Alberto Gonzales, who served as attorney general under President George W. Bush, to back his arguments.
Rosenstein accused the director of usurping the Attorney General’s authority on July 5, 2016 when he announced his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution.
He blasted the Comey for holding a press conference to “release derogatory information” about the subject of a declined criminal investigation. He accused Comey giving conclusive findings to the news media instead of presenting the bureau’s findings to federal prosecutors.
“It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do,” Rosenstein said.
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