After a tumultuous year that was rich with political scandals, James Comey has been relieved of duty.
In big news out of Washington, the Trump administration relieved FBI Director James Comey from duty. Over the past year, Comey has been the central figure in highly politicized scandals and has demonstrated exactly what is wrong with the FBI. Agree with his conclusions or not, he put the FBI, the premier law enforcement agency in the world, in a terrible and vulnerable position.
Being the head of several criminal investigation units, be it nowhere near the level of Director Comey, I would have never announced the aspects of the investigation as he did on the grand stage. Comey’s public statements regarding these investigations compromised the trust of the American people in our security apparatus, and naturally the FBI. Comey’s repeated announcements put the FBI in an explicitly political light, something that should never be the case with a federal agency. The FBI is seen worldwide as what a law enforcement agency should be, or at least it was. Director Comey, in my opinion, tarnished that reputation.
The testimonies, the letters he sent to Congress, the public announcement as what prosecutors would and would not do, was unconscionable.
Political fallout from the move will no doubt follow. Those opposed to President Trump will most certainly claim this act was done in order to perform damage control and protect President Trump.
However, I see it much differently. Director Comey has a long and respected background and should be applauded for his service, but in this instance, he strayed far away from the task of truth gathering, law enforcement, and in fact got so deep in the political venue there was no way to survive.
The investigations into the email servers of the Clinton campaign and how they were presented were amateur at best. Between the holes and gaps in the investigation and the cries from within the organization claiming Mrs. Clinton was guilty, there was no possible way the outcome would be accepted by the general public. Sadly, throughout the entire process it became so blazingly apparent that politics had entered into the equation that regardless of how one looked at the case, the results would be deemed a favor to one side or the other. Again, our national level agencies have specific charters to protect our country’s interest. Nowhere within the charter does it mention partisan politics, except where it clearly states they will not partake in political endeavors.
President Trump was in a quagmire when it came to dealing with Director Comey, knowing full well his decision would result in fallout. Still, despite loud voices from both sides, I applaud the President for doing what needed to be done. Director Comey tainted the office of the FBI and had to be replaced for the good of the agency and the country. President Trump regardless of the flack and impending fallout took the right path. He will restore the independence of the FBI. He will appoint a director that will do the job and follow the law no matter where it leads.
I am more impressed with the decision knowing it will cause turmoil. President Trump is putting his personal reputation, feelings, attacks, and troubles aside for the good of the country and the good of the FBI. He will restore it to the revered position it has held in the world by his actions. A leader does not gauge his actions on how it affects his legacy. A leader makes decisions because they are right for the greater good. President Trump just delivered on this decision.
