Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption WATCH: Trump's love-hate relationship with Comey over a tumultuous year

US President Donald Trump has fired the director of the FBI over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails, the administration says.

The White House shocked Washington by announcing that James Comey "has been terminated and removed from office".

But Democrats said he was fired because the FBI was investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The move came as it emerged Mr Comey gave inaccurate information to Congress last week about Mrs Clinton's emails.

An FBI investigation into her use of a private email server to store sensitive information while secretary of state remains closed. Mr Comey said in July last year it was careless but not criminal.

The White House said the search for a successor for Mr Comey would begin immediately. In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Mr Trump said Mr Comey would be replaced "by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI".

It is only the second time the head of the FBI has been fired.

Why was James Comey fired?

President Trump wrote in a letter to Mr Comey that he agreed with US Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recommendation that "you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau".

Mr Sessions said the department of justice was "committed to a high level of discipline, integrity, and the rule of law", and "a fresh start is needed".

Many have expressed surprise that Mr Comey should be fired for his handling of the investigation into Mrs Clinton's emails, given that Mr Trump once praised the FBI director's conduct in the matter.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption James Comey left LA for Washington DC escorted by motorcade

In the final days of the presidential campaign, Mr Trump told a rally it "took guts" for Mr Comey to reopen the inquiry. "What he did brought back his reputation," Mr Trump said.

But on Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said he "cannot defend the director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgement that he was mistaken".

"Almost everyone agrees the director made serious mistakes; it is one of the few issues that unites people of diverse perspectives."

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Mr Trump's letter dismissing Mr Comey was released by the White House

Mr Rosenstein also said:

Mr Comey had been wrong to "usurp" the previous attorney general in July 2016 when he announced the Clinton emails inquiry should be closed without prosecution

That he had compounded his error by "gratuitously" releasing "derogatory information" about Mrs Clinton

Mr Comey was addressing FBI agents in Los Angeles when, according to US media, he learned he had just been fired when he saw the news on television.

The 56-year-old - who was three-and-a-half years into his 10-year term as FBI director - reportedly laughed, thinking it was a prank.

What about the Russia investigation?

Democrats swiftly suggested that Mr Trump had fired Mr Comey to influence the FBI inquiry into whether members of the Trump election campaign colluded with the Kremlin.

The House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committees are looking into the same allegations but no conclusions have yet been reached.

"Were these investigations getting too close to home for the president?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked a Tuesday evening press conference.

"This does not seem to be a coincidence," he added.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer: "Mr President, with all due respect, you're making a big mistake"

Mr Trump responded on Twitter that Mr Schumer had recently expressed his lack of confidence in the FBI chief.

President Trump has repeatedly insisted the Russia allegations are "fake news". He and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Washington later on Wednesday.

What are Republicans saying?

"I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Jim Comey's termination." - Richard Burr , the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee

, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee "My staff and I are reviewing legislation to establish an independent commission on Russia." - Justin Amash , a conservative Michigan congressman, adding that a line in Mr Trump's letter, that Mr Comey had informed him three times he was not under investigation, was "just bizarre"

, a conservative Michigan congressman, adding that a line in Mr Trump's letter, that Mr Comey had informed him three times he was not under investigation, was "just bizarre" Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse , a longstanding Trump critic, said the "timing of the firing is very troubling"

, a longstanding Trump critic, said the "timing of the firing is very troubling" "I've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey's firing," Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, said on Twitter. "I just can't do it."

A cover-up? Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

Donald Trump and senior justice department officials are framing the firing of James Comey as a result of his botched investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server. They do so using language that even Clinton backers would probably support.

Democrats, to put it bluntly, aren't buying it, however - not from this White House. They are dismissing this Clinton explanation as a smokescreen, and view the suddenness of the move as an attempt to subvert the ongoing FBI investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

At the very least, their calls for an independent investigation into the matter will become deafening - and some Republicans may now be inclined to agree.

Read Anthony's analysis

How did Comey handle the email inquiry?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Comey explains why he went public reopening Clinton email probe

Mr Comey has been criticised by Democrats for the handling of his investigation into whether Mrs Clinton's use of a private email server when secretary of state compromised national security.

The now-former FBI director made two interventions during the 2016 election campaign to make pronouncements about the investigation.

He said in July the case should be closed without prosecution, but then declared - 11 days before November's election - that he had reopened the inquiry because of a discovery of a new trove of Clinton-related emails.

What was Clinton FBI probe about?

He told the Senate last week it had made him "mildly nauseous" to think his intervention could have affected the election, but insisted he would make the same decision again. Mrs Clinton lays part of the blame for her shock election defeat last November on Mr Comey.

He told the Senate Judiciary Committee on 3 May that Mrs Clinton's top aide, Huma Abedin, had forwarded "hundreds and thousands" of emails, "some of which contain classified information", to her husband.

But the FBI conceded on Tuesday that Ms Abedin had sent only two email chains containing classified information to her husband, Anthony Weiner, for printing.

Watergate 2.0?

Image copyright AP Image caption Nixon became the only US president to resign from the job

In June 1972, five men were arrested trying to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at the Watergate office and hotel complex in Washington. The break-in was traced to President Richard Nixon's supporters.

The firing of James Comey is drawing comparisons with the so-called Saturday Night Massacre of 1973, when Mr Nixon fired an independent special prosecutor investigating the break-in and the subsequent cover-up.

"Not since Watergate has a president dismissed the person leading an investigation bearing on him," the New York Times wrote late on Tuesday.

Mr Nixon later admitted he had been aware of the cover-up and had tried to halt the FBI's inquiry. He later became the only US president to resign.</s>We were shocked to learn President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, but now we may be learning why he did so. In a statement written by the POTUS himself, he explains why Comey had to be terminated. Was it a result of James’ investigation into Russia meddling with the election? Read Trump’s termination letter here.

FBI Director James Comey was fired on May 9, and in his termination letter, which was written by Donald Trump, the POTUS says:

“I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately. While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau. It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”

Donald Trump: See Pics Of The 45th President

The White House also released its own statement, announcing James’ firing. His termination comes on the same day James Comey came under fire for “misstating in a recent testimony that Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had forwarded thousands of emails to her then husband Anthony Weiner,” HollywoodLife.com‘s sister site Deadline reports. Hillary recently said James cost her the 2016 election.

It must also be noted that James was also heading the investigation into Russian possibly meddling during the election and helping Trump win. Donald Trump didn’t give that as a reason for James’ firing, but the timing seems suspicious.

HollywoodLifers, how do YOU feel about Donald Trump firing James Comey? Tell us below!</s>FBI Director James Comey listened, May 3, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump fired Comey today.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Honolulu Advertiser.</s>President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday evening, dismissing the former bureau chief in a letter addressing him directly.

"I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," the President wrote to Comey. "I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.

"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump added.

"It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."

You can read Trump's letter to Comey below:

White House Statement on James Comey by Katie Reilly on Scribd

Comey's firing came not long after the FBI told the Senate Judiciary committee that Comey had misspoken during his testimony about Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin forwarding thousands of emails to her husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner.</s>After President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, questions immediately arose about the President’s motivations for his dismissal — and for the recent firings of two other then-President Barack Obama-appointees who were in the middle of conducting investigations linked to Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Comey’s firing was part of a “deeply troubling pattern from the Trump administration,” that appears to be linked to two other high-profile dismissals.

“They fired Sally Yates. They fired Preet Bharara. And they fired James Comey, the very man leading he investigation. This does not seem to be a coincidence,” Schumer said shortly after the announcement, calling for a special independent prosecutor into the Trump campaign’s ties to the Kremlin.

“Any person who he appoints to lead the Russian investigation will be concerned that he or she will meet the same fate as Director Comey,” he said.

CNN’s senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was not buying the idea that Comey was sacked over the Clinton investigation, saying it was “absurd.”

Toobin branded the move a “grotesque abuse of power by the President of the United States,” comparing the sacking of Comey to President Richard Nixon’s firing of special prosecutor Archibald Cox during the Watergate scandal.

The FBI director saw his reputation compromised when he became embroiled in the 2016 election campaign. He was first criticized by Republicans when he announced he wouldn’t be charging then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her emails, and then by Democrats for publicly reopening the case days before Americans went to the polls.

Why was he fired?

The Trump administration attributed Comey’s dismissal to his handling of the investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. In a signed letter released by the White House, Trump informed Comey that he was “hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately,” explaining that he reached the conclusion that the erstwhile director was “not able to effectively lead the bureau.”

What was he investigating?

As head of the FBI, he was overseeing the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to the Kremlin. Democrats have ridiculed the notion that the Clinton issue is what truly prompted Comey’s dismissal, drawing parallels to Watergate-era firings and suggesting Comey was getting too close to the White House with the Russia probe.

Where is the investigation now?

At a hearing last week, Comey confirmed that the FBI’s investigation into accusations of coordination between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian officials was continuing. It’s not clear if the incoming FBI director will pick up where Comey left off.

Appointed by Obama, former Deputy Attorney General Yates had been running Trump’s Justice Department as Acting Attorney General while Trump’s nominee for the role, Sen. Jeff Sessions, awaited confirmation. She became a household name when Trump abruptly removed her from the temporary position.

Why was she fired?

Ostensibly for her refusal to implement the first iteration of Trump’s ban on travelers from a number of Muslim-majority countries.

“The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement at the time, explaining the President’s actions.

What was she investigating?

As part of the probe into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump administration, then-acting Attorney General Yates met with White House counsel to inform them that then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn wasn’t telling the truth about his interactions with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and, as a result, represented a blackmail risk.

“We believed that General Flynn was compromised with respect to the Russians,” Yates said in a Senate subcommittee hearing aimed at gathering details of the Russian hacking of the 2016 election on Monday in Washington.

“Logic would tell you that you don’t want the national security adviser to be in a position where the Russians have leverage over him,” she added.

Where is the investigation now?

Yates said Monday that she warned the White House earlier this year that former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn could be “essentially blackmailed by the Russians.”

Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was known as one of Wall Street’s fiercest watchdogs and a widely respected prosecutor.

Why was he fired?

Bharara first refused to resign along with 46 US attorneys across the country. Although it is common for incoming administrations to replace district attorneys when transitioning to power, Trump had previously assured Bharara that he’d keep his job.

Sources told CNN that Bharara had been told after a meeting with Trump in November that he could stay on, and that he felt blindsided by the request. He was fired after refusing to comply.

At the time, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren posted a series of tweets suggesting Bharara was removed in part because he “had authority over Trump Tower.”

Bharara suggested that this was indeed the case. “I wanted it to be on record that there was a deliberate decision to change (his) mind and fire me, particularly given what my office’s jurisdiction is,” he said.

What was he investigating?

Bharara’s office had many investigations ongoing at the time of his firing, including one involving Trump favorite Fox News.

And then there’s the President’s claim that he was wiretapped in Trump Tower on orders of then-President Obama, whose investigation led back to the Southern District of New York.

“Trump has undoubtedly decided that he wants his own pick rather than the choice of Senate adversary (and minority leader) Chuck Schumer in place as the top federal prosecutor in New York,” CNN legal analyst Paul Callan wrote in March.

Where is the investigation now?

Members of both parties have said they have seen no evidence to back up Trump’s allegations about Obama, and, addressing a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey said that he had “no information” to support claims by the President that he was wiretapped on the orders of his predecessor.</s>President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, removing from office the veteran head of the agency carrying out a wide-ranging investigation into whether the the real estate mogul and his lieutenants conspired with Russian agents to swing the 2016 election in the Republican candidate’s favor.

“The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said in a statement.

In the statement, Trump said he had acted on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. In a memorandum to the attorney general, Rosenstein said that Comey’s decision to hold a press conference recommending that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton not face charges for her use of a private email system had compromised public trust in the FBI.

“The director laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial,” Rosenstein wrote. “It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do.”

While the president retains the power to fire the FBI director, Comey’s dismissal is sure to raise questions about the independence of the most powerful U.S. law enforcement agency. FBI agents are carrying out a sprawling investigation into a Moscow-backed campaign to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

That investigation includes an examination of whether any of Trump’s lieutenants conspired with Kremlin operatives to leak documents and emails stolen from the computer systems of the Democratic Party and Clinton operatives.

In a letter to Comey, Trump thanked the FBI director for what he described as assurances that he is not a target of the investigation. “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.”

Trump’s critics immediately compared Comey’s removal to one of the darkest chapters of the Justice Department’s history, known as the Saturday Night Massacre, when President Nixon in 1973 fired the special prosecutor examining the Watergate break-in and forced the resignation of the attorney general and his deputy.

One former intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the bureaucratic politics of Comey’s firing, said the move could be interpreted as the consolidation of power by Rosenstein, the number two official at the Justice Department. Sessions has recused himself from supervising the FBI’s Russia probe, making Rosenstein the top overseer for the case and the chief decision-maker as to whether to bring charges against Trump lieutenants or Russian agents.

The former intelligence official pointed to Rosenstein’s scathing three-page letter recommending Comey’s firing as evidence of the intensity of the animus that existed within the Justice Department for the FBI chief. Comey’s decision to go public with his decision not to recommend charges for Clinton was made over the objections of Justice Department officials, who viewed the move as a controversial break with past practice.

The firing of an FBI director by a president is not entirely unprecedented. In 1993, President Bill Clinton fired then-FBI chief William Sessions over allegations of ethics violations.

Trump has in recent weeks publicly feuded with Comey, writing on Twitter that the FBI chief “was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds!”

Comey was reportedly outraged after Trump claimed that former President Barack Obama had ordered the phone lines tapped at Trump Tower in New York City. Intelligence officials uniformly denied such an order, and Comey eventually testified before Congress that there was no evidence to back up Trump’s explosive claim.

Comey’s firing Tuesday came shortly after he inaccurately told lawmakers that Huma Abedin, an aide to Clinton, had automatically forwarded “forwarded hundreds and thousands” of emails from the former secretary of state’s private email system to a laptop belonging to her disgraced husband, former Rep. Anthony Weiner.

When FBI agents discovered the emails on Weiner’s computer in the weeks before the election, Comey decided to reopen the investigation into Clinton. The decision to do so, revealed in a letter to Congress, cast a cloud of controversy over Clinton’s campaign in its final days.

In the months after the election, Clinton has said Comey’s public announcement of his decision to reopen the investigation cost her the election.

In a letter to Congress Tuesday, an FBI official corrected Comey’s testimony by writing that most of the emails had been stored on the laptop as a backup mechanism.

Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, will take over as acting director in the interim. As of late Tuesday, there was no word of Trump’s pick to replace Comey.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Tuesday evening that Comey was “notified a short time ago” and that his firing was effective “immediately.”

The announcement of Comey’s firing caught Washington by surprise, and the White House appears to have kept senior lawmakers in the dark about the decision, including at least one member of the so-called Gang of Eight, the senior-most congressional officials and the heads of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the number two Democrat in the Senate, said that any attempt to quash the FBI investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia would “raise grave Constitutional issues” and called for the formation of a special commission or the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the Kremlin’s electoral inference and any links to the Trump campaign.

While Democrats have introduced legislation to create such a commission, that proposal has failed to gain widespread traction among Republicans.

But the decision to fire Comey will likely only heighten controversy over the investigation into Russian meddling. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was “troubled” by Comey’s firing, which “further confuses” his committee’s “already difficult” investigation into the Russian effort to interfere in last year’s investigation.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, endorsed Trump’s decision. “Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well. I encourage the President to select the most qualified professional available who will serve our nation’s interests,” he said.

A former senior FBI official said he expected Comey’s firing to create intense pressure on the bureau from the House and Senate intelligence committees, both of which are carrying out inquiries parallel to the bureau’s investigation. The committees are likely to demand more frequent updates on the FBI’s investigation, which will now be further scrutinized, the former official said.

For the FBI, the firing of a director represents a historic moment, one that will likely likely hurt morale among its employees. “When they march him out the door it’s a slap in the face and a punch in the gut,” the former official said.

Reached by text message, one FBI agent said, “We’re all just a bit shocked.”

Trump’s firing of Comey also caught the FBI director by surprise. He was appearing at an FBI recruiting event in Los Angeles when the news broke and reportedly flashed on television screens behind him. Aides quickly ushered him away.

Robbie Gramer and Jenna McLaughlin contributed to this report.

Update: This article is being updated as the story develops.</s>In this May 3, 2017, file photo, FBI Director James Comey listens on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump has fired Comey.

Start the conversation, or Read more at New Canaan News-Review.</s>James Comey has been fired as director of the FBI over his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, the White House announced on Tuesday.

The move was condemned by one Senate Democrat as “Nixonian” and raised concerns over the FBI’s investigation into alleged links between aides to Donald Trump and Russia.

In a letter to Comey, the president wrote: “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.

“It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”

The dismissal of America’s top law enforcement official came days after he testified on Capitol Hill about Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state and the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference.

Comey incorrectly testified that former Clinton aide Huma Abedin “forwarded hundreds and thousands” of emails to her husband’s laptop, including some with classified information.

On Tuesday, the FBI said in a two-page letter to the Senate judiciary committee that only “a small number” of the thousands of emails found on the laptop had been forwarded there, while most had simply been backed up from electronic devices.

In a recent interview, Clinton partly blamed Comey’s letter in late October, notifying Congress that the FBI was studying the emails on the laptop of Abedin’s husband Anthony Weiner, for costing her the presidential election.

Comey had also been fiercely criticised for holding a press conference last July in which he said Clinton would not be charged but nevertheless criticised her as “extremely careless”. The move was seen as infringing on the role of the justice department and attorney general.

The timing of Comey’s dismissal seemed to be related to the recent confirmation of Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general. In a memo released on Tuesday, Rosenstein wrote: “The director was wrong to usurp the attorney general’s authority on 5 July 2016, and announce his conclusion that the [Clinton] case should be closed without prosecution. It is not the function of the director to make such an announcement.”

The memo added: “Compounding the error, the director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation … the director laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial.

“It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do … the way the director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong.”

Comey, 56, was nominated by Barack Obama in 2013 to a 10-year term. The White House said the search for his successor will begin immediately.

A statement from the White House said: “Today, President Donald J Trump informed FBI director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”

The statement quoted Trump as saying: “The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement.”

Comey’s dismissal raises questions over the future of the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between Trump associates and Russia during the presidential election, which US intelligence agencies believe Russia sought to influence in favour of Trump.

Robby Mook, Clinton’s former campaign manager, tweeted: “Surprised I’m saying this, but I don’t see how this bodes well for the Russia investigation.”

He added: “Twilight zone. I was as disappointed and frustrated as anyone at how the email investigation was handled. But this terrifies me.”



Senator Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said: “This is Nixonian. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein must immediately appoint a special counsel to continue the Trump/Russia investigation … this investigation must be independent and thorough in order to uphold our nation’s system of justice.”

Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island and a member of the Senate judiciary committee, added: “While the White House is under investigation by the FBI, firing the head of the FBI raises massive questions, and the Senate should get to the bottom of it.

“America needs to have confidence that the Department of Justice will fill its traditional role of following the facts fearlessly, and prosecuting whomever has violated the law no matter the office they hold.”

Republicans backed the president. Senate judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley said: “The handling of the Clinton email investigation is a clear example of how Comey’s decisions have called into question the trust and political independence of the FBI. In my efforts to get answers, the FBI, under Comey’s leadership, has been slow or failed to provide information that Comey himself pledged to provide.

“The effectiveness of the FBI depends upon the public trust and confidence. Unfortunately, this has clearly been lost.”



Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said: “Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well. I encourage the president to select the most qualified professional available who will serve our nation’s interests.”

During his testimony last week, Comey was pressed repeatedly about the contrast between his decision to break silence on the Clinton email case while concealing the existence of a counter-intelligence investigation into Trump campaign contacts with Russian officials during the presidential election.

He argued that one had been closed with no charges made, whereas the other was highly classified and was in its “very early stages”.</s>WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday, dramatically ousting the nation’s top law enforcement official in the midst of an FBI investigation into whether Trump’s campaign had ties to Russia’s meddling in the election that sent him to the White House.

In a letter to Comey, Trump said the firing was necessary to restore “public trust and confidence” in the FBI. Comey has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for his public comments on an investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s email practices, including a pair of letters he sent to Congress on the matter in the closing days of last year’s campaign.

Trump made no mention of Comey’s role in the Clinton investigation, which she has blamed in part for the election result. But in announcing the firing, the White House circulated a scathing memo, written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, criticizing Comey’s handling of the Clinton probe, including the director’s decision to hold a news conference announcing its findings and releasing “derogatory information” about Clinton.

Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the bureau’s Trump-Russia probe, Rosenstein has been in charge.

This is only the second firing of an FBI director in history. President Bill Clinton dismissed William Sessions amid allegations of ethical lapses in 1993.

Comey was speaking to agents at the FBI’s field office in Los Angeles when the news of his firing flashed on TV screens, according to a law enforcement official who was there. Comey initially chuckled, then finished his speech, said the official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

Comey later left on a plane to return to Washington.

Democrats slammed Trump’s action, comparing it to President Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” decision to fire the independent special prosecutor overseeing the Watergate investigation in 1973, which prompted the resignations of the Justice Department’s top two officials.

The Democrats expressed deep skepticism about the stated reasons for Tuesday’s firing, raising the prospect of a White House effort to stymie the investigations by the FBI and congressional panels.

“This is Nixonian,” Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., declared on Twitter. “Outrageous,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, calling for Comey to immediately be summoned to testify to Congress about the status of the Trump-Russia investigation. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the White House was “brazenly interfering” in the probe.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Congress must form a special committee to investigate Russia’s interference in the election.

Trump will now appoint Comey’s successor. The White House said the search for a replacement was beginning immediately. Comey’s deputy, Andrew McCabe, takes over in the interim.

Trump has ridiculed the investigations as a “hoax” and has denied that his campaign was involved in Russia’s meddling. In his letter to Comey, he asserted that the FBI director had informed him “on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation.”

Tuesday’s stunning announcement came shortly after the FBI corrected aspects of Comey’s sworn testimony on Capitol Hill last week. Comey told lawmakers that Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton, had sent “hundreds and thousands” of emails to her husband’s laptop, including some with classified information.

On Tuesday, the FBI told the Senate Judiciary Committee that only “a small number” of the thousands of emails found on the laptop had been forwarded there while most had simply been backed up from electronic devices. Most of the email chains on the laptop containing classified information were not the result of forwarding, the FBI said.

Some lawmakers did welcome news of the dismissal.

“Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well,” said Republican Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, chairman of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee investigating the Russian campaign interference.

Comey, 56, was nominated by President Barack Obama for the FBI post in 2013 to a 10-year term, though that appointment does not ensure a director will serve the full term.

Praised frequently by both parties for his independence and integrity, Comey has spent three decades in law enforcement.

But his prominent role in the 2016 presidential campaign raised questions about his judgment and impartiality. Though the FBI did not recommend charges against Clinton for mishandling classified information, Comey was blisteringly critical of her decision to use a personal email account and private internet server during her four years as secretary of state.

Comey strongly defended his decisions during the hearing last week. He said he was “mildly nauseous” at the thought of having swayed the election but also said he would do the same again.

Clinton has partially blamed her loss on Comey’s disclosure to Congress less than two weeks before Election Day that the email investigation would be revisited. Comey later said the FBI, again, had found no reason to bring any charges.

Trump disagreed with Clinton’s assessment, tweeting that Comey actually “was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds!”

Clinton’s advisers were stunned by Trump’s decision Tuesday. Former campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said that while he believed Comey had “inflicted severe damage” on the FBI, “the timing and manner of this firing suggest that it is the product of Donald Trump feeling the heat on the ongoing Russia investigation and not a well thought out response to the inappropriate handling of the Clinton investigation.”

Though Comey was well-liked within the bureau, his independent streak occasionally rankled the Obama administration, including his repeated contention that a spike in violent crime might be linked to police officer anxiety over public scrutiny.

Before the past months’ controversies, Comey, a former deputy attorney general in the George W. Bush administration, was perhaps best known for a remarkable 2004 standoff with top officials over a federal domestic surveillance program.

In March of that year, Comey rushed to the hospital bed of Attorney General John Ashcroft to physically stop White House officials in their bid to get his ailing boss to reauthorize a secret no-warrant wiretapping program.

Comey described the incident in 2007 testimony to Congress, explaining that he believed the spy program put in place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was legally questionable.

When he learned that Andrew Card, the president’s chief of staff, and Alberto Gonzales, the White House counsel, were heading to Ashcroft’s hospital room despite Ashcroft’s wife’s instructions that there be no visitors, Comey told Congress, Comey beat them there and watched as Ashcroft turned them away.

“That night was probably the most difficult night of my professional life,” Comey said.

AP writers Darlene Superville, Ken Thomas, Vivian Salama, Catherine Lucey and Sadie Gurman in Washington and Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles contributed to this report.</s>FBI Director James Comey has been personally removed from office by President Donald Trump, according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and reported by numerous outlets, including ABC News.

The short statement says “Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office.”

The statement says Trump “made the decision based on the clear recommendations of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” It also reads “Today will mark a new day for our crown jewel of law enforcement.”

No further details are available at this time; this is a developing story.
U.S. President Donald Trump removes James Comey as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Andrew G. McCabe stepping in as acting director.