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One of the Team Trump talking points yesterday was that FBI Director James Comey had lost the confidence of his department, and that’s why he had to go. Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was already on thin ice with that claim yesterday; now it’s being being blasted from all directions. Including, most notably, by the person who just took over James Comey’s job.
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe on Thursday directly contradicted a claim by the White House that the “rank and file” at the FBI had lost faith in recently-fired Director James Comey.
"Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day," McCabe told the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling it the "greatest privilege" of his professional career to work with Comey.
"I can confidently tell you that the vast majority of [FBI] employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey,” he added, calling it “not accurate” to say otherwise.
There's no question Comey screwed up big time when he inserted himself into the presidential election against the wishes of his own team, but the claim that his staff no longer trusted him because of it is, new guy in charge of the Russia-Trump investigation says, "not accurate." His view is being backed up by others in the know.
In interviews with POLITICO, the heads of the two associations representing current and retired FBI agents, analysts and other personnel said Wednesday that by all available measures, Comey enjoys enormous support among the 35,000 people who worked for him, and the many thousands of others who have retired or left the bureau.
“His support within the rank and file of the FBI is overwhelming,” said Thomas O'Connor, a working FBI special agent who is president of the FBI Agents Association.
On the contrary, it seems that inside the FBI, Comey's firing is being seen as a direct challenge of the agency's Russia investigation.
One intelligence official who works on Russian espionage matters said they were more determined than ever to pursue such cases. Another said Comey’s firing and the subsequent comments from the White House are attacks that won’t soon be forgotten. Trump had “essentially declared war on a lot of people at the FBI,” one official said. “I think there will be a concerted effort to respond over time in kind.”
Respond in kind is an interesting phrase. Essentially declared war is another interesting phrase. That idea from the White House that Trump might go to FBI headquarters some point this week in order to calm and reassure the staff? I don't think that's going to work.