When James Comey decided to issue his extraordinary letter to Congress just eleven days before the election, his baseless intrusion was unprecedented and immeasurable. It was not just a violation of rules for both the FBI and the Justice Department, but a direct F-U to Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, President Obama, and the democratic process. It was enough that people from both parties were astonished by Comey’s action.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, charged Comey with violating federal law prohibiting federal officials from engaging in political activities, in a message to Comey Sunday.
Though there were calls for Comey's resignation, many were concerned that for President Obama to sack the FBI director before the election would only make disruption worse.
The old, sensible FBI rule book apparently has been thrown on the trash heap this year. While undoubtedly attempting to be open and "transparent," to protect the reputation of the FBI, the FBI director has tossed a Molotov cocktail into the presidential race. … J. Edgar Hoover loved to influence elections, but he had the good sense to keep quiet about it.
It’s absolutely clear, from the moment he made his already staggeringly partisan decision to usurp the role of the Justice Department during the summer and administer a finger-shaking rebuke to Secretary Clinton while admitting that no crime had been committed, that James Comey was more concerned about his own PR than about genuine justice.
It’s November 28. The election is over. Why does James Comey still have a job?
Sure, you could make the case that dismissing Comey in advance of the election had a downside. No matter how much partisanship, grandstanding, and plain poor judgement the man had demonstrated, telling him to pack his bags back then might be seen as an attempt to silence. That didn’t stop many from suggesting that Comey’s actions demanded immediate termination.
Through it all, Comey was perfectly at peace with himself.
Friends and colleagues say that, despite a controversy that has entangled the F.B.I. in presidential politics, Mr. Comey feels no pressure to leave office and has no plans to do so. But, as one colleague recalled Mr. Comey saying recently, “It’s going to be awkward.”
There is no doubt that, in an election where the decision came down to less than 1 percent in a handful of states, Comey’s letter—and the associated media frenzy—was the deciding factor. It threw the last week of the campaign into chaos, destroyed Clinton’s momentum, re-energized Trump’s flagging operation, and reminded voters of an issue that had grown increasingly less important. The effects of Comey’s letters were immediately visible in tracking polls, and easily accounted for more than enough difference to sway the outcome.
Regardless of what else happened or didn’t happen, Comey’s actions alone were enough to turn the direction of the election.
Even if Comey’s letter had not resulted in Trump’s election, he still needs to go. He’s violated the principles of the FBI and the rules of the Justice Department. He’s overridden the instructions of superiors based on nothing but the desire to further his own interests, he’s displayed astoundingly poor judgement, indulged in a massive display of hubris, and he’s allowed himself to be pressured by a handful of agents who were themselves acting from purely partisan motivations.
James Comey has damaged the FBI in ways that will take generations to repair. Fixing that damage starts with firing Comey.
Now.