On Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, cutting his term short by approximately six years.
Two weeks ago, Rod Rosenstein was confirmed by the United States Senate to be the next Deputy Attorney General. Once in office, he began a review of FBI Director Comey and ultimately concluded that his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation eroded the public's trust in the Bureau and in himself. Rosenstein recommended to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that Comey be relieved of his command and Sessions then made the recommendation to the President of the United States, who concurred. Someone was dispatched to the FBI to deliver the termination letter to Comey, however the White House seemed unaware that the FBI Director was traveling on the west coast. While giving a speech to Bureau employees, James Comey found out that he was fired when the news flashed on televisions situated behind him. While the White House contends that the firing came as a result of Comey's actions surrounding the Clinton email investigation, the timing of the termination has led many to suspect that the FBI's investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election was to blame. Here is how each of Colorado's Senators and Congressmen and women responded to the news. Senator Michael Bennet (D) Sen. Bennet initially wrote on social media that Comey's firing "raises many questions" and reiterated the Democratic Party's call for an independent prosecutor to be assigned to the Russia investigation. Bennet continued Wednesday morning, accusing President Trump of firing the FBI Director because he "cannot withstand the scrutiny." https://twitter.com/SenBennetCO/status/862307757097181188 Senator Cory Gardner (R) Sen. Gardner praised James Comey for his service to the nation and expressed his confidence that there are thousands of qualified FBI employees moving the Bureau's investigations forward in his absence. Gardner continued, explaining that the Russian investigation must continue.“The next director of the FBI, like Comey, must be an independent voice for the bureau — specifically for its continued investigation into Russia’s involvement with our election process. It’s important that the FBI investigation into Russia, along with the ongoing bipartisan Senate investigation, remain of the highest priority for this nation and I expect it will under the next director.”Congressman Mike Coffman (R) Rep. Coffman admitted that the President's decision to fire FBI Director Comey caught him off guard, but explained that he had "long felt" that Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal made him unfit to serve as the Bureau's Director. https://twitter.com/RepMikeCoffman/status/862348339299397632
Congresswoman Diana Degette (D)
Rep. DeGette took to Twitter and demanded a Special Prosecutor to be appointed to investigate Russian involvement in the 2016 election now that FBI Director Comey had been fired.
https://twitter.com/RepDianaDeGette/status/862104163903303680
Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D)
Rep. Perlmutter completely dismissed the White House's explanation for the firing and declared that Donald Trump must be "hiding something." He joined his Democratic colleagues in calling for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor.
https://twitter.com/RepPerlmutter/status/862101326708305924
Congressman Ken Buck (R)
As of publication, Rep. Buck has not issued a press release or social media post commenting on FBI Director Comey being fired.
Last year, after Comey exonerated Hillary Clinton, Rep. Buck aggressively questioned Comey during a House hearing as to why he used a standard higher than the standard the law prescribes.
Congressman Jared Polis (D)
Rep. Polis took to Twitter as soon as the news broke and wrote that FBI Director Comey's firing created an urgent need for a Special Prosecutor to be appointed to oversee the Russia investigation.
https://twitter.com/jaredpolis/status/862067819332083715
Congressman Scott Tipton (R)
Rep. Tipton took the opportunity to remind his constituents that President Trump's decision to fire James Comey will not halt the FBI's Russia investigation. He then went on to criticize Director Comey for violating Bureau protocol in his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
“None of the investigations should be impacted by the firing of Mr. Comey. Mr. Comey’s actions over the past year were not in keeping with standard Department of Justice protocol and embroiled the FBI, which is supposed to be the nation’s most trusted law enforcement agency, into a political controversy."Congressman Doug Lamborn (R) At the time of publication, Rep. Lamborn has not issued a press release or published a social media post about the firing of FBI Director James Comey. What do you think of their reactions to the firing of FBI Director James Comey? Sound off in the comments below!
