Trump hints he is expecting the next FBI director to report directly to him
President Trump shared some alternative history during his interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, confidently saying that "out of courtesy," the FBI director began reporting to the Department of Justice during Richard Nixon's tenure as president, but "the FBI person really reports directly to the president of the United States." This is not true.
The FBI director is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but reports to the attorney general. As the FBI spells it out on its website: "Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence." The president does have the power to fire the FBI director, as Trump showed earlier this year when he canned former FBI Director James Comey, without even having to give a reason.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He started talking about his nominee, Chris Wray, who is "highly thought of by everybody," when the conversation turned to Comey, but the interview was soon interrupted by Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and 6-year-old granddaughter, Arabella Kushner. The proud grandfather told the Times that young Kushner "speaks fluent Chinese" and spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and requested she say, "I love you, Grandpa." After Kushner responded, "Wo ai ni, Grandpa," Trump asked, "She's unbelievable, huh? Good, smart genes."
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
