NYT editorial board: Americans need a 'thorough, impartial' investigation into Russian election meddling

President Trump's letter to James Comey.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

The New York Times editorial board does not have much faith in President Trump choosing a new FBI director who will continue the bureau's investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

In a harsh op-ed, the Times editorialists rejected the White House's claim that James Comey was fired over his mishandling of the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, calling it "impossible to take at face value." While Comey "deserves all the criticism heaped upon him for his repeated missteps in that case," Trump was very vocal about his excitement when Comey, just days before the election, notified Congress that he was reopening an investigation into her emails. "He brought back his reputation," Trump said at the time. "It took a lot of guts." Beyond that, the editorial board noted, Trump could have fired Comey right after he was inaugurated.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.