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


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.
Instead, the Times aruges, Comey was "fired because he was leading an active investigation that could bring down a president." Where congressional Republicans are stalling investigations, "Mr. Comey's inquiry was the only aggressive effort to get to the bottom of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign," and it snared such close Trump allies as former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, longtime friend Roger Stone, onetime foreign policy adviser Carter Page, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from the case after it came to light that he did not disclose two meetings with Russia's U.S. ambassador during the campaign. Given all that, plus the dismissals of Comey, acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and almost every U.S. attorney, the editorial board said, "the need for a special prosecutor is plainer than ever," as the American people "require a thorough, impartial investigation" into Russian election meddling. Read the entire op-ed at The New York Times.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants