Comey deserved a 'more gracious' exit, says son of America's only other fired FBI director
Prior to President Trump's decision to fire James Comey on Tuesday night, the only other FBI director to ever have been ousted by the president was William Sessions in 1993, when he refused to step down under former President Bill Clinton. On Wednesday, William Sessions' son, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions (R), told the The Dallas Morning News that he always favors "dialogue over firing" and that he believes Comey should have been allowed "to exit in a more gracious way."
"I think you treat good people better" than how Comey was treated, Sessions said. Comey reportedly found out he had been fired by noticing the news on TV, and there is some uncertainty about whether he will be allowed back in the FBI headquarters building to collect his belongings. Comey was in Los Angeles on bureau business when he learned of his firing.
Pete Sessions added to The Dallas Morning News that he believes Trump should have arranged for a face-to-face meeting with Comey and given him the opportunity to step down on his own. Being "fired" is "a tag on a man who … performed reasonably well and it got out of hand," Sessions said.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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