In a letter to friends and agents sent Wednesday, former FBI Director James Comey wrote that he has "long believed" a president can fire the FBI director "for any reason, or for no reason at all," and that's why he won't "spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. I hope you won't either."
Comey found out he was no longer the director of the FBI while addressing bureau employees in Los Angeles on Tuesday; he saw the news break on a television in the back of the room, and originally thought it was a joke. He said his hope is that the agents will "continue to live our values and the mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution," and reminded them of something he told them before: "In times of turbulence, the American people should see the FBI as a rock of competence, honesty, and independence. What makes leaving the FBI hard is the nature and quality of its people, who together make it that rock for America."
Subscribe to 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.
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
-
Marine Le Pen's fake jobs trialThe Explainer The far-right French leader could face a fine, jail time, and a five-year ban from public office if found guilty of embezzlement
-
How to earn extra cash for ChristmasThe Explainer The holiday season can be expensive but there are ways to bolster your festive finances
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
