Tuesday on PBS’s “NewsHour,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) reacted to President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey and said “perhaps it was inevitable” given how Comey handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
Collins said, “Well, like every other American, I’m just learning about this news. I wonder in some way if it were the inevitable conclusion to decisions that were well intentioned by Mr. Comey that he made last July in which he held a press conference to announce his decision not to pursue an indictment against Hillary Clinton and went on to give his personal opinion in the case. He did so in a manner that was contrary to the policies of the Department of Justice, although I have no doubt that his intentions were good. This seemed to snowball in a way that led to the additional events last fall, and it embroiled him in a political controversy that had continued to this day.”
She continued, “I have no doubt at all, knowing the FBI director, that he was sincere in his conclusion and in saying that, but the fact is that the Department of Justice has very specific policies that requires the FBI to go to his superiors at the Department of Justice and get their decision, and it really wasn’t his call. And in that, it does appear that his actions were contrary to the general rules followed by the Department of Justice, particularly in dealing with very sensitive criminal cases.”
She added, “I think that perhaps it was inevitable given the fact that Mr. Comey has been unable to put this controversy to rest and it was contrary to the rules of the Department of Justice. I do hope that the next FBI director will have the same kinds of integrity, intelligence, and determination that Mr. Comey exhibited, but perhaps better judgment on when it’s appropriate to go public with the results of an investigation.”
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