Following Donald Trump’s decision to sack FBI director James Comey, a number of NeverTrump Republicans have joined Democrats in criticizing the decision, suggesting it could be part of a wider conspiracy of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russian agents.
Thus far, no substantial evidence has been found of any ties between Russian agents and Donald Trump’s campaign team.
Nevertheless, leading Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders suggested the decision was made as part of a wider cover-up, despite having questioned Comey’s leadership only a few months ago.
However, these Democrats were also joined by a number of leading Republicans, many of whom opposed Donald Trump’s candidacy from the beginning.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, former presidential candidate and Senator for Arizona John McCain described the decision as “unfortunate.”
“The president does have that constitutional authority. But I can’t help but think that this is not a good thing for America,” he said.
“This scandal is going to go on. I’ve seen it before,” McCain said. “This is a centipede. I guarantee you there will be more shoes to drop, I can just guarantee it. There’s just too much information that we don’t have that will be coming out.”
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NB)
“Regardless of how you think Director Comey handled the unprecedented complexities of the 2016 election cycle, the timing of this firing is very troubling,” Sasse said in a statement.
“Jim Comey is an honorable public servant, and in the midst of a crisis of public trust that goes well beyond who you voted for in the presidential election, the loss of an honorable public servant is a loss for the nation. As the chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, I have reached out to the Deputy Attorney General for clarity on his rationale for recommending this action,” he continued.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
In a tweet following the firing, Jeff Flake said he had “spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of Comey’s firing.”
“I just can’t do it,” he added.
While not NeverTrumpers, other Republicans also joined in the criticism:
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
Richard Burr, who serves as the Senate Intelligence Chairman, said in a statement that he was “troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination.”
On Twitter, Burr praised Comey’s leadership of the FBI, claiming that he had “always been straightforward with our committee” and “more forthcoming [with] information than any FBI director I can recall in my tenure on the congressional intel.”
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)
Senator for Tennessee Bob Corker argued that the decision will “raise questions” about Trump’s possible connections to Russia.
“It is essential that ongoing investigations are fulsome and free of political interference until their completion,” Corker told reporters.
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