Firing Comey: A move that was long overdue

President Trump fired FBI Director Comey, a move that was long overdue

Former FBI Director James Comey was more involved in U.S. political affairs than any predecessor in living memory, excluding perhaps J. Edgar Hoover. While Comey got away with this under former President Barack Obama and his holdover appointees, recently confirmed Attorney General Jefferson Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, were not going to have the federal police force become another political body. As Sessions put it, “It is essential that this Department of Justice clearly reaffirm its commitment to longstanding principles that ensure the integrity and fairness of federal investigations and prosecutions. The Director of the FBI must be someone who follows faithfully the rules and principles of the Department of Justice...” Comey’s conduct had more to do with his own celebrity than with upholding the principles and image of the DOJ and the bureau.  

Recalling the investigation into the emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Comey was prompted by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to give a recommendation to the DOJ on whether to prosecute Clinton. While this was Lynch’s decision to make, her secret tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton days prior impaired her ability to appear impartial. She depended on Comey to make the call. Comey, in what was supposed to be a brief announcement of the conclusion of his investigation, catalogued for an hour the ways in which Hillary Clinton violated federal law by sharing classified information on her private email server. Republicans were salivating, as a recommendation to prosecute Clinton began to sound unavoidable. Would the DOJ under Obama finally do something impartial and apolitical? Not hardly. Comey surprisingly concluded by refusing either to call a grand jury or recommend prosecution for Clinton. Republicans everywhere were alarmed and disappointed that someone who clearly violated the law would not see her day in court. They resented Comey until he returned to the spotlight.

In October, less than a month before Election Day, Comey held yet another press conference. In what became known as his “October Surprise,” Comey declared that he was reopening the investigation of Clinton, after several thousands of her previously believed to be deleted emails were found on the server of former U.S. Rep Anthony Weiner, the disgraced husband of Clinton’s right-hand woman, Huma Abedin. Comey explained that these emails had to be assessed, enraging Democrats everywhere, who feared another negative Clinton story could further damage her already lackluster, message-less campaign. Then just days later, missing his beloved spotlight, Comey returned to center stage to declare the investigation closed yet again.  

The DOJ is supposed to be apolitical, taking into account only the law and the facts, regardless of the political ideology of the president or the subject of the investigation. The DOJ and the country depend on the FBI to conduct these investigations impartially. Over the last year, under the leadership of Comey, the FBI has been anything but apolitical. His concern with his own celebrity, and image, instead of for justice, was more than enough reason for Sessions to recommend his removal. Thankfully the “Comey Show” is over, and the DOJ can get back to making impartial judgements based on the rule of law. All Americans, Democrat or Republican, should be supportive of this termination.

Jack Story is a UF political science graduate. His column usually appears on Mondays.