Hilary Clinton said it and her supporters largely agreed that she lost the election because of James Comey’s announcement days before the election. Just 10 days before the American public had to decide on their new president, James Comey dropped a bombshell. He was going to re-open the Clinton Email investigation –- one that he had earlier said was closed. Now not everyone believes that this was the nail in Clinton’s coffin but many agreed that it may have been the final nail. Prior to the announcement, Clinton was leading Donald Trump in the polls by double digits.
A reward for Comey?
In the days following the FBI announcement we all saw the gradual narrowing of Clinton's lead culminating with a win for Donald Trump. It was no secret that many who were on the fence and even Clinton supporters, feared that re-opening the investigation meant that she could be in serious legal troubles in the future and perhaps not the right candidate to back. When Trump took office, he replaced the CIA Director but James Comey kept his job. A reward for Comey? The honeymoon would soon be over.
An uneasy partnership
If President Trump thought he had an ally in the FBI Director James Comey, he would soon be disappointed. In a five hour congressional testimony in March, Comey confirmed that the FBI was investigating Russia – Trump contacts.
He stated that the investigation would include an assessment of any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia and if any crimes were committed. He also strongly denied the President’s claim that Obama wiretapped him. This would not sit well with Trump who showed his displeasure in his tweets. It was clear that the Trump-Comey partnership was showing signs of strain.
A nasty breakup
The man overseeing an investigation into Trump’s campaign team ties to Russia would get a rude awakening. James Comey would be fired by Donald Trump in a letter delivered to his office while he was away. The sacking created a firestorm which placed closer scrutiny on the Russian collusion investigation. The firing was followed by accusations of abuse of power creating chaos in the white house and Congress.
Adding to the confusion were the conflicting statements from the white house that followed Comey’s dismissal.
Trump initially claimed the FBI Director was fired on advice of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein because he had disclosed information regarding the investigation into Hilary Clinton’s emails. If he thought this would pacify the Democrats, it didn’t and he eventually admitted that the decision to fire Comey had been made without consulting Rosenstein and that the Russian investigation was indeed a factor in his decision.
