Donald Trump this week fired the FBI Director James Comey. It was a shocking revelation and the first time in 24 years that a president has dismissed the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But the events that took place this week have led to a number of critical questions; firstly, why was Comey fired? Secondly, is Donald Trump hiding something? And thirdly, what will this do for the president going forward?
What went on?
But first of all, the facts. The New York Times reported that on Tuesday President Trump "fired" the director of the FBI.
It has since caused shockwaves throughout the American political community and beyond. As stated before, this is only the second time in 24 years that such an event has happened. And who was that last one? That was Bill Clinton who in 1993, according to the LA Times, "ousted William Sessions" as FBI director. This was because Sessions had refused to "voluntarily" step down amid ethical concerns.
Why exactly was James Comer fired?
And this is the problem; many reasons have been given. Initially it was said that Comey was fired for his "handling of the investigation" into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, as reported again in the New York Times. However, this reason simply did not wash with many in the political establishment.
This was mainly because the president was widely seen to have "benefited politically" from the inquiry. However, a little later, Trump changed his mind and said that, as the Guardian newspaper reported, he was thinking of "this Russia thing" when he decided to fire Comey. In addition to this, there have been further examples of Trump changing his views and thoughts.
Whilst Comey was investigating Clinton's emails, Trump praised the former director for his "guts" in the pursuit of the truth. However, very recently, Fox news stated that Trump called Comey a "showboat" and a "grandstander". Trump even criticised Comer for his work, stating that "the FBI has been in turmoil" and had planned to fire Comey "for some time".
Is the president hiding something?
With regards to this second question, it does seem to be extremely controversial that the man leading the investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election that took place last year has been fired. Whilst he did receive assurances from Comey that he is not under investigation, what did trouble me was Trump's threat to Comey not to release tapes of their private conversations. Why exactly are there tapes in the first place? What is Trump seeking to find, or to learn? And do the likes of Comey know their conversations are being recorded? It is all very fishy and murky at best.
What now for the president going forward?
In focusing on the final question, If, and I say if it is revealed that Russia did intervene in the election last year, and if it is revealed that Trump either just knew about it or was part of the conversation, it spells big trouble.
It would not be out of the realm of possibility for Trump to be impeached. It is a reminder of what happened to Richard Nixon forty of so years ago and can certainly happen again. This is serious business. And what will it mean for the American political system if it proves that Russia were involved? As the champion of democracy, or liberty and transparency, it will most certainly be a blow to that.
Donald Trump is treading on very thin ice. His time as president has been fraught with problems and controversies. From the Muslim ban to the failed healthcare bill, from its provocation with North Korea to the strike against Syria, it is one challenge, I will say, after another. This issue with Russia may well linger and have terrible consequences as a result.
