This article originally appeared on Commentary magazine's website.
The sudden dismissal of FBI director James Comey has suddenly transformed the man blamed by many Democrats for Hillary Clinton's defeat into the
I have no idea why Trump fired Comey, and neither does anyone else. Trump's firing letter says (with an unfortunate split infinitive) that Comey is "not able to effectively lead the bureau." But Comey's effectiveness is not in question, to be honest, and the contention of the Becket Bunch that Trump might be working to impede the FBI's examination of Russian meddling cannot be dismissed.
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Comey's judgment, however, should have been and should be questioned—and should have been found wanting by any chief executive serving or elected after his dreadful conduct during the 2016 election.
What Comey did on July 5 of last year in announcing his decision not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton in the email investigation was a travesty. If, as he and everyone else has said, it was the unanimous decision of those looking at all of the evidence not to seek an indictment, it was a misuse of his power and authority to take to a podium and criticize her for her behavior. Indeed, his speech was so savagely negative, it sure sounded like he was going to announce an indictment referral up until the moment he declared he would not do so. That was not right, it was not just, and it was not proper.
He cleared her by casting a giant shadow over her campaign. This was
It was the shocking and confusing nature of his statement that led the House to call Comey to testify and promise he would keep its members up to date on any changes or alterations in the proceedings. So when the investigation into Anthony Weiner revealed he had emails on his computer forwarded to him by his wife Huma Abedin, Clinton's closest aide, Comey indeed had no choice but to inform Rep. Jason Chaffetz that the FBI was going to look at those emails to make sure they weren't new and weren't classified.