DUBAI: Former FBI Director James Comey, who was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump Tuesday, reportedly learned about his termination from TV news reports while he was addressing bureau employees in Los Angeles.
The New York Times reports that as Comey was in the midst of speaking, television screens in the background began flashing the news.
In response, Comey reportedly laughed and told staffers it was a fairly funny prank, according to the newspaper.
Shortly afterwards, Trump’s letter of termination was delivered to the FBI Headquarters in Washington.
In the letter to Comey, Trump said the firing was necessary to restore “public trust and confidence” in the FBI. Comey has come under intense scrutiny in recent months for his role in an investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s e-mail practices, including a pair of letters he sent to Congress on the matter in the closing days of last year’s election.
Upon hearing the news while in Los Angeles, Comey headed to LAX and was followed overhead by news helicopters.
The firing of an FBI director is exceedingly rare. Democrats slammed the move, comparing it to President Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” decision to fire the independent special prosecutor overseeing the Watergate investigation, prompting the resignations of the Justice Department’s top two officials.
(With the Associated Press)