News / Politics

Acting FBI director contradicts Trump's claim about Comey

Thursday, 11 May 2017 5:25 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 11 May 2017 5:26 PM ]

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 11, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has directly contradicted a claim by President Donald Trump who recently fired FBI Director James Comey, saying he lost the confidence of the “rank and file” of the agency.

Addressing the Senate Intelligence Committee, McCabe rejected the White House’s assertion that Comey “lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike.”

“I can confidently tell you that the vast majority of employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey,” he added, calling it “not accurate” to say otherwise,” he added, calling it the “greatest privilege” of his professional career to work with Comey.

Earlier in the hearing, McCabe refused to comment on Trump’s claim that he had been told he was not under investigation related to the probe of Russian actions in the 2016 US elections.

“The work of the men and women of the FBI continues despite any changes in circumstances,” McCabe continued.

“There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date. Simply put, you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI. from doing the right thing.”

Trump wrote in a letter to Comey on Tuesday that the FBI chief was not able to effectively lead the bureau and that it was necessary to restore public trust in the agency.In his letter, Trump said the ex-FBI director had told him three times that he was not under investigation.

Comey, who was appointed as the agency’s director in 2013, learned of his dismissal from televisions tuned to the news, as he was addressing FBI agents in Los Angeles.

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Meanwhile, a large number of Americans held a demonstration on Wednesday in front of the White House to protest against Trump, with some calling him a fascist leader.

Protesters gather to rally against U.S. President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, outside the White House in Washington, U.S. May 10, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

The Trump administration has said that Comey's dismissal was attributed to his handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server to send classified emails.

However, Democrats, including Hilary Clinton, have dismissed that notion, suggesting that Comey was getting too close to the White House with the Russia probe.

The FBI chief was investigating allegations of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the 2016 election, even though Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations. Now, Democrats are calling for an independent prosecutor to investigate Trump’s alleged ties with Russia.

Many Republicans have also criticized the US president for making what they describe as a rash decision, saying it could have deep implications for their party.

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