Advertisement

Opinion: Trump’s firing of James Comey should stir Republicans’ patriotism, not their partisanship

Then-FBI Director James Comey testifies to the House Intelligence Committee on March 20.
Then-FBI Director James Comey testifies to the House Intelligence Committee on March 20.
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
Share

To the editor: Republicans, it is far past time to be patriots. Put country ahead of party. (“Absolutely nothing about James Comey’s firing passes the smell test,” editorial, May 9)

President Trump using former FBI Director James Comey’s treatment of Hillary Clinton during his agency’s investigation of her email affair as an excuse to fire him is laughable. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and Trump clearly are using Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein as a pawn to fire Comey, who is the only nonpartisan person left investigating possible collusion between the president’s campaign and Russia.

Comey’s firing is a direct assault on the checks and balances that uphold democratic institutions. A special prosecutor must be appointed and the Republicans need to stand up and protect our country. The longer they wait, the more they become complicit in Trump’s corruption.

Advertisement

Noelle De Vita, Valencia

..

I sincerely hope Trump’s Russian connection gets him out of office, but still, I will sleep OK at night knowing Comey is gone.

— Ted Herrmann, Los Angeles

To the editor: “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”, cries Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare’s “Henry VI,” not out of animosity toward lawyers but to remove legal barriers to a rebellion he favored.

Appointing his own attorney general was normal and expected. Unexpected were the rapid firing (without notice or replacements immediately available) of the acting attorney general in February, removing all U.S. attorneys (including the one in New York who had jurisdiction over what might have occurred in Trump Tower) and now Comey’s sudden dismissal.

Notwithstanding the reasons for dismissal offered at the time, many believe Trump is trying to derail the FBI’s Russia investigation. This is how Nixon tried to stop the Watergate investigation — “killing the lawyers” is the first step.

We need a special prosecutor; otherwise Dick the Butcher wins.

Rick Dunn, San Diego

..

To the editor: I was one who begged for Comey’s removal last July and louder still in October, when he announced that he was reopening his investigation of Clinton less than two weeks before the election. I see the karma of his dismissal now. Sadly, he ruined his own reputation and his agency’s.

But the circumstances of this dismissal and its implications for the future of our country cannot be diminished. The echoes of Watergate ring loudly. We are again at a crossroads, and it’s really up to the Republicans in Congress to determine if our nation can survive.

Advertisement

The only option is for an independent investigation. Will the Department of Justice and Congress put America ahead of their vested interests? We can hope so.

Arlene Hoffman, Fullerton

..

To the editor: Thanks to Comey’s interference in the election, the Supreme Court will be in Republican hands for decades.

I sincerely hope Trump’s Russian connection gets him out of office, but still, I will sleep OK at night knowing Comey is gone.

Ted Herrmann, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The manner in which Trump fired Comey vividly demonstrates that Trump has absolutely no class despite all his money, fancy planes, ostentatious homes and other luxuries. And I say that not being a fan of Comey.

Advertisement

Rather than wait until Comey returned from his trip to Los Angeles on Tuesday and met with him face to face, Trump chose to send a letter to his office, as if waiting another day would have made any difference.

George Lazik, Woodland Hills

..

To the editor: So, does this mean we can stop appending “-gate” to whatever scandal happens to be current, and start using “-a-Lago” instead?

Craig Arnold, Long Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Advertisement