Defending the sudden firing of FBI director James Comey, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Thursday that President Donald Trump “expects people who are serving in his administration to be loyal to the country and to be loyal to the administration.”
Conway, in an interview with Fox News, largely stuck to White House talking points to explain why Trump fired Comey unexpectedly on Tuesday, arguing that Trump’s opinion of Comey has been on the decline for a while.
But she also confirmed what has been widely reported but little acknowledged by the White House: that Trump wanted Comey to be loyal to him.
“I think this is an all of the above answer, that the president has been watching,” Conway said. “And the president expects people who are serving in his administration to be loyal to the country and to be loyal to the administration.”
FBI directors are appointed to 10-year terms in part to isolate them from politics, and Comey, a Barack Obama appointee, was known for his fierce independence and belief in the importance of maintaining the FBI’s credibility. He reiterated that sentiment in a farewell letter to FBI employees this week, writing, “in times of turbulence, the American people should see the FBI as a rock of competence, honesty, and independence.”
Democrats and some Republicans have raised concerns about the timing of the firing, because Comey was overseeing an investigation into whether Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government’s attempts to meddle in the election. The firing prompted questions of whether Trump sought to impede the inquiry.
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.@KellyannePolls: Trump expects people in his administration to 'be loyal to the administration' https://t.co/fr7Oy7w57O pic.twitter.com/0tMNo1OvEO
— POLITICO (@politico) May 11, 2017
The FBI director’s job is not to be loyal to anyone except the US and it’s citizens. His job is not to be a lapdog and puppet of the POTUS. Trump’s idea of loyalty is for someone to lie for him, cover up for him and clean up his messes.
Someone needs to show him the error in this. Perhaps it will be the FBI.
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