Trump's dismissal of FBI director sparks firestorm

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump's dismissal of James Comey from the post of FBI director has sparked a media firestorm and much disagreement.

Trump's move on Tuesday, which came at a time when the FBI's investigation into his alleged ties to Russia was expanding, has dominated the news cycle, with some experts calling it unprecedented and downright suspicious.

Indeed, Democrats and center-left media outlets said the timing of Comey's dismissal is suspect, and are crying foul over what they say is a stunning power move by the new president.

One media commentator, Chris Matthews, even said the move had a whiff of "fascism" to it. And Democrats in Congress are up in arms.

They are demanding the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate the alleged links between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign. Russia has dismissed the claims as fabrications.

But others are much less outraged, and some noted that Comey's firing was made on the recommendation of senior Justice Department officials.

Trump said on Wednesday that he fired Comey because he "was not doing a good job", without elaborating.

Probe over hacking

Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that he cannot get as excited as many Democrats over the issue.

"To me, Comey didn't know how to handle the public face of the job. The fact that most of his mistakes to date were at (former secretary of state) Hillary (Clinton's) expense, but most of his sensitive ongoing investigations were potentially at Trump's, increases the partisan tensions and suspicions over the firing," he said.

Indeed, Comey was criticized for reopening the probe into Clinton's email scandal in the final days of November's presidential race, in a move that many said tipped the tight race in Trump's favor.

"But I can't really disagree with Trump - even though I am a Democrat myself - provided that the successor (to Comey) has integrity," he said.

US intelligence services have concluded that Russia tried to interfere with the elections, as the Kremlin allegedly believed it could do business with Trump as opposed to Clinton. Democrats maintain that Russia's moves allowed Trump to hijack the election and win the White House.

But many others note that millions of rural US citizens - Trump's main backers - had been struggling financially for nearly a decade under former president Barack Obama, and viewed Clinton as an extension of the Obama administration. It was promises of a better economy that led to Trump's win, some experts and observers said.

Xinhua