FBI agents are still reeling from director James Comey’s unceremonious dismissal, their surprise at the manner of his ouster coupled with questions about who will next lead the bureau.
Many agents working in field offices across the country learnt about their director’s firing in much the same way he did: from news channels. They privately described a day spent after processing the news, swapping praise about their former boss, and grappling with angst that Mr Comey wasn’t given a chance to notify employees. Many saw him as a strong and supportive leader even if some believed he at times set the bureau on the wrong path. And many did not want to see him go, especially in the midst of the bureau’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s campaign had ties to Russia’s meddling in the election.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Wednesday that “countless” FBI employees had lost faith in Mr Comey’s leadership. But president of the FBI Agents Association Thomas O’Connor said he was known to be responsive to their concerns, and he called the firing a “gut punch”.
As part of the backup for the firing, the White House released a memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that blasted Mr Comey’s handling of the probe into Hillary Clinton’s emails, namely his announcement that she should not be charged before reopening the investigation days before voters went to the polls. That placed FBI agents in an uncomfortable position of having their historically apolitical work thrust into the center of a national election.
Retired FBI assistant director Ron Hosko said some agents believed Mr Comey went too far. “There are those voices inside, but I think he still enjoyed broad support and great respect by the workforce,” Mr Hosko said.
