CREW calls for House and Senate investigations into Comey firing

CONTACT: Jordan Libowitz
202-408-5565| [email protected]

Washington, DC—In light of new evidence that President Donald Trump may have obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey to potentially impede an investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) tonight followed its call for a special counsel to investigate with formal requests for investigation to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees and the House Oversight Committee and called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to refrain from confirming a new FBI Director until a special counsel is appointed.

President Trump’s statements, together with new information apparently from a memorandum prepared by Director Comey, support the conclusion that the decision to fire Comey was made in connection with the ongoing investigation into Russian interference with the election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. President Trump has consistently made clear his anger about the investigation, he apparently pressured Director Comey to end at least one piece of it, and his and others’ statements make clear that he and his administration want the investigation to end quickly. The statements suggest that Comey may have in fact been fired to bring about that result.

“There is more and more evidence suggesting that Director Comey was improperly fired to interfere with the FBI’s investigation into the Russian influence on the election,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “There needs to be an immediate investigation into the firing, and no new FBI Director nominated by the President should be considered until we know there will be an independent and thorough investigation.”

Federal criminal obstruction of justice statutes prohibit the interfering with an investigation for the purpose of impeding its outcome, which it appears President Trump may have done with his firing of Director Comey.

“With tonight’s revelations, the evidence of possible obstruction of justice is impossible to ignore,” Bookbinder said. “Congress should act now to make sure the country can have faith that determined investigators will get to the bottom of these tremendously disturbing developments.”