The FBI "is and will always be independent and Americans have been told lies about the agency". So former FBI director James Comey, fired by Trump and replaced just yesterday with Christopher Wray, during the hearing on Russiagate before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Comey, referring to the circumstances in which US President Donald Trump decided to remove him from the leadership of the FBI in May, explained that "the reasons given for the dismissal were ambiguous, they didn't make sense, they confused and worried me. The President has chosen to defame me."
Already yesterday the former number one of US intelligence had revealed some episodes: the president of the United States demanded "loyalty" asking him to "let go", ie to cover up, the investigation into Michael Flynn, the former White House national security adviser, later forced to resign due to Russiagate. About the Russiagate, today Comey in a hearing reiterated that the interference of Russian hackers before the November elections was all right: "Moscow interfered in the American elections, there were several hacks: at least hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of American institutions were targeted by Russian hackers during the 2016 presidential campaign". Nonetheless, the former FBI chief reaffirmed his confidence that no votes had been tampered with.
Pressed by the questions of the commission president, Richard Burr, Comey he also specified that neither Trump nor Justice Minister Jeff Sessions asked him to stop the Russiagate investigation. He was only asked, as emerged yesterday, to "let go" on Michael Flynn. Comey also talked about the e-mail scandal affecting Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign, stating that he was convinced that he had handled the matter in the best possible way. My decision "caused a lot of personal pain, but looking back, I think it was the best way to protect justice and the FBI," said the former agency director. According to Clinton, it was Comey's management of the so-called emailgate that cost her the presidency.
