Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Photo–Flickr
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and fellow House Judiciary Democrats wrote a letter to their Republican counterparts, demanding an immediate congressional hearing into President Trump’s nearly unprecedented firing of James Comey, the Republican former director of the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI).
The unceremonious termination of Comey arrived on the heels of media reports detailing FBI progress in the investigation of alleged illegal coordination between Putin’s Russia and Trump officials. Seventeen different U.S. intelligence agencies have already confirmed that Russia, at the personal direction of Vladimir Putin, intervened to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. The Russian hacking effort is considered by many to be an act of war.
The letter states, in part: “We write today to request that you immediately schedule hearings concerning President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey. This decision to abruptly fire Mr. Comey not only undermines the Department of Justice’s investigation into Russia’s efforts to influence the recent U.S. elections in possible coordination with the Trump campaign, but also threatens to erode confidence in the Department as a bedrock of independence and integrity within our system of government. The dismissal of Director Comey demands a clear and compelling explanation. To date, the Administration has provided none.”
The House Judiciary Committee has jurisdictional oversight over the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Yesterday’s letter was signed by every Democratic member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, which includes: Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Karen Bass (D-CA), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), David Cicilline (D-RI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Brad Schneider (D-IL).
