In the wake of President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) today suggested that former NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly fill the vacant position.
Kelly, the longest-serving NYPD commissioner, has good bipartisan credentials. He served under both Democratic Mayor David Dinkins and Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as under Mayor Bill de Blasio, but has also drawn some criticism for his tough-on-crime-stance including supporting tactics like “stop-and-frisk.”
“As a former prosecutor, I believe that a public servant with unimpeachable credentials and a career of independence – somebody like Ray Kelly – serving as FBI Director is critical to affirming the public’s trust. In the meantime, the FBI should continue its work unimpeded, and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees will continue their investigations. I fully support them,” said Donovan.
Meanwhile, Donovan’s Democratic colleagues including Nydia Velazquez (D-Northern Brooklyn, LES, Queens), Hakeem Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn,Coney Island), Yvette Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, East Flatbush, Brownsville,Sheepshead Bay) and Jeffrey Nadler (D-Brooklyn/ Manhattan) today demanded Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Trump Administration’s alleged ties to the Russian government and its meddling in the U.S. Presidential election.
“The President’s decision to fire James Comey, the FBI Director, is undemocratic, unpatriotic and un-American,” said Jeffries. “The White House claims that the President fired Comey because of how poorly the FBI Director treated Hillary Clinton. That is absurd. That is an outright lie. Donald Trump is hiding something from the American people as it relates to Russia’s interference in our election,” said Jeffries.
The partisan group or lawmakers were quick to note, that the firing coincided with federal prosecutors issuance of grand jury subpoenas to security advisors and associates of former national security advisor Michael Flynn. The group hinted at a possible “cover-up” by Trump and his associates reminiscent of the Nixon-Watergate scandal of 1973.
“How can an investigation be taken seriously or conducted seriously if the person in charge [Attorney General Jeff Sessions] is at the whim of the President. We are a country of checks and balances. No one, not even the President is above the law. The American people need to know that our democratic institution is going to remain robust and intact,” said Velazquez.
Velazquez went on to hint that President Trump was a possible “asset,” or special agent, for the Russian government in U.S. politics.
“We will do everything in our power to uncover the truth for the American people. It is clear that there were clear connections between top officials in your [Trump] Administration with connections with the Russian government,” said Clarke.
But Donovan, considered a moderate Republican, who voted against the recent House Trumpcare bill, voiced some support for Trump’s decision, if not the timing of it.
“The President has the legal authority to dismiss the FBI Director, as Bill Clinton also did in 1993. The controversy surrounding Director Comey’s comments about Secretary Clinton’s e-mails has caused many to lose confidence in his ability to lead the Bureau. I understand that the timing of the President’s decision raises natural questions about impartiality, and those questions must be answered,” he said.
