Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE
President Trump and King Abdullah II Joint Press Conference

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

Donald Trump has just fired FBI Director James Comey.

According to The Daily Beast, on Tuesday White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced that Comey was let go because of how he mishandled his dealings with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election. Propublica reported that Comey misspoke when he testified under oath that Huma Abedin —Anthony Weiner’s wife and a top Clinton deputy — had made “a regular practice” of forwarding “hundreds and thousands” of Clinton messages to her husband, “some of which contain classified information.” 

The reality was that Abedin only forwarded a small amount of emails and only a tiny fraction of those were actually labeled classified. And while Trump praised Comey for his past testimony, he is now punishing his former ally.

“The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said in the statement.

Based on recommendations from DOJ head Jeff Sessions, Trump sent Comey his termination letter.

“I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately,” Trump wrote.

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau. It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,” he wrote. “I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”

 The White House has begun a search for a new FBI director, the Daily Beast noted.

Of course Twitter had a lot to say, especially pointing out the irony of the situation given that Comey was fired while in the process of investigating Trump for his alleged connections to Russia:

This is a developing story; we will provide updates as they become available.

SOURCE: The Daily Beast; Propublica

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.