After F.B.I. Director James Comey was fired last May, the White House went to extraordinary lengths to portray the bureau as an organization in disarray. The Deputy Press Secretary said at the time the rank and file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also said that she personally had “heard from countless members of the FBI that are grateful and thankful for the president’s decision” and that the president believed “Director Comey was not up to the task…that he wasn’t the right person in the job. [Trump] wanted somebody that could bring credibility back to the FBI.” Donald Trump also chimed in calling Comey everything from a “showboat,” to a “grandstander,” even a “nut job.”
But an investigation by Lawfareblog.com has found despite White House assertions, agents at field offices all over the country were devastated by Comey’s dismissal. More than 100 pages of inter-office correspondence were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and Lawfare has published it for all to read.
“There is literally not a single sentence in any of these communications that reflects criticism of Comey’s leadership of the FBI. Not one special agent in charge describes Comey’s removal as some kind of opportunity for new leadership. And if any FBI official really got on the phone with Sanders to express gratitude or thanks “for the president’s decision,” nobody reported that to his or her staff.”
This is a great piece of journalistic work. We’re not sure what’s more eye-opening, the near-universal support for Comey or the outright lying by the White House. This is a great effort.