Abcarian: Steve Bannon discovers the hard way that defying Congress is no joke, and Trump’s decision to fire Comey last week is yet another example of the president who refuses to accept the advice of his own cabinet. But there are many other reasons why the president should be looking for a new chief of staff. Here are 10.
As I noted in this space back in February, this is a president who refuses to accept the advice of his own Cabinet. Trump’s latest act of political expediency is to fire FBI Director James Comey, in spite of the fact that he, not Attorney General Jeff Sessions (who is on the record as being against the move), convinced him to ask the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Clinton Foundation.
The president’s decision to fire Comey seems in direct conflict with his stated commitment to “drain the swamp” of the swamp-like bureaucracy at the Justice Department that exists in the “notorious and corrupt” department. The reason that this decision might be problematic is not because Comey is a Comey, or a DOJ employee, or some other “Deep State” actor who may have abused his government position. Rather, because Trump is setting his own personal political agenda and refusing to accept the Justice Department’s current legal advice.
Trump and his supporters may believe that the appointment of a special counsel is necessary, given the serious allegations against the Clintons. But the decision to appoint a special counsel may just be his way of trying to find some angle that is not seen as too partisan to bring back to the White House. But to fire Comey because of Clinton’s role is both a politically charged one, and a way of trying to circumvent Congressional oversight of the DOJ.
The question is whether Trump can make a politically-charged but legally-required decision to fire Comey without political consequences. The answer is yes, but it may not be possible.
It is impossible for Trump’s supporters to support firing Comey because of the president’s own private political views. Trump’s firing of Comey would be seen as supporting Hillary Clinton, and therefore would be
