Will 'obstacle monitor' James Comey continue to stir up American politics?

(Baonghean) - In office for less than 4 years, former Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey has left many marks on American politics, with confrontations with the President and other government officials.

With his tough nature and always maintaining principles at work, Mr. Comey was also nicknamed 'The Obstacle Lizard'.

unfinished term

After being unexpectedly fired by US President Donald Trump, the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reluctantly became the center of media attention. So surprised that Mr. Comey only learned about the news via television and thought it was a joke. People began to retrace Mr. Comey's path to the FBI and try to explain why he was "ousted" so cruelly.

Former Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey and his turbulent unfinished term. (Source: CNN)

James Comey, whose full name is James Brien “Jim” Comey Jr., was born on December 14, 1960, in Yonker, Westchester County, New York, USA. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago, Mr. Comey practiced law in New York until the end of 2003.

Then, in early 2004, Mr. Comey joined the US Justice Department as Deputy Attorney General - the second highest-ranking official at the US Justice Department under former President George Bush. Also in 2004, he began to become famous when he refused to approve some aspects of the domestic surveillance program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).

However, by May 2005, Mr. Comey had left the US justice system to become General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin. In 2010, Mr. Comey became General Counsel at Bridgewater Associates based in Westport, Connecticut.

Not stopping there, in early 2013, Mr. Comey left Bridgewater to work at the Institute for Advanced Study and was a Hertog Fellow in National Security Law at Columbia Law School in New York. Until July 2013, the US Senate approved his appointment as Director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. On September 4, 2013, he was officially appointed to this powerful position by former President Barack Obama. By May 9, Mr. Comey's term as FBI Director ended unfinished. If he had not been fired, Mr. Comey's term would have lasted 10 years - until 2023.

Principle or confrontation?

The public must still remember that Mr. James Comey was believed to have contributed to the defeat of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last year. In October 2016, when the US presidential election was only a matter of days away, Mr. Comey himself informed the US Congress about the FBI reopening the investigation into Mrs. Clinton's use of personal email to handle work when she was US Secretary of State.

Former President Obama criticized the FBI Director's decision, while Democrats suspected that Mr. Comey had deliberately made moves to benefit Mr. Trump. The public did not question much when President-elect Donald Trump decided to keep Mr. Comey as FBI Director - a position appointed by the previous administration of Barack Obama. Remember, in his inaugural speech, President Trump also joked that Mr. Comey was more famous than the President-elect - referring to the investigation of candidate Clinton.

Former FBI Director James Comey and US President Donald Trump have "gone their separate ways" after many controversial disagreements. (Source: Getty)

Although it is unclear whether Mr. Comey intentionally or unintentionally “discredited” the person who helped him, President Donald Trump probably believed that the FBI Director was determined to stand by the new administration. But just a few months later, what Mr. Comey showed proved otherwise! Looking back at the hearings in March, Mr. Comey refused to support Mr. Trump’s claims that he was wiretapped by former President Barack Obama. Then, he also admitted for the first time that the FBI was investigating Russian interference in the US election and steadfastly pursued this goal until his sudden dismissal.

In fact, observers have clearly seen Mr. James Comey's nature, that is, a straightforward person who is not afraid to clash with anyone. Typically, in 2004, when he was still the Deputy Attorney General, he successfully prevented the White House Counsel and White House Chief of Staff of President Bush from forcing the then Attorney General Ashcroft to sign a controversial program authorization right on his hospital bed, which allowed federal agents to wiretap phone conversations without a warrant. Therefore, declaring war on Mrs. Clinton and immediately making President Trump uncomfortable is not difficult to understand given Mr. Comey's nature.

Unwilling victim

Mr. Comey's public announcement that the FBI was investigating suspected Russian interference in last year's US election, as well as links between Mr. Trump's campaign and Russia, has upset President Trump.

Trump's decision has brought back memories of the Watergate scandal, when former President Richard Nixon fired Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor in charge of investigating the break-in at the Democratic National Committee's offices inside the Watergate building on June 17, 1972. Democrats immediately commented that Trump's decision was putting the legal system at serious risk, while lawyers commented that this was an abuse of presidential power.

Notably, in explaining his decision, Mr. Trump cited the reason that Mr. Comey had acted improperly in the investigation of Mrs. Clinton's email scandal - the very factor that contributed to his victory last year.

According to some opinions, Mr. Trump is trying to block the FBI investigations related to the allegations of Russian interference in the US presidential election, which is said to be related to President Trump. Therefore, public opinion is particularly interested in whether the successor to the position of FBI Director, once Mr. Comey is fired, will continue the duties of his predecessor.

It is not yet known who President Donald Trump will fill this important position with, but it is known that he is once again stirring up American politics. Meanwhile, for his part, Mr. James Comey, immediately after being fired, received an invitation to investigate the US Government from WikiLeaks founder - Mr. Julian Assange. With Mr. James Comey's strong and straightforward nature, no one knows what will happen!

Khang Duy