Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr says President Trump has the authority and prerogative to dismiss FBI Director James Comey.
The GOP representative made his remarks following a Lexington ceremony recognizing a new world headquarters for Valvoline.
Barr says congressional questions about the timing of the president’s ousting of Comey should be anticipated. “Anyone should reasonably expect Congress to ask questions about the timing, but let’s face it, this is a director of the FBI who members of both parties lacked confidence in and lost confidence in a long time ago,” said Barr.
The president’s decision to fire Comey comes as some in Congress continue to raise questions about any Russian interference in last November’s presidential election.
Barr doesn’t see a need for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of Russian influence benefiting President Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.
“I have strong confidence in the career professionals of the FBI and their ongoing investigation and the other two bipartisan, bicameral investigations in the intelligence community,” noted Barr.
Barr says he and some other members of the Financial Services Committee would like to see the president dismiss another director, Richard Cordray, who heads the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for what he calls “a lot of reasons.”
