President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his firing of FBI Director James Comey and promised to replace him with someone who will bring “back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.”
“The Democrats have said some of the worst things about James Comey, including the fact that he should be fired, but now they play so sad!” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday morning. “James Comey will be replaced by someone who will do a far better job, bringing back the spirit and prestige of the FBI.”
“Comey lost the confidence of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike. When things calm down, they will be thanking me!” he added.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein cited Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server in recommending that Comey be removed from office. But the firing has been criticized by members of both parties, and Democrats are questioning the timing, after Trump chose to retain Comey and praised him on multiple occasions.
Comey was leading an investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
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Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com