Former Attorney General, Deputy AG react to Comey firing
Former Department of Justice officials are reacting to the firing of FBI Director James Comey, following the release of a memorandum sent by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to Attorney General Jeff Sessions late Tuesday afternoon.
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President Trump said in a letter to Comey that Sessions and Rosenstein had recommended Comey's dismissal.
The Deputy Attorney General listed various reasons for why Comey should be terminated, claiming over the past year, the "FBI's reputation and credibility have suffered substantial damage" that had "affected the entire Department of Justice."
Rosenstein's memo, entitled "Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI", detailed criticisms of Comey leveled by "former Attorneys General and Deputy Attorneys General from different eras and both political parties," including both Former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer and Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Those criticisms mostly involved Comey's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server, which Rosenstein indicated was the driving force behind the FBI director's dismissal.
Ayer, who served under President George H.W. Bush, was critical of the move to terminate Comey, telling CBS News that he views the stated reasoning for Comey's firing as "a sham."
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"At the time, Mr. Trump was supportive of the most incorrect things that Comey did -- editorializing about the facts of the then ended investigation and later announcing that the investigation had been reopened. The Deputy should realize that his correct assessment of those mistakes is now being used to justify firing for a very different reason," said Ayer.
Meanwhile, Gonzales, who served under President George W. Bush, told CBS News in an interview that while he believes the Russia investigation is going to continue and any attempts to stop the investigation will fail, he ultimately supports Rosenstein's judgement call.
"I think over the course of the past year, Director Comey has said things and taken certain actions that I have publicly questioned, and as Rod Rosenstein's letter catalogues, others have questioned as well. So if that's the reason for the firing, then I support Rod Rosenstein's judgment," said Gonzales.
Gonzales was unaware that he was cited in the memo until CBS News informed him.
