[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PRESIDENT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO FIRE FBI DIRECTOR

  (Mr. BROWN of Maryland asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, why did President Trump fire FBI 
Director Comey? He called Comey a ``showboat'' and ``grandstander'' and 
said he was going to fire him regardless of the rationale outlined by 
the Deputy Attorney General. He justified firing Comey, who was leading 
the investigation into Michael Flynn and Russian interference in our 
elections, by saying it ``is a made-up story.''
  But the President's political removal of Comey without any legal or 
ethical reason shatters the idea that the FBI is independent and 
insulated from partisan politics. The President should not be able to 
fire the FBI Director for political or personal reasons.
  That is why, today, I introduced legislation to raise the standard 
for the President to dismiss the FBI Director. Congress placed similar 
restrictions on the President's power to remove members of the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission, the Director of the CFBP, and special counsels. 
The FBI should be no different.
  Congress cannot continue to be a rubberstamp for this administration. 
Let's uphold our constitutional responsibility to hold the President 
accountable.

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