WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's stunning firing of FBI Director James Comey throws into question the future of a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign's possible connections to Russia. It also raises suspicions of an underhanded effort to stymie a probe that has shadowed the administration from the outset.
Democrats likened Tuesday's ouster to President Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" and renewed calls for appointment of a special prosecutor. Some Republicans also questioned the move.
In his letter to Comey, Trump said the firing was necessary to restore "public trust and confidence" in the FBI. The administration paired the letter with a scathing review of Comey's work by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, including his decision to hold a news conference announcing the bureau's findings and releasing "derogatory information" about Clinton.