Washington D.C. [USA], Jan. 25 : Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James B. Comey has reportedly said that he has been asked to stay in his post. Comey told FBI senior leaders of the decision on a recent teleconference call, though the bureau and the White House declined to confirm it on Tuesday, reports the Washington Post.
Comey is less than four years into a 10-year term and it is extremely rare for a president to remove an FBI director.
The FBI Director has, however, come under fire from both sides of the political aisle in recent months, especially for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Meanwhile, the department is also pursuing an investigation that intersects with the new Trump administration.
The bureau is continuing to explore Russian hacking and interference in the presidential election that is believed to have been conducted, in part, to help Trump win.
When Comey announced in July that he was recommending that the Clinton email investigation be closed without charges, Republicans lambasted the FBI director for - in their view - coming to the wrong conclusion on the facts he himself laid out.
Months later, when Comey revealed to Congress that the probe was back on less than two weeks before the election, Democrats lambasted the FBI for violating long-standing Justice Department policies about taking overt steps in an investigation so close to the day when voters would go to the polls.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department Inspector General has announced to launch a probe into the FBI's handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server.
Source: ANI
