For the Left Comey Went From Scapegoat to Martyr Pretty Darn Quick

I don’t think President Donald Trump handled the firing of (now former) FBI Director James Comey all that well.

For one thing, it wasn’t all that long ago that Trump was expressing to Comey how much confidence he had in the man. This, from January:

When Mr. Comey and the president-elect met at Trump Tower for the first time this month for an intelligence briefing, Mr. Trump told the F.B.I. director that he hoped he would remain in his position, according to people briefed on the matter. And Mr. Trump’s aides have made it clear to Mr. Comey that the president does not plan to ask him to leave, these people said.

Part of the reasoning for Comey getting canned was his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. But Trump delighted in the headaches Comey gave Clinton, and if really felt it was something the man should be fired for, why didn’t Comey get the ax on inauguration day?

These are perfectly valid criticisms of Trump’s handling of Comey’s firing.

But there’s something which looms larger than how Trump went about terminating Comey’s employment. It’s the fact that pretty much everyone thought the guy should have been fired.

[mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]The FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling should go on. If Trump in any way tries to inhibit that probe he deserves criticism. But he shouldn’t be criticized for firing a man the Democrats themselves wanted fired, however poorly he handled it.[/mks_pullquote]

There is a laundry list of prominent national Democrats who are on the record calling for Comey to be fired. Now Trump has fired Comey, suddenly those Democrats have changed their tune.

Suddenly Comey is a martyr.

Even North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, who likes to posture herself as a pragmatic moderate, has been busy concern trolling Trump. “The president firing Director Comey raises far more questions than it answers,” she has said in a statement calling for a special prosecutor.

C’mon. Let’s get serious.

The Democrats, who wanted Comey fired prior to yesterday, now want us to believe that his firing was some quasi-fascist move by Trump –  some are calling it a coup, which demonstrates that they don’t know what the word “coup” means – to roadblock an investigation into his 2016 campaign.

They don’t get to have it both ways.

The FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling should go on. If Trump in any way tries to inhibit that probe he deserves criticism. But he shouldn’t be criticized for firing a man the Democrats themselves wanted fired. Criticize Trump’s handling of it, sure, but not the firing itself.

UPDATE: Senator John Hoeven says Comey’s firing “raises questions.”