US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made the shock decision to fire his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign&#39;s ties with Russia.

The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role in the 2016 presidential election, is sure to send shockwaves through Washington.

&quot;The president has accepted the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,&quot; White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.

A search for a new FBI director was to begin &quot;immediately,&quot; the White House said in a statement.

In a letter, Trump told Comey: &quot;You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.&quot;

&quot;While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.&quot;

&quot;It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission,&quot; Trump said.

FBI directors are appointed for a single 10-year term. The 56-year-old Comey, who is popular among rank-and-file agents, was appointed four years ago.

Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Comey of trashing her chances of becoming president by revealing an renewed investigation into her email use.

His dismissal will raise questions about Trump&#39;s motives.

It will also prompt parallels with Richard Nixon&#39;s decision to unceremoniously fire his attorney general, an event that plunged his presidency deeper into crisis.

(AFP)

Democrat Hillary Clinton had accused Comey of trashing her chances of becoming president by revealing an renewed investigation into her email use.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made the shock decision to fire his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign's ties with Russia. The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role in the 2016 presidential election, is sure to send shockwaves through Washington. "The president has accepted the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters. A search for a new FBI director was to begin "immediately," the White House said in a statement. In a letter, Trump told Comey: "You are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately." "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau." "It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission," Trump said. FBI directors are appointed for a single 10-year term. The 56-year-old Comey, who is popular among rank-and-file agents, was appointed four years ago. Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Comey of trashing her chances of becoming president by revealing an renewed investigation into her email use. His dismissal will raise questions about Trump's motives. It will also prompt parallels with Richard Nixon's decision to unceremoniously fire his attorney general, an event that plunged his presidency deeper into crisis. (AFP)

Trump fires FBI director James Comey

Russia mounted a campaign of &quot;propaganda on steroids&quot; seeking to influence the 2016 US &nbsp;presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump&#39;s campaign.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US&nbsp;president in answering a question at an Arctic forum.

&quot;Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: &#39;Read my lips: &lsquo;No!&rsquo;&quot;

His reply recalled what George HW&nbsp;Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, &quot;Read my lips: No new taxes.&quot;

Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party&#39;s candidate, Hillary Clinton. US&nbsp;intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton&#39;s campaign.

&quot;I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation,&quot; Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. &quot;We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke.&quot;

Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work.

At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans.

Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain&#39;s &quot;Brexit&quot; vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined.

Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump.

Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia.

He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours.

&nbsp;

&#39;Capable Adversary&#39;

&quot;We&#39;re all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary,&quot; said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee.

Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation.

The campaign of &quot;fake news&quot; was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said.

&quot;This Russian &#39;propaganda on steroids&#39; was designed to poison the national conversation in America,&quot; Warner said.

Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee&#39;s probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party&#39;s platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump&#39;s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia.

A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies&#39; allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial.

Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence.

Trump said Nunes&#39; comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters.

(Reuters)

Putin said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work

Russia mounted a campaign of "propaganda on steroids" seeking to influence the 2016 US presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump's campaign. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US president in answering a question at an Arctic forum. "Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: 'Read my lips: ‘No!’" His reply recalled what George HW Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, "Read my lips: No new taxes." Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party's candidate, Hillary Clinton. US intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton's campaign. "I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation," Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. "We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke." Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work. At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans. Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain's "Brexit" vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined. Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump. Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia. He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours. 'Capable Adversary' "We're all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary," said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee. Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation. The campaign of "fake news" was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said. "This Russian 'propaganda on steroids' was designed to poison the national conversation in America," Warner said. Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee's probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party's platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia. A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies' allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial. Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in. The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence. Trump said Nunes' comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters. (Reuters)

Russian 'propaganda on steroids' aimed at 2016 US election: Lawmaker

The leaders of the US Senate Intelligence Committee jointly pledged on Wednesday that their investigation of Russian hacking of the 2016 US&nbsp;election campaign would be bipartisan, a sharp contrast to bitter partisan disagreements surrounding a similar investigation in the House of Representatives.

Senator Richard Burr, the committee&#39;s Republican chairman who served as a security adviser to President Donald Trump&#39;s campaign, told reporters he has not coordinated with the White House on the scope of the investigation.

Burr declined to go along at this point with the White House&#39;s denial of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian hackers, who US&nbsp;intelligence officials believe sought to influence the election for the Republican Trump at the expense of his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton.

&quot;We would be crazy to dry to draw conclusions from where we are in the investigation,&quot; Burr said at a joint news conference with Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel.

&quot;Let us go a little deeper into this before you ask us to write the conclusions,&quot; Burr said. &quot;That`s clearly something we intend to do down the road.&quot;

Both senators said their challenge is to answer for the American people whether there was anything in the investigation suggesting a direct link to Trump.

Warner and Burr both stressed the importance of exposing the activity of Russian hackers, which Warner said included about 1,000 &quot;paid Internet trolls&quot; who spread false negative news reports about Clinton.

The two senators said they also wanted to publicise what they described as Russia&#39;s attempts to influence upcoming elections in France and Germany.

Allegations by US&nbsp;intelligence agencies that Russian actors sought to boost Trump have lingered over Trump&#39;s young presidency. Trump dismisses such assertions and Russia denies the allegations.

(Reuters)

Allegations by US?intelligence agencies that Russian actors sought to boost Trump have lingered over Trump's young presidency

The leaders of the US Senate Intelligence Committee jointly pledged on Wednesday that their investigation of Russian hacking of the 2016 US election campaign would be bipartisan, a sharp contrast to bitter partisan disagreements surrounding a similar investigation in the House of Representatives. Senator Richard Burr, the committee's Republican chairman who served as a security adviser to President Donald Trump's campaign, told reporters he has not coordinated with the White House on the scope of the investigation. Burr declined to go along at this point with the White House's denial of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian hackers, who US intelligence officials believe sought to influence the election for the Republican Trump at the expense of his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton. "We would be crazy to dry to draw conclusions from where we are in the investigation," Burr said at a joint news conference with Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel. "Let us go a little deeper into this before you ask us to write the conclusions," Burr said. "That`s clearly something we intend to do down the road." Both senators said their challenge is to answer for the American people whether there was anything in the investigation suggesting a direct link to Trump. Warner and Burr both stressed the importance of exposing the activity of Russian hackers, which Warner said included about 1,000 "paid Internet trolls" who spread false negative news reports about Clinton. The two senators said they also wanted to publicise what they described as Russia's attempts to influence upcoming elections in France and Germany. Allegations by US intelligence agencies that Russian actors sought to boost Trump have lingered over Trump's young presidency. Trump dismisses such assertions and Russia denies the allegations. (Reuters)

US Senate intelligence leaders pledge bipartisan Russia probe

President-elect Donald Trump will not push for further investigation of Hillary Clinton related to her private email use and the Clinton Foundation, a close adviser said Tuesday, breaking with a key campaign theme.

Trump triggered consternation -- and widespread condemnation -- when he made an unprecedented campaign threat to jail his Democratic rival should he win the White House.

The Republican made Clinton&#39;s email scandal and allegations of pay-to-play at her family foundation a core theme of his campaign, railing against her &quot;crimes&quot; and leading fired-up supporters in chants of &quot;Lock her Up!&quot;&nbsp;

But since his election he has deflected questioning on the subject, saying in an interview he would think about it, but had other priorities as incoming head of state.

&quot;I think when the president-elect... tells you before he&#39;s even inaugurated that he doesn&#39;t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone, and content&quot; to fellow Republicans, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said in an interview on MSNBC&#39;s &quot;Morning Joe.&quot;

During their second presidential debate in October, Trump told Clinton he would instruct his attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into her email practices when secretary of state.

Clinton responded: &quot;It&#39;s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.&quot;

Trump then quipped: &quot;Because you&#39;d be in jail.&quot;

Conway told MSNBC that Clinton &quot;still has&nbsp;to&nbsp;face the fact a majority of Americans don&#39;t find her&nbsp;to&nbsp;be honest or trustworthy&quot;.

&quot;If Donald Trump can help her heal, perhaps that&#39;s a good thing,&quot; she added.

&quot;He&#39;s&nbsp;thinking of many different things as&nbsp;he prepares&nbsp;to&nbsp;become the president of the United States, and things&nbsp;that&nbsp;sound like the campaign aren&#39;t among them.&quot;

Clinton has attributed her loss to the bombshell decision by FBI director James Comey to re-open the probe into her use of a private email server, less than two weeks before the vote.

In a call with donors, she claimed that two letters Comey sent to Congress -- re-opening the probe and closing it again after finding no new evidence of wrongdoing -- had tilted crucial states towards her Republican rival.

Comey&#39;s second letter, sent three days before the election, stated that the FBI had not changed its July recommendation not to charge Clinton.

(AFP)

The announcement is at odds with Trump's key poll plank, in which he consistently vowed to jail Clinton if he won the White House

President-elect Donald Trump will not push for further investigation of Hillary Clinton related to her private email use and the Clinton Foundation, a close adviser said Tuesday, breaking with a key campaign theme. Trump triggered consternation -- and widespread condemnation -- when he made an unprecedented campaign threat to jail his Democratic rival should he win the White House. The Republican made Clinton's email scandal and allegations of pay-to-play at her family foundation a core theme of his campaign, railing against her "crimes" and leading fired-up supporters in chants of "Lock her Up!" But since his election he has deflected questioning on the subject, saying in an interview he would think about it, but had other priorities as incoming head of state. "I think when the president-elect... tells you before he's even inaugurated that he doesn't wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone, and content" to fellow Republicans, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." During their second presidential debate in October, Trump told Clinton he would instruct his attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into her email practices when secretary of state. Clinton responded: "It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country." Trump then quipped: "Because you'd be in jail." Conway told MSNBC that Clinton "still has to face the fact a majority of Americans don't find her to be honest or trustworthy". "If Donald Trump can help her heal, perhaps that's a good thing," she added. "He's thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the president of the United States, and things that sound like the campaign aren't among them." Clinton has attributed her loss to the bombshell decision by FBI director James Comey to re-open the probe into her use of a private email server, less than two weeks before the vote. In a call with donors, she claimed that two letters Comey sent to Congress -- re-opening the probe and closing it again after finding no new evidence of wrongdoing -- had tilted crucial states towards her Republican rival. Comey's second letter, sent three days before the election, stated that the FBI had not changed its July recommendation not to charge Clinton. (AFP)

Donald Trump will not push for probe into Clinton's private email use

Hillary Clinton blamed FBI director James Comey for losing the US presidential elections, for re-opening the investigation of Clinton&#39;s emails.&nbsp;

According to local media, Clinton told fundraisers and donors that Comey&#39;s letters just days before the November 8 election tilted the favor towards Trump. &nbsp;

&quot;There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful,&quot; AFP quoted the Democrat nominee saying.&nbsp;

&quot;But our analysis is that Jim Comey&#39;s letter raising doubts that were groundless (and) baseless -- and proven to be -- stopped our momentum.&quot;

&nbsp;Comey, just two weeks before the election, in a letter to the Congress said the FBI was re-opening the investigation and another letter just three days of the election saying the FBI could not determine any wrongdoing on her part.&nbsp;

The probe reminded Americans about the controversy and raised doubts while strengthening Donald Trump&#39;s anti-Clinton position.&nbsp;

&quot;After the third debate we felt so good about where we were,&quot; Clinton said. Trump, then was lagging behind Hillary, with allegations of sexual assault and racial rhetoric marring his campaign.&nbsp;

The campaign analysis &quot;showed that we were up in all but two of the battleground states, where we were tied or one point behind. In Arizona we were even. We felt real wind at our back.&quot;

However, Comey&#39;s letter damaged the momentum so close to the election that it could not be &quot;overcome.&quot;

The FBI director received a lot of flak for reopening the probe so close to elections and without knowing if the new emails were relevant.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Clinton told fundraisers and donors that the two letters written by Comey raised doubts and stopped the momentum

Hillary Clinton blamed FBI director James Comey for losing the US presidential elections, for re-opening the investigation of Clinton's emails. According to local media, Clinton told fundraisers and donors that Comey's letters just days before the November 8 election tilted the favor towards Trump. "There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful," AFP quoted the Democrat nominee saying. "But our analysis is that Jim Comey's letter raising doubts that were groundless (and) baseless -- and proven to be -- stopped our momentum." Comey, just two weeks before the election, in a letter to the Congress said the FBI was re-opening the investigation and another letter just three days of the election saying the FBI could not determine any wrongdoing on her part. The probe reminded Americans about the controversy and raised doubts while strengthening Donald Trump's anti-Clinton position. "After the third debate we felt so good about where we were," Clinton said. Trump, then was lagging behind Hillary, with allegations of sexual assault and racial rhetoric marring his campaign. The campaign analysis "showed that we were up in all but two of the battleground states, where we were tied or one point behind. In Arizona we were even. We felt real wind at our back." However, Comey's letter damaged the momentum so close to the election that it could not be "overcome." The FBI director received a lot of flak for reopening the probe so close to elections and without knowing if the new emails were relevant. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Hillary Clinton blames FBI director for loss

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now.

In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry.

The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday&#39;s announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails.

With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey&#39;s statements and the FBI&#39;s overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton&#39;s campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly.

FBI &quot;field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal,&quot; said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents.

He said some agents disapprove of Comey&#39;s handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire.

A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of &ldquo;unwarranted attacks&rdquo; on their integrity.

&quot;Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false,&quot; said the association&rsquo;s president Thomas O&rsquo;Connor.

Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. &quot;The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle,&quot; White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. &quot;The president&#39;s views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI.&quot;

The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October&nbsp;30 that he was &ldquo;appalled at what Director Comey did&rdquo; and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people.

FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign.

Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years.

If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation.

&quot;I don&rsquo;t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,&rdquo; said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department.

Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty.

On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey&#39;s &quot;original letter&quot; telling Congress that Clinton&#39;s emails were once again under investigation &quot;should never have been sent so close to an election&quot;.

Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department&#39;s inspector general on Novemeber&nbsp;2 to examine the FBI&#39;s investigation.

(Reuters)

The FBI Director has drawn the Republican's ire for ending the Clinton email investigation so quickly, and Democrats' for starting it at all

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now. In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry. The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday's announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails. With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey's statements and the FBI's overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton's campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly. FBI "field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal," said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents. He said some agents disapprove of Comey's handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire. A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of “unwarranted attacks” on their integrity. "Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false," said the association’s president Thomas O’Connor. Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. "The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. "The president's views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI." The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation. Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October 30 that he was “appalled at what Director Comey did” and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people. FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign. Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years. If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation. "I don’t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,” said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department. Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty. On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey's "original letter" telling Congress that Clinton's emails were once again under investigation "should never have been sent so close to an election". Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department's inspector general on Novemeber 2 to examine the FBI's investigation. (Reuters)

FBI agents, lawmakers hammer Comey over Clinton emails inquiry

&nbsp;

<iframe height="80" src="http://projects.wionews.com/animatedbugs/bugusvotes.html" style="border: hidden;float:left;" width="110"></iframe>

The US Senate&#39;s top Democrat blasted&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;chief James Comey Sunday for announcing a new review of Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails just days before the presidential election, an action he says &quot;may have broken the law&quot;.

Allegations Clinton put the United States at risk by using a private email server while secretary of state were thrust back into the spotlight Friday when Comey revealed a renewed&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;probe into the matter based on a previously unknown trove of emails.

&quot;As soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible,&quot; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.

&quot;Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law,&quot; Reid said, alleging that Comey had violated the Hatch Act, which bars the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;from influencing elections.

Clinton has demanded the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;director explain in detail why he had effectively reopened an inquiry declared complete in July, branding Comey&#39;s move &quot;deeply troubling&quot; so close to Election Day.

According to US media, the probe was renewed after agents seized a laptop used by Clinton&#39;s close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband, Anthony Weiner.

The disgraced former congressman who resigned in 2011 after sending explicit online messages is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl.

Both Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump have piled pressure on Comey to put his cards on the table and end speculation about the investigation before America goes to the polls on November 8.

US networks reported Sunday that the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;had obtained a warrant to search the emails. It formerly had a warrant only to search Weiner&#39;s laptop for communication with the teenager.

According to CNN, discovery of the emails occurred weeks ago although the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;did not reveal the matter until Friday.

While Clinton is still overwhelmingly expected to win the ballot, polls -- many of which were taken before the&nbsp;FBIemail announcement -- showed the US election tightening Sunday.

In the same memo, Reid also struck out at the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;chief for sitting on &quot;explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors and the Russian government.&quot;

&quot;I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public,&quot; Reid said.

FBI probe helps Trump close poll deficit

The race for the White House narrowed noticeably on Sunday as Hillary Clinton sought to shake off a renewed&nbsp;FBI probe of her emails and Donald Trump blitzed western states nine days ahead of the vote.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll put the Democratic presidential candidate just one point ahead of her Republican challenger Donald Trump at 46-45 percent in a four-way race.

In Florida, which is a must-win for the tycoon, Trump overcame a one-point deficit in September to enjoy a four-point lead, according to a New York Times Upshot/Siena College Research Institute poll.

(AFP)

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid slammed James Comey for renewing probe into Hillary Clinton's emails just days before the election

The US Senate's top Democrat blasted FBI chief James Comey Sunday for announcing a new review of Hillary Clinton's emails just days before the presidential election, an action he says "may have broken the law". Allegations Clinton put the United States at risk by using a private email server while secretary of state were thrust back into the spotlight Friday when Comey revealed a renewed FBI probe into the matter based on a previously unknown trove of emails. "As soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement. "Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law," Reid said, alleging that Comey had violated the Hatch Act, which bars the FBI from influencing elections. Clinton has demanded the FBI director explain in detail why he had effectively reopened an inquiry declared complete in July, branding Comey's move "deeply troubling" so close to Election Day. According to US media, the probe was renewed after agents seized a laptop used by Clinton's close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. The disgraced former congressman who resigned in 2011 after sending explicit online messages is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl. Both Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump have piled pressure on Comey to put his cards on the table and end speculation about the investigation before America goes to the polls on November 8. US networks reported Sunday that the FBI had obtained a warrant to search the emails. It formerly had a warrant only to search Weiner's laptop for communication with the teenager. According to CNN, discovery of the emails occurred weeks ago although the FBI did not reveal the matter until Friday. While Clinton is still overwhelmingly expected to win the ballot, polls -- many of which were taken before the FBIemail announcement -- showed the US election tightening Sunday. In the same memo, Reid also struck out at the FBI chief for sitting on "explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors and the Russian government." "I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public," Reid said. FBI probe helps Trump close poll deficit The race for the White House narrowed noticeably on Sunday as Hillary Clinton sought to shake off a renewed FBI probe of her emails and Donald Trump blitzed western states nine days ahead of the vote. An ABC News/Washington Post poll put the Democratic presidential candidate just one point ahead of her Republican challenger Donald Trump at 46-45 percent in a four-way race. In Florida, which is a must-win for the tycoon, Trump overcame a one-point deficit in September to enjoy a four-point lead, according to a New York Times Upshot/Siena College Research Institute poll. (AFP)

Clinton emails: 'Partisan' FBI chief may have broken law, says senior Democrat

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