President Donald Trump has had a love-hate relationship with now former FBI Director James Comey. Before he fired Comey on Tuesday, Trump had criticized and praised the FBI and its director for how it handled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.
July 5, 2016: "FBI director said Crooked Hillary compromised our national security. No charges. Wow! #RiggedSystem," Trump tweeted after Comey announced that Clinton wouldn't face charges.
The system is rigged. General Petraeus got in trouble for far less. Very very unfair! As usual, bad judgment.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2016
Oct. 13, 2016: "Hillary Clinton is guilty, of all the things that Director Comey stated at his press conference and congressional hearings, and far more. He stated many things, but it's far more and he knows that. And yet, after reading all of these items, where she's so guilty, he let her off the hook," Trump said at a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Fla.
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Oct. 31, 2016: "It took a lot of guts. I really disagreed with him. I was not his fan. But I'll tell you what he did, he brought back his reputation. He brought it back. He's got to hang tough because there's a lot of — a lot of people want him to do the wrong thing. What he did was the right thing," Trump said, after Comey sent a letter to Congress saying that he was reopening the Clinton email investigation.
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April 12, 2017: "No, it's not too late, but, you know, I have confidence in him," Trump said during a Fox Business Network interview, in response to a question about whether it was too late to ask Comey to step down.
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May 2, 2017: "FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deed!" Trump tweeted on May 2, ahead of Comey's testimony last week before a Senate committee.
FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2017
May 9, 2017: "I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump said on May 9 in a letter informing Comey of his firing.