Comey firing ‘confuses an already difficult investigation,’ Burr says

The surprise firing of FBI Director James Comey “confuses an already difficult investigation” by the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the committee’s chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina.

The committee is investigating Russia’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 election on behalf of President Donald Trump.

Trump fired Comey on Tuesday. Comey had been scheduled to appear before the Senate committee on Thursday.

Comey has said in past congressional testimony that the FBI “as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”

Burr is a Winston-Salem Republican who supported Trump during last year’s campaign. On Tuesday, Burr said in a statement he was “troubled by the timing and reasoning of Director Comey’s termination.”

“His dismissal further confuses an already difficult investigation by the committee,” he said. “In my interactions with the director and with the Bureau under his leadership, he and the FBI have always been straightforward with our committee. Director Comey has been more forthcoming with information than any FBI director I can recall in my tenure on the congressional intelligence committees. His dismissal, I believe, is a loss for the Bureau and the nation.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Huntersville Republican, and Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, also issued statements Tuesday.

Tillis: “Throughout his career, Director Comey has served the nation with distinction, and I have found him to be professional and responsive during my interactions with him. While Director Comey has faced criticism from both Republican and Democratic elected officials, it is my belief he attempted to lead the FBI to the best of his ability given the difficult circumstances before him and the hyperpartisan political climate that exists in Washington.”

Price: “President Trump’s rash and unprecedented actions threaten the integrity of our democratic institutions and the credibility of ongoing investigations into his campaign's alleged ties to and collusion with Russia. Congress must immediately appoint a special prosecutor to ensure that we pursue this matter wherever the facts may lead.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 10:05 PM with the headline "Comey firing ‘confuses an already difficult investigation,’ Burr says."