From scandal to scandal: Trump official briefs Senate on Comey dismissal

On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will be grilled about his role in the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey at a closed-door Senate hearing.

On May 8, Rosenstein drafted a memo to his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, recommending Comey be fired for his “wrong” approach to the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Senators, particularly those of the Democrat persuasion, are likely to probe Mr Rosenstein on whether he was pressured—perhaps by the White House—to recommend Comey be dismissed. Democrats are also pushing for an independent special prosecutor to investigate the FBI director’s dismissal.

But while Comey’s dismissal dominated headlines last week, the story has since been eclipsed by another scandal: President Trump’s disclosure of classified information (provided by Israel) to Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador.

Although the world has grown accustomed to Trump lurching from scandal to scandal, apparently with little effect, lasting damage is being done. The numerous allegations and counter-allegations over the past six months undermine the image of the US as a reliable, capable and trustworthy ally, trade and intelligence partner. Indeed, even the country’s highest representatives have begun to struggle with similar questions:

Increasingly difficult to wake up overseas to news from home, knowing I will spend today explaining our democracy and institutions.
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Simon Papagiorcopulo

Simon is the founder of Foreign Brief who served as managing director from 2015 to 2021. A lawyer by training, Simon has worked as an analyst and adviser in the private sector and government. Simon’s desire to help clients understand global developments in a contextualised way underpinned the establishment of Foreign Brief. This aspiration remains the organisation’s driving principle.