Connor Sephton, News Reporter

James Comey's sudden dismissal as FBI director has sent shockwaves through Washington, with Donald Trump's adversaries claiming it "raises serious questions about what his administration is hiding".

Image: A copy of the termination letter to FBI director James Comey from Donald Trump

Is James Comey's firing a cover-up?

Well, it does not look good. The FBI director was leading a wide-ranging investigation into whether the President's associates had colluded with Russia to sway the result of last November's presidential election.

Mr Trump said he made the decision to fire Mr Comey after receiving recommendations from his attorney general Jeff Sessions, as well as his deputy attorney general.

But in March, Mr Sessions had to recuse himself from the FBI investigation into Moscow's interference because it emerged he had met twice with the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, during Mr Trump's campaign - something he failed to mention when asked by Congress during a hearing.


The White House insists that Mr Comey's dismissal has nothing to do with the Russia investigation - and everything to do with how the FBI mishandled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email practices.

Image: Capitol Hill in Washington

What's the reaction in Washington been?

Democrats are sceptical about the official explanation. One senator called Mr Trump's decision "outrageous", while others accused his administration of "brazenly interfering" in the FBI's investigation into Russian interference.

Even some Republicans have called for a special congressional committee to be formed to ensure that the FBI's inquiry is not derailed.

Image: US President Donald Trump shares a brief embrace with James Comey on 22 January

Has Donald Trump always disliked James Comey?

It is fair to say Mr Trump has had something of a love-hate relationship with the FBI director.

In July 2016, Mr Comey held a news conference to announce that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server when she was US secretary of state. That investigation had been a dark cloud looming over the Democratic presidential candidate's campaign for some time.

After that announcement, Mr Trump described the FBI's decision not to bring criminal charges as proof that the system was rigged. He tweeted: "Very very unfair! As usual, bad judgment."

On 28 October 2016 - just 11 days before the election - Mr Comey made the bombshell announcement that his bureau was reopening the investigation into Mrs Clinton's email practices after new evidence came to light

Mr Trump changed his tune again, telling a campaign rally later that day: "I have great respect for the FBI for righting this wrong."

On 6 November, the FBI closed its investigation once again - with Mr Comey telling Congress that a review of the new evidence had "not changed our conclusions" that Mrs Clinton should not face criminal charges.

Despite this, Mr Trump pronounced her "guilty", and said she was being protected by a "rigged system".

Image: Hillary Clinton says the FBI is partly to blame for her election defeat

What's happened since Donald Trump was elected?

Mrs Clinton has repeatedly claimed that the FBI director's actions are partly to blame for her losing the vote. She recently said: "If the election had been on 27 October, I would have been your president."

Mr Trump appeared to let bygones be bygones when he saw Mr Comey in the audience at a White House event on 22 January. The FBI director was welcomed to join him at the front, where they warmly shook hands and even shared a brief embrace.

But their relationship would take another turn for the worse in March.

Not only did Mr Comey embarrass the President by refuting his claims that the Obama administration had ordered Trump Tower to be wiretapped, but he confirmed the FBI's investigation into Russian hacking was examining whether there was coordination between Mr Trump's campaign and the Kremlin.

There was an outcry from Democrats when it emerged the FBI investigation into Mr Trump's associates had begun in July 2016 - something that, unlike the probe into Mrs Clinton's affairs, was not made public during the presidential campaign.

Image: Richard Nixon fired an independent special prosecutor tasked with investigating the Watergate scandal

Why has James Comey's firing been called "Nixonian"?

Mr Trump's decision to fire James Comey has drawn parallels with the "Saturday Night Massacre" of 1973.

President Richard Nixon fired an independent special prosecutor tasked with investigating the Watergate scandal - and this triggered the resignations of his attorney general and deputy attorney general, who refused to obey the order.

It is exceedingly rare for a president to fire an FBI director. In fact, it has only been done once before.

In 1993, Bill Clinton dismissed William Sessions amid claims he had used an FBI aircraft for personal purposes - including flights to pick up his daughter.

Mr Comey had been nominated to serve as FBI director by Barack Obama in 2013. Politicians from both parties had backed his appointment to serve a 10-year term.

Now, just four years in, his service has been cut short.

Image: Republicans and Democrats say they have struggled to find an 'acceptable rationale' for Trump's decision

Does the Russia probe threaten Donald Trump's position?

Even though Mr Trump has fired Mr Comey, the investigation is not going to go away.

Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called for the dismissed FBI director "to be immediately called to testify in an open hearing about the status of the Russia/Trump investigation at the time he was fired".

A scathing editorial by The New York Times said Mr Comey was fired "because he was leading an active investigation that could bring down a president".

In the dismissal letter, Mr Trump made very deliberate reference to Mr Comey informing him "on three separate occasions" that he is not under investigation.

But even if this is the case, Mr Trump could come under serious pressure if the investigations are not seen to be free of political interference - and it could derail his presidency.