Many do not want James Comey to go

FBI agents are still reeling from Director James Comey’s unceremonious dismissal, their surprise at the manner of his ouster coupled with questions about who will next lead the bureau.

Many agents working in field offices across the country learned on Tuesday about their Director’s firing in much the same way he did — from news reports that flashed on television screens and buzzed on phones.

They privately described a day afterward spent processing the news, swapping praise about their former boss, and grappling with angst that Mr. Comey wasn’t given a chance to notify employees.

Many saw him as a strong and supportive leader. And many did not want to see him go, especially in the midst of the bureau’s probe into whether President Donald Trump’s campaign had ties to Russia’s meddling in the election. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Wednesday that “countless” FBI employees had lost faith in Mr. Comey’s leadership. But the President of the FBI Agents Association, Thomas O’Connor, said he was known to be responsive to their concerns, and he called the firing a “gut punch”.

Retired FBI assistant director Ron Hosko said some agents believed Mr. Comey went too far. “There are those voices inside, but I think he still enjoyed broad support and great respect by the workforce,” Mr. Hosko said.

In New York, where Mr. Comey once headed the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, agents were told stories about the former Director, including how he used to call agents’ cell phones to congratulate them after finishing big cases, said a current official.

A farewell letter from Mr. Comey that circulated among friends and colleagues said he does not plan to dwell on the decision to fire him or on “the way it was executed”. The letter was posted online by CNN on Wednesday night.

A person who had seen the note confirmed to The Associated Press that the online version was authentic.