The American Civil Liberties Union is concerned that the White House interfered in an ongoing FBI investigation, according to a statement. Intervening in a live probe "is incompatible with democratic safeguards," ACLU national security director Hina Shamsi said Monday.
"That's especially the case when the investigation involves the president or his associates."
Taking out Comey while he oversees an investigation into Trump and Russia constitutes "political meddling with law enforcement," according to Shamsi. This is "a recipe for abuse of power," the statement added.
US President Donald Trump indicated in a letter that Comey had informed him on three occasions that he was not under investigation by the FBI for illegal links between campaign officials and Russian government operatives. This isn't standard practice for the FBI, however, according to acting director Andrew McCabe.
Trump initially exclaimed he had "accepted the recommendation" of Justice Department officials to fire Comey on May 9. But days later, the president flipped the script by stating that he was going to fire Comey "regardless" of the DOJ's advice.
