Readers React: Republican attacks on the FBI make President Trump look like he’s desperate to hide something

To the editor: President Trump took no action when his new administration was informed by acting Atty. Gen. Sally Yates a year ago that national security advisor Michael Flynn told untruths to the FBI and could be compromised by the Russians. He terminated Flynn only after news of the situation broke in the media.

In May, Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey for refusing to pledge loyalty to him and for not halting the FBI investigation of Flynn. The next month, he reportedly tried to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III but relented when the White House counsel threatened to quit.

Now, as Trump seethes about the investigation into Russian meddling in our 2016 election, his loyal Republicans in the Congress are helping him attack the law enforcement and intelligence agencies of our country by attempting to raise doubts about the inquiry. (“With Trump under investigation, Republicans crank up heat on the investigators, vote to release controversial memo,” Jan. 29)

Trump seems to be hiding something, and Mueller is trying to find out what that might be. Whatever it is, its uncovering appears to scare the hell out of our president.

Matt Giorgi, Brea

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To the editor: Republicans want Rep. Devin Nunes’ (R-Tulare) secret memo purporting to detail major abuses by federal agencies to be released, something they believe will show bias on the part of the FBI and the Department of Justice in its surveillance of the Trump campaign.

Have Nunes and his fellow Republicans considered that if the FBI wanted to influence the public against Trump, all it had to do was admit publicly before the election that the president’s campaign was being investigated for possible collusion with the Russians? Remember, the fact that this investigation exists at all was released after the election.

Instead, Comey felt the need to inform the public about the reopening of the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation 10 days before the vote.

Richard C. Armendariz, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: First it was Comey, and now it is FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was forced to step down on Monday. Every day, it seems, another firewall has been torn down by our president.

When will the Republican members of Congress call a halt to his continuing attacks upon the very institutions that defend our freedom and the rule of law? If the FBI and the Department of Justice are dismantled, to whom will we turn?

It seems that so far the GOP is quite content to fiddle while Washington burns.

Peter O’Reilly, Redondo Beach

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