WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump has fired FBI Director James B. Comey, who has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans since the presidential election.
"The president has accepted the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general regarding the dismissal of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters in the briefing room Tuesday afternoon.
Comey was confirmed in 2013. He has been investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and any potential collusion with the Trump campaign.
Hillary Clinton blamed his late disclosures of an investigation of her emails for her electoral loss.
In a statement, the White House said Trump had told Comey that he had been fired. No reason was provided.
The statement said that Trump had acted based on recommendations from both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
"The FBI is one of our nation's most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement," the statement said.
A search for a new permanent FBI director will begin immediately.
