Late night host Jimmy Kimmel related President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey to O.J. Simpson relieving the judge presiding over his 1995 double-murder trial.
“He fired James Comey, the director of the FBI, which is kind of like O.J. firing Judge Ito halfway through the trial,” Mr. Kimmel said during the opening monologue Tuesday of his nightly ABC program, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“This is the kind of thing reality TV hosts do. They fire someone every week. Maybe that’s what happened. He thinks he’s still on ’The Celebrity Apprentice,’” Mr. Kimmel added. “It was between James Comey and Meatloaf, and well, the Loaf won again.”
The White House caused shock waves from Washington to Hollywood and beyond hours earlier after Mr. Trump unexpectedly fired Mr. Comey on recommendation from the Justice Department, purportedly over his handling of the federal probe involving Hillary Clinton, the president’s former Democratic rival, and her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
As highlighted by Mr. Kimmel, however, Mr. Comey’s firing instantly piqued suspicions given his role in investigating Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign amid allegations of collusion involving the president’s inner circle and the Russian government, the likes of which remains the focus of three separate probes in the House, Senate and FBI.
“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau,” Mr. Trump wrote in Tuesday’s termination letter.
Both Democrats and Republicans nonetheless raised concerns over the impact Mr. Comey’s removal may have on the FBI’s ongoing investigation, renewing calls for either a special prosecutor or an independent committee to take the reins.
Mr. Comey reportedly learned his fate while at an FBI office in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. His subsequent motorcade to the airport was filmed by camera-equipped helicopter and broadcast from coast to coast, invoking comparisons to the slow-speed highway police pursuit that preceded Simpson’s trial in 1995.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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