McCarthy: Comey ‘made the FBI political’

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday defended President Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

“I would argue that Comey made the FBI political,” he said at a Politico Playbook event in San Francisco. “That’s probably not the place to be.

“You serve at the pleasure [of the president]. For the good of the FBI and the country, it’s probably a good decision. So let’s move on,” he added.

{mosads}McCarthy said Comey made himself a “household name” before losing Trump’s confidence.

“If you lose trust, you gotta change. I know there’s never a perfect time for it. It sure comes down to trust and morale.”

But Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) on Wednesday blasted Trump’s decision during the same event.

“I think the firing shakes the faith that people have in one of the principles of democracy which is there’s an independence between law enforcement and prosecutors and our nation’s leaders,” he said.

Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, with the White House saying he acted on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, over Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe.

Trump’s decision stunned Washington, with many questioning the timing of the dismissal.

Comey announced in March that the FBI was probing Russia’s 2016 election intrusions, including possible ties between Moscow and Trump’s campaign.

Senate Republicans are now resisting renewed calls from Democrats for a special prosecutor to probe Russia’s meddling in the presidential race.

The GOP is already facing a difficult legislative agenda, and many of its members fear the controversy could distract from major issues such as healthcare reform.