DALIO ON COMEY: 'Heroes typically get crucified or martyred in the end'
"I would not feel good about myself if I did not make clear that I have come to know and admire James Comey as a man of integrity and a hero," Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, said in a tweeted statement on Wednesday. "He is a man of high principles operating in a low principles environment."
"Heroes typically get crucified or martyred in the end," he continued. "Jim knew that when he took the job, but like good soldiers called to battle, felt the responsibility to serve."
Dalio's statement comes the morning after US President Donald Trump fired Comey.
In a letter sent to Comey, Trump said he accepted the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Comey's termination was effective immediately.
"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump wrote. "It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."
In his letter to Sessions, Rosenstein pointed to Comey's July 2016 public announcement of his recommendation regarding the investigation into the use of a private email server by Hillary Clinton, then the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while she served as secretary of state.
The deputy attorney general said Comey was "wrong to usurp the attorney general's authority" by going public with the FBI's recommendation to not bring charges forth against Clinton for her use of the server.
Read the full statement from Dalio on Comey via his Twitter:
"I would not feel good about myself if I did not make clear that I have come to know and admire James Comey as a man of integrity and a hero - i.e., he is a man who will sacrifice his own well-being for the greater purpose. He is a man of high principles operating in a low-principles environment. Heroes typically get crucified or martyred in the end. Jim knew that when he took the job, but like good soldiers called to battle, felt the responsibility to serve. He deserves our thanks rather than score."
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