'I think the president lost patience': Paul Ryan defends Trump's decision to fire Comey
"You know, I think the truth is that James Comey ... had just basically lost the confidence of a lot of Republicans and a lot of Democrats based upon his conduct," Ryan said to Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Wednesday. "And most importantly, he lost the confidence of the President."
"It is entirely within the President's role and authority to relieve him and that's what he did," Ryan continued. "He did not want to see the FBI in disarray."
Trump's decision to dismiss Comey on Tuesday sent shockwaves throughout Washington, as both field agents and lawmakers were reportedly caught off-guard by the move. Trump stated in his dismissal letter to Comey that he believed Comey was "not able to effectively lead the bureau," due to his handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton's private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
The move drew skepticism from lawmakers in both parties, as they suspected the move was due in part to the FBI's "accelerating" investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia, during the election.
When asked whether or not a special prosecutor ought to be assigned to the Russia investigation, Ryan replied, "I don't think that's a good idea."
Referring to candidate considerations for the next director of the FBI, Ryan said "I think it's very important that the administration moves quickly with a capable replacement."