J. Edgar Hoover and James Comey: Too Much Power by FBI Directors?

J. Edgar Hoover

Michael Goodwin, New York Post Columnist, just made an interesting claim on the Fox News show "America's Newsroom," to Shannon Bream. He said that no president will ever fire an FBI director for fear of what he might reveal about the president. 

He said that FDR and Truman both complained about J. Edgar Hoover. President Truman went as far to accuse him of treason, but never fired him. This is because, said Goodwin, the FBI director has at his disposal access to all the dirt on the President. So, as long as he keeps his job, nothing will be revealed. 

J. Edgar Hoover was the first director of the FBI. He was the 6th director of the Bureau of Investigation in 1924, and stayed on to head the FBI when it was formed by the Herbert Hoover administration at the beginning of the Cold War. Truman wanted it to be responsible for  foreign and domestic spying, just like the Russian KGB. 

He remained director until he died at the age of 77 in 1972 

James Comey

After he died, evidence started to come out that he abused his power to influence political figures. It was also determined that he had amassed large political files on political figures, including FDR and Truman. So this gave him lots of power over both FDR and Truman. It would explain why he was never fired, despite claims that sitting presidents did not like him. 

Even President Nixon said he never fired him due to fears that he would use information against him. J. Edgar Hoover historian Kenneth Ackerman denied these claims, but there seems to be enough evidence to support them. 

Goodwin said that James Comey is the most powerful FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover. Evidence of this was when Comey came out and bravely said, "You are stuck with me for another six years."  In a way, one might think he is being very brave, daring Trump to fire him. But, according to Goodwin, it's because Comey has access to leaks and intelligence information about Trump.

Chances are he had similar evidence against Obama and Hillary. In fact, the way he handled the Hillary Clinton email scandal may be evidence of the power he has. He came out with damning evidence showing that Hillary was guilty, but failed to charge her of anything. Then he came out again after wikileaks revealed John Podesta's emails, and then decided once again not to charge her.  He may have just been doing this to show how powerful he was, and to show Hillary and Trump that he cannot be messed with.

That would explain why Obama never fired him.

Interesting. Not surprising, though.