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Article snippet: Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nomination of Christopher Wray to succeed James Comey as director of the FBI. President Trump has admitted that he fired Comey because of his handling of the investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He has repeatedly disparaged the investigation on social media, calling it a witch hunt. The Senate is now faced with the decision whether to approve his nominee, who will be in charge of the FBI’s portion of the investigation. By any basic measure of justice, Trump should not be permitted to appoint the next leader of the FBI’s investigation. Regardless of the nominee’s personal merits, the appointment is inconsistent with the appearance of independence and integrity that is essential if the American public is to have faith in the outcome of the investigation. The FBI, however needs a Senate confirmed leader to manage its immensely important portfolio. The FBI is the country’s principal domestic security agency with jurisdiction over counterintelligence, as well as investigation of federal crimes, including espionage, civil rights violations, white collar misdeeds, bank robberies, and some murders. The Constitution gives the power to appoint to the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Senate, therefore, must consider the nominee fairly, but it must extract commitments from the nominee that will ensure he has no ability to curtail or impede the ... Link to the full article to read more