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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — President Trump’s abrupt firing of James B. Comey as F.B.I. director stunned Washington and prompted bipartisan concerns that Mr. Trump was interfering with the independence of the agency. Nonetheless, the episode was only one of several moments that, in a more conventional administration and during less tumultuous times, would be seen as political intrusions in matters of law enforcement. Here’s a look at other such instances during the first four months of the Trump administration: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House deputy press secretary, said on Wednesday that “I don’t think there’s a necessary need” for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor. Justice Department decisions are supposed to be entirely independent from the White House. Comments like these raise the specter that the White House is trying to influence the department’s decisions. This would be true in any case but is especially so in an investigation with direct implications for the White House. Ms. Sanders said there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign — the very thing that the F.B.I. is investigating. She said she hoped the F.B.I. investigation would end. “Let’s put it behind us, let’s move on and let’s focus on what we need to do to turn our country around,” she said. The White House, in administrations from both parties, has normally sidestepped questions about F.B.I. investigations, particularly those that are politically charged... Link to the full article to read more