Democrats used to love former FBI Director James Comey, until he released a letter during the 2016 election notifying members of Congress that the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was reopening because of newly found emails. Democrats were furious at Comey for his letter 11 days before the election, with some even calling for Comey to resign or be fired.
But Democrats have again changed their tune about Comey. After President Donald Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, Democrats and some in the media rushed to attack the decision. Some Democrats compared Comey's firing to Watergate, some called it a "constitutional crisis," and others alleged it was a "cover up."
Before Tuesday, Democrats were criticizing Comey for how he handled the investigation into Clinton's emails, but now they are using his firing as a reason to appoint a special prosecutor. Democrats argue that although they were dissatisfied with how Comey handled the Clinton investigation, it was wrong for Trump to fire the FBI director amid an investigation into the president's campaign team.
In March, Comey confirmed the FBI is investigating alleged ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Trump has denied that he is the subject of the investigation, asserting that Comey has told him so on three occasions. Trump's decision to fire Comey came as his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.