James Comey's Net Worth Ensures Fired FBI Director Won't Really Miss His Government Salary
James Comey might be newly unemployed, but he likely isn't broke.
The former FBI Director was fired by President Donald Trump Tuesday over his investigation into Hillary Clinton's private emails when she was secretary of state. "President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions," the White House said in a statement.
Back when Obama nominated Comey for the job in 2013, the former prosecutor reported his net worth in Senate documents during the confirmation process. His net worth came in at $11 million, a figure that likely rose almost immediately considering he was due a $3 million profit-sharing payout from his former employer, the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, should he be confirmed to the post, CNN reported at the time. He worked as the firm's general counsel from 2010 through early 2013 and earned some $6 million in compensation his final full year with the company, according to Open Secrets.
Comey likely took a serious pay cut during his time with the FBI. According to U.S. Office of Personnel Management documents, the FBI paid Comey a salary of $185,000 per year. That's still some $130,000 more than the median U.S. household income, but a pay cut nonetheless.
Comey apparently lost his job, in part, because of his leadership. "Over the past year... the FBI's reputation and credibility have suffered substantial damage, and it has affected the entire Department of Justice," wrote Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a memo recommending the director be fired.
Rosenstein also cited how Comey handled the investigation into Clinton's use of a personal email sever during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton was cleared once well before the general election and again two days before the vote.
"I cannot defend the directors handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken," Rosenstein wrote.
Uncommon Knowledge
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