Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio has come out in support of his former employee, James Comey, hours after President Donald Trump fired him from his role as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In a LinkedIn post Wednesday morning, Dalio lauded Comey, who served for three years as Bridgewater’s general counsel, as a “man of high principles operating in a low-principles environment.”
Comey, who had led the FBI since September 2013, was abruptly fired Tuesday night while in the midst of an investigation into whether Trump advisers worked with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
“I would not feel good about myself if I did not make clear that I have come to know and admire James Comey as a man of integrity and a hero – i.e., he is a man who will sacrifice his own well being for the greater purpose,” wrote Dalio, who is chairman and chief investment officer of Westport, Connecticut-based Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge-fund firm.
In a memorandum from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the White House attributed the FBI director’s dismissal to Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. President Trump said in a May 9 statement from the White House that the firing marks “a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement.”
Comey had informed lawmakers of a cache of new emails days before the presidential election in November, potentially swaying voters against Clinton. The move, though controversial, was in line with the doctrine of radical transparency practiced at Bridgewater.
“Heroes typically get crucified or martyred in the end,” Dalio said in his LinkedIn post. “Jim knew that when he took the job, but like good soldiers called to battle, felt the responsibility to serve. He deserves our thanks rather than scorn.”
