It's only happened twice, and context is really, really important.
Comey, never mind his shortcomings, ego and hubris, has done a "capable" job of leading the FBI. He has demonstrated integrity throughout his career even when he lacks judgment. His mistakes are more of the "cross every t, dot every i, micromanage, overcorrect, and account for any/every possibility" sort than they are of the "Let me fuck that one over" variety. He was the guy who hired "Fitzmas" and he was also the guy who told Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales to go fuck themselves when they tried to get a drugged John "let the eagle soar" Ashcroft to sign off on authorizations when he had ceded his authority to his subordinate due to major surgery.
I'm sure you probably remember when Bill Clinton fired William (not Jeff-LOL) Sessions .... it does seem that anyone named Sessions in federal government is bound to be a fuck-up, doesn't it? Talk about dramatically different circumstances. What's funny, though, is how Trump thought he was copying Clinton when he pulled this stunt (he copies Clinton terribly--the curtains in the Oval Office are the "Bill Clinton curtains" down to the swags).
http://www.businessinsider.com/last-fbi-director-fired-bill-clinton-william-sessions-2017-5
In 1993, Bill Clinton became the first US president to dismiss the head of the bureau. He did so after the Department of Justice produced a 161-page internal report with sworn testimony from more than 100 FBI agents citing the numerous and severe ethical failures of its director, William Sessions.
Clinton called Sessions twice the day he fired him — once to inform him he was dismissed and again to remind him his termination was effective immediately. He then held a press conference to explain his decision. He also had Louis Freeh lined up as a replacement.
Clinton's moves are in dramatic contrast to President Donald Trump's Tuesday dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing an investigation involving the president's campaign.....The Justice Department's report about William Sessions, published in January 1993, recounted how the director frequently abused his power and misused FBI resources to fund travel and vacations for him and his wife, Alice.
Sessions "improperly billed the FBI nearly $10,000 for a fence around his home, and refused to turn over documents on his $375,000 home mortgage, which investigators said they suspected involved a 'sweetheart deal,'" The Washington Post reported at the time...
Sessions was a crook and his subordinates DESPISED him. Comey, OTOH, is beloved by agents in the field. They're going to make more trouble for Trump with Comey gone than they might have with him there. Either way, the orange shitbird has got trouble ahead.
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