With great power comes great scandal: The FBI history

The agency's past is crucial to understand firing of James Comey and what may come of it

Drama at the FBI is nothing new. Given its 109-year history, the FBI has seen many scandals and numerous directors come and go.

Its directors, in fact, have always been the face and driving force of the FBI. Most have retired or moved on to other work, four were forced to offer resignations, but only two, including most recently James Comey, have been fired outright.

While FBI directors always served at the pleasure of presidents, they differed in their closeness to the chief executive. Most notably, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (1924-1972) worked to satisfy the political interests of some presidents