James Comey takes aim at President Trump in ABC News interview
(CNN)Former FBI Director James Comey warned that if President Donald Trump
ever tries to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, then it (subject) would
be the President's "most serious attack yet on the rule of law," and
said that "it's possible" the Russians could have information on
Trump that could be used to compromise him.
Comey also said Trump is "morally unfit to be president" and
claimed there is "certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice"
by Trump.
The comments came during a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with ABC News
chief anchor George Stephanopoulos. The media appearance is the first time
Comey has sat for a televised interview since Trump fired him(object) last
year. It(subject) also kicks off a promotional tour that the
former FBI director is embarking on to promote the release of his new book,
"A Higher Loyalty."
During the interview, Stephanopoulos asked Comey what it would
"mean if President Trump tries to fire Robert Mueller." Comey
responded, "It ( subject) would, I(subject) hope,
set off alarm bells that this is his most serious attack yet
on the rule of law. It(subject) would be something that ... is
higher than all the normal fights about policy. It(subject) would
be to the everlasting shame of partisans if they were unable to see that higher
level and to protect it (object)."
Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and any
potential ties between Trump campaign associates and Russia. Trump has
repeatedly called the investigation a witch hunt and denied any collusion.
Stephanopoulos also asked Comey if he(subject) thinks the
President has been compromised by the Russians."I(subject) think
it's possible, I(subject) don't know," Comey said. "I(subject) wish I(subject) wasn't
saying it, but it's the truth. It always struck me, and still
strikes me, as unlikely, and I(subject) would have been able
to say with high confidence about any other president I(subject)dealt
with, but I(subject) can't, it's possible."
Comey expanded on that statement in an interview USA Today published
early Monday morning.
"There's a non-zero possibility
that the Russians have some, some sway over him(object) that
is rooted in his personal experience, and I(subject)don't
know whether that's the business about the activity in a Moscow hotel room or
finances or something else," Comey said.
In the ABC News interview, Comey offered a scathing judgment about whether
Trump is qualified to serve as president, saying that he(subject)believes
Trump is "morally unfit" to serve in the nation's highest office.
The former FBI director went on to say that a person "who talks about
and treats women like they're(subject) pieces of meat,
who lies, constantly, about matters big and small, and insists that the
American people believe it -- that person is not fit to be president of the
United States on moral grounds."
But Comey said he(subject)does not want to see Trump impeached.
When Stephanopoulos asked the former FBI director if Trump should be impeached,
Comey said, "I(subject)hope not, because I(subject)think
impeaching and removing Donald Trump from office would let the American people
off the hook -- people in this country need to stand up, go to the voting
booth, and vote their(possesive adjective) values.
Impeachment, in a way, would short-circuit that."
'Some evidence of obstruction' During the interview, Comey repeated his
assertion that Trump told him(Object)that he(subject)expected
loyalty and pressured him(Object) to drop an investigation
into Michael Flynn. The former national security adviser has since pleaded
guilty to lying to the FBI and is now cooperating with the special counsel.
When Stephanopoulos asked Comey, "was President Trump obstructing
justice?" Comey responded, "Possibly. It's certainly some evidence of
obstruction of justice.
Trump has denied asking Comey to stop investigating Flynn and
insisted he(subject)never asked for loyalty.
When Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee last
year, he(subject)said that he(subject)did not know if
Trump obstructed justice, adding, "that's Bob Mueller's job to sort that
out."
In his book, Comey deferred to the Mueller investigation
on the question of obstruction.
"I(subject)presume that Bob Mueller's team is investigating ... whether or not
urging me(object) to back the FBI off our(Possesive
adjective) investigation of his(possesive adjective) national
security adviser and in firing me(object), President Trump was
attempting to obstruct justice, which is a federal crime," Comey writes.
"It's certainly possible."
In a statement on Sunday, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna
McDaniel said that Comey has "no credibility," and that his "publicity
tour reaffirms that his true higher loyalty is to himself(Reflexive)."
The press tour begins
"A Higher Loyalty" won't be formally
released until Tuesday, but explosive details have already spilled out into
the media. Major media outlets, including CNN, obtained copies of the book last
week and quickly published reports on its scathing and unsparingly critical
depictions of the President. According to those reports, Comey writes that Trump is "unethical and untethered to the truth"
and compares his presidency to a "forest fire."
The President and his allies have launched a forceful counterattack. On
Sunday morning, Trump unleashed a series of tweets accusing Comey of revealing
classified information, suggesting he should go to jail, and saying that he(subject)"will
go down as the WORST FBI Director in history." On Friday, White House
press secretary Sarah Sanders said that Comey "will be forever known as a
disgraced partisan hack."
Comey has indeed faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats
alike -- and the release of his(possesive adjective) book
gives him(object) a high-profile platform to defend himself(Reflexive).
Democrats have faulted Comey for his (possesive adjective) handling
of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as
secretary of state. Comey announced in July 2016
that he would not recommend charges against Clinton, but stated publicly that
Clinton and her(Possesive adjective)aides had been "extremely
careless" in handling classified information. Clinton herself (Reflexive) has pointed to Comey's
actions in explaining her(object) presidential election loss.
But Comey writes in his(possesive adjective) book that after
the 2016 election, then-President Obama told Comey that he remained confident in his
"integrity" and "ability."
The publicity tour -- and the book -- will be the first time the American
public has heard extensively from Comey since his explosive testimony before the Senate Intelligence
Committee in June of last year. In a written statement to the committee, Comey claimed
that Trump had asked him(object) for "loyalty."
Comey also reveale during the hearing that he documented his interactions
with Trump because he(subject) was "concerned" that
the President "might lie about the nature of our meeting."
Trump has denied having asked Comey for his loyalty.
In his press tour, Comey is sure to be asked to weigh in
on Trump and the various twists and turns in special counsel Robert Mueller's
investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election as well as any
potential links between Russia and Trump campaign associates.
When Trump fired Comey in May 2017, the administration cited a memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein criticizing Comey's handling of the inquiry into Clinton's email
server. But Trump later said he(subject) was thinking about
"this Russia thing" around the time he(subject) decided
to fire Comey.In his testimony to the Senate Intelligence
Committee last year, Comey said he(subject) believes the President asked him(object) to
"drop any investigation of Flynn," a reference to former national
security adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his(Possessive
Adjective) contacts with Russia's ambassador and is now cooperating with the
Mueller investigation. Trump has called the special counsel probe a "witch
hunt" and repeatedly insisted there was no collusion between his(Possessive
Adjective) campaign and Russia.
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