James Comey interview: Trump 'morally unfit' to be president as a man who treats women 'like pieces of meat,' says former FBI chief
President Trump denies collusion with Russia and denies allegations of obstructing justice
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former FBI director James Comey has said President Donald Trump, is "morally unfit" for office as part of a publicity tour for his highly-anticipated new book A Higher Loyalty.
Mr Trump fired Mr Comey in May 2017, as Mr Comey was leading an investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election of 2016, which has now expanded to include investigations into possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia. Mr Trump has repeatedly hit out at Mr Comey, in a series of tweets since experts of the book started to appear on Thursday, the president has called him a "slimeball" and a "liar".
In his first interview since being fired, Mr Comey painted a scything picture of the president.
“Our president must embody respect, and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country. The most important being truth. This president is not able to do that. He is morally unfit to be president,” he said.
See the liveblog below to follow the interview as it happened, please give a few seconds for it to load.
The wide-ranging television interview with ABC lasted for five hours, with a condensed one hour version being broadcast on Sunday night. Questions centred around the new book, which challenges the president’s character in labelling him a mafia don and raises doubts about his commitment to serving America. In the transcript of the interview Mr Comey said Mr Trump will “stain” everyone around him.
Mr Comey is clearly trying to set up a dichotomy between himself and the president, but there were few absolutely new revelations in the interview. Still that does not diminish the powerful spectacle of the former FBI director - who was involved in a number of major events in Mr Trump’s run for, and then first year in, the White House - denigrating the sitting president.
Having started as the one in charge of the FBI investigation into Russian election meddling, which included investigating any possible collusion between Trump campaign personnel and Moscow, Mr Comey had plenty to say on that subject.
Mr Comey said he thinks it is “possible” that President Donald Trump might be compromised by the Russians. He said it struck him as unlikely but he could not say it with “high confidence” like he could with other presidents he has worked.
“It is stunning, and I wish I wasn’t saying it, but it’s the truth,” Mr Comey said.
He also described the “weird” Trump Tower meeting in which after the election he briefed the president-elect on the contents of an unverified intelligence document compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, including allegations that Mr Trump had been in a Moscow hotel room in 2013 with urinating Russian prostitutes.
“I did not go into the business about people peeing on each other” in his briefing with Trump, Comey said. “I just wanted to get it done and get out of there.”
Mr Trump has denied all allegations around the dossier.
As Mr Comey also described the two famous episodes of being alone with Mr Trump, one a dinner where Mr Comey said that Trump “I expect loyalty, I need loyalty.” and the other in the Oval Office when Mr Trump asked him “I hope you can let it go”, which Mr Comey took as a “direction” to drop an FBI investigation into Mr Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Mr Trump and the White House have denied wither conversation taking place, while Mr Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Asked whether he believed Mr Trump had committed obstruction of justice, Mr Comey said “it’s possible” and there was “ certainly some evidence” that it may have happened. Mr Trump has denied collusion with Russia and allegations of obstruction of justice.
Mr Comey has come under attack from Mr Trump in recent days in a number of tweets that have labelled him “slippery” and a “slimeball”. It is something he has in common with the man that took over the FBI Russia investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, with Mr Trump having labelled that investigation a “witch hunt”.
The former FBI director said that if Mr Trump were to fire Mr Mueller, both Democrats and Republicans would have to recognise as Mr Trump’s “most serious attack yet on the rule of law.”
While there were a couple of lighter moments, including Mr Comey saying that when meeting Mr Trump for the first time he realised he had “impressively coifed hair” that “looks to be all his”.
“I stared at it pretty closely”, Mr Comey said, “and my reaction was, 'It must take a heck of a lot of time in the morning, but it's impressively coifed.’”
Mr Comey said that his role in the 2016 election, in re-opening and than closing an FBI investigation into the emails of Mr Trump’s rival candidate Hillary Clinton close to polling day “sucked”. Ms Clinton and some Democrats blame him for her loss, but Mr Comey said it was a “no-win” situation and that he was a “flawed human” trying to make decisions based on “higher values”.
Agencies contributed to this report
While he haven't got there yet, a transcript of the interview says that Comey has called President Trump “morally unfit to be President.”
The former FBI director's remarks came during a wide-ranging interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Sunday evening. The media appearance kicks off a publicity tour to promote the release of Comey's new book A Higher Loyalty which paints a scathing portrait of the president.
“Our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country,” Mr Comey told Stephanopoulos,, adding, “the most important being truth. This President is not able to do that. He is morally unfit to be President.”
We are onto the infamous dinner with Mr Trump, where he and the president were alone.
Mr Trump apparently asked him if he wanted to stay on.
He says the dinner involved a number of assertions - saying he "lied" about the size of his inauguration crowd.
He then, when questioned, calls Mr Trump a "liar"
Asked if he was thinking, “President Trump's a liar?,” Mr Comey says yes.
Mr Comey then brings up what he says was Mr Trump, asking twice, "I need loyalty".
The first time he did not answer, the second time he said he compromised on saying he would being "honest loyalty".
He says he didn't have the "guts" to say anything else.
Mr Trump has denied asking for loyalty.
Going over some earlier elements during the break, Mr Comey said the Hillary Clinton email investigation “was a no-win situation” from the start.
“One half of the partisan divide is gonna be angry at us no matter what we do,” he said.
I have to say you can tell they have had to be some hefty edits to the interview to make it fit the time, they are jumping from topic to topic.
We are now onto former national security adviser's Michael Flynn's brief tenure in the White House.
Mr Comey says he was back in the White House on 14th February, the day after Mr Flynn's resignation, and alone with the president again.
He calls it "usual" that Vice President Mike Pence, and AG Jeff Sessions were aksed to leave the room.
He says that Mr Trump asked him "I hope you can let it go", which Mr Comey took as a "direction" to drop an FBI investigation into Mr Flynn.
Mr Trump has denied saying that.
He says that there is "some evidence" of Mr Trump obstructing justice.
Mr Trump denies collusion and obstructing justice.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments