Comey has zero regrets about how he acted during the 2016 election


Former FBI Director James Comey stands by the way he handled himself during the 2016 presidential election.
In a wide-ranging interview with NPR, Comey said that he was put in a "no-win situation," but that he believes he made the right decision when it came to publicly disclosing an FBI investigation into then-candidate Hillary Clinton.
Comey headed up the bureau when it opened an investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server. He made two unprecedented public announcements about the probe: In July 2016, Comey announced that the FBI recommended no criminal charges against Clinton; in October 2016, he disclosed that the FBI had discovered a new set of emails and would reopen the case.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Comey told NPR that he believed he should announce the discovery in order to protect the public's trust in the FBI, but his decision was widely criticized as it defied standard procedure for the FBI. Still, Comey said that he hasn't lost any sleep over his choice to "show transparency to the American people." His regrets include making "thoughtless" statements about the Holocaust in a speech that angered Poland, as well as sounding off on an Apple advertisement that "bugged" him, he said — but not his conduct as FBI chief.
"Once I make a decision — and I always tried to [do so] in a thoughtful way — I'm okay," Comey said. "I'm sleeping well."
The one time he truly felt uneasy? "I woke up in the middle of the night after Donald Trump tweeted at me about tapes," said Comey. Read the full interview at NPR.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery case
Speed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Speed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants