James Comey says he's 'totally fine' with the public reading his Trump memos

James Comey is fine with his memos being leaked

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/CNN)

last updated 20 April 2018

It took less than an hour from the Justice Department handing Congress former FBI Director James Comey's contemporaneous memos on his interactions with President Trump to The Associated Press and other news organizations starting to release excerpts of the memos, and then the entire 15-page unclassified version. This quick sharing of the documents would not have surprised Comey, apparently.

Before Congress obtained the memos, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Comey on Thursday if he thought the Justice Department was right to turn them over. "I don't know, because I don't know what considerations the department has taken into account — it's fine by me," he said. (In a letter accompanying the memos, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said that after consulting "the relevant parties," the Justice Department had concluded that giving Congress the memos would not adversely affect any ongoing investigation.)

"I'm totally fine with transparency," Comey said. "I've tried to be transparent throughout this, and I think what folks will see, if they get to see the memos, is I've been consistent since the very beginning, right after my encounters with President Trump, and I'm consistent in the book and try to be transparent in the book as well."

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In the CNN interview, Comey also said he "definitely" doesn't hate Trump or even dislike him but "there are things he does that make me uncomfortable and I think are inappropriate," and acknowledged he may be called as a witness if federal prosecutors decide to charge his former deputy, Andrew McCabe, for allegedly lying about talking to The Wall Street Journal about a Clinton Foundation investigation. You can watch the entire interview below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.