Former FBI Director James Comey says he hopes Attorney General William Barr's four-page letter summarizing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report establishes "to all people, no matter where they are on the spectrum, that the FBI is not corrupt, not a nest of vipers, of spies, but an honest group of people trying to find out what is true."
In an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt airing Wednesday night, Comey said despite President Trump spreading lies about the FBI in an attempt to discredit its efforts to get to the bottom of Russian interference in the 2016 election, "the institutions will be fine, because the American people know them and also know this president, know what he's like. I think the people of the United States are going to see what I know about the FBI: These are people who are not in anyone's tribe, they're trying to find the facts."
In his letter, Barr said Mueller found no actionable proof the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, but was unable to reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Trump fired Comey in early May 2017, while Comey was leading the investigation into Russian interference, and Mueller was appointed later that month. Trump originally said he fired Comey at the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but during a later interview with Holt, he declared it was his decision.
"I thought that's potentially obstruction of justice, and I hope somebody is going to look at that," Comey said, adding that Trump appeared to be saying "I got rid of this guy to shut down an investigation that threatened me." Watch the entire interview below. Catherine Garcia