Comey says Mueller's findings show Trump lied about the FBI
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.
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.
"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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
