James Comey says Trump tells 'dumb lies' in an attempt to smear the FBI


Former FBI Director James Comey understands why "it's tempting for normal people to ignore our president when he starts ranting about treason and corruption at the FBI," but now is the time to pay attention and "call out his lies," he wrote in an op-ed published Tuesday night in The Washington Post.
Trump is a "liar who doesn't care what damage he does to vital institutions," Comey said. Trump has accused the FBI of being corrupt and committing treason, saying agents spied on his campaign, but "stubborn facts" prove otherwise.
Comey writes about Russian interference in the 2016 election, and how the Trump campaign knew about meddling but never notified the FBI, with the bureau finally learning about it from an ambassador. The investigation was conducted discreetly, because if "there was nothing to it, we didn't want to smear Americans," Comey said. "If there was something to it, we didn't want to let corrupt Americans know we were onto them. So, we kept it secret. That's how the FBI approaches all counterintelligence cases."
Subscribe to 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.
The FBI did not "spy" on anyone, and investigators were able to show they had probable cause to get a federal court order to conduct electronic surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser believed to be acting as an agent of the Russian government, Comey said. This was never revealed, "despite the fact that it was late October and a leak would have been very harmful to candidate Trump," he added. "Worst deep-state conspiracy ever." Comey predicted that once the investigations into the investigators are over, "you will find the work was done appropriately and focused only on discerning the truth of very serious allegations. There was no corruption. There was no treason. There was no attempted coup. Those are lies, and dumb lies at that."
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.
-
RFK Jr.: How to destroy vaccination
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaces all 17 members of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice
-
The god in the machine
Feature An AI model with superhuman intelligence could soon become reality. Should we be worried?
-
ICE: Targeting essential workers
Feature After a brief pause, the Trump administration resumes its mass deportation plan
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county