(CNN) Former FBI Director James Comey said that although Donald Trump is "morally unfit" to be president, it's not grounds to be removed from office through the impeachment process.

When asked in an exclusive interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos if he believes Trump should be impeached, Comey answered, "I hope not."

He went on to say, "Because I think impeaching and removing Donald Trump from office would let the American people off the hook and have something happen indirectly that I believe they're duty bound to do directly."

"People in this country need to stand up and go to the voting booth and vote their values," Comey said. "And so impeachment, in a way, would short circuit that."

Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for his first television interview since being fired by Trump last year to promote his upcoming book, "A Higher Loyalty."

Read More </s> Former FBI Director James Comey said that President Donald Trump is “morally unfit to be president” and “lies constantly about matters big and small” in a scathing new interview.

On a publicity tour for his forthcoming book, “A Higher Loyalty,” on Sunday night Comey was interviewed on ABC by George Stephanopoulos, the former FBI director’s first interview since being fired by Trump.

In the interview, Comey said Trump is “not fit to be president of the United States,” but does not support impeachment.

“I think impeaching and removing Donald Trump from office would let the American people off the hook and have something happen indirectly that I believe they're duty bound to do directly,” Comey said. “People in this country need to stand up and go to the voting booth and vote their values.”

The interview covered many previously-reported details, including demands for loyalty, a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office and the much-disputed memos Comey wrote after interactions with the president.

“A Higher Loyalty” will be released on Tuesday, and Comey’s media tour continues throughout the week with appearances on “Good Morning America,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The View” and other outlets.

Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> UPDATE (WKOW) -- Former FBI Director James Comey says he thinks Donald Trump is morally unfit to be president.

In an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday night, Comey says he doesn't think Trump is medically unfit, dismissing those who question his mental state.

Instead, Comey says he believes that Trump is morally unfit for what he calls treating women "like pieces of meat," lying constantly about matters big and small and insisting that people believe it, and seeing a moral equivalence of demonstrators and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Comey says that in his view a president must embody respect and adhere to the nation's core values, the most important being truth. He concludes that Trump "is not able to do that" and is "morally unfit to be president."



UPDATE (WKOW) -- Former FBI Director James Comey says he thinks there's "certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice" in the actions of President Donald Trump.

Comey answered "possibly" when asked in an ABC News interview whether the president was attempting to obstruct justice when he asked Comey to end an FBI investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Trump has denied that conversation, but Comey insisted that it definitely occurred.

He says there's "certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice," though he notes that he's just a witness in the case and not an investigator or prosecutor.

Comey is promoting a new book - and incurring Trump's wrath as he does. The president has called him a "liar and a leaker."

UPDATE (WKOW) -- Former FBI Director James Comey says he thinks it's possible that President Donald Trump might be compromised by the Russians.

In an interview with ABC News that aired Sunday night, the fired FBI chief says he could not discount the possibility that Russia might have something on the president.

He says he knows that's a "stunning" possibility and something that he never thought he'd say about a president of the United States.

Still, he says it strikes him as unlikely but something that he can't say without high confidence.

MADISON (WKOW) -- For the first time since his abrupt firing by President Donald Trump, James Comey sits down with George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive interview Sunday night.

The Associated Press also reports that the president is again calling the former FBI director a "slime ball" ahead of the publication of his new book.

The morning tweet comes ahead of Comey's interview with ABC to be broadcast in full on Sunday evening.

In an excerpt shown Saturday, Comey says his belief that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidential election was a factor in his decision to disclose the investigation into her emails.

In his tweet, Trump says: "Unbelievably, James Comey states that Polls, where Crooked Hillary was leading, were a factor in the handling (stupidly) of the Clinton Email probe. In other words, he was making decisions based on the fact that he thought she was going to win, and he wanted a job. Slime ball!"

On Friday, President Donald Trump said former FBI Director James Comey "is an 'untruthful slime ball who should be prosecuted for leaking classified information." The president also tweeted: "It was my great honor to fire him." </s> Washington, US: Fired former FBI chief James Comey lashed out at Donald Trump in an interview with ABC broadcast on Sunday, calling him “morally unfit” to be president and describing him as a serial liar who will “stain everyone around him.”

Comey’s remarks are the latest salvo in a war of words with Trump, who excoriated the former FBI director on Twitter earlier in the day, again calling him a “slimeball” and suggesting he should be jailed.

The wide-ranging interview with ABC News also came ahead of Tuesday’s release of Comey’s memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, in which he details his interactions with the Republican president.

“I think he’s morally unfit to be president,” Comey said, in his first televised interview since being fired in May last year.

The former federal prosecutor pointed to how Trump “talks about and treats women like they’re pieces of meat” and “lies constantly about matters big and small and insists the American people believe it.”

Comey also said that serving in Trump’s administration poses a serious ethical dilemma.

“The challenge of this president is that he will stain everyone around him,” he told ABC. “And the question is, how much stain is too much stain and how much stain eventually makes you unable to accomplish your goal of protecting the country and serving the country?”

In the book, Comey likens Trump to a dishonest, ego-driven mob boss and says he demanded the then FBI chief’s personal pledge of loyalty—a damning account that has infuriated the president at a moment of intensifying legal pressure on other fronts.

“I never asked Comey for Personal Loyalty. I hardly even knew this guy. Just another of his many lies. His ‘memos’ are self serving and FAKE!” Trump said in a tweetstorm fired off on Sunday before the interview.

The president said he “stupidly” handled a probe into Trump’s 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton and how she used a private email server during her time as secretary of state.

In another tweet, the president offered a mini-review of Comey’s memoir.

“The big questions in Comey’s badly reviewed book aren’t answered like, how come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail), why did the DNC refuse to give Server to the FBI (why didn’t they TAKE it), why the phony memos, McCabe’s $700,000 & more?”

The jumble of references appeared to allude to unsubstantiated accusations Trump has previously made claiming Comey lied in Senate testimony last May in denying he had served as an anonymous news source.

“Look, it’s been very clear that James Comey is a self-admitted leaker. He lied to Congress,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

In the interview, Comey said he was unsure whether or not the Russians have compromising material that could be used to blackmail Trump—either relating to his pre-election personal conduct, or his campaign’s actions. “I think it’s possible. I don’t know. These are more words I never thought I’d utter about a president of the United States, but it’s possible,” he said.

And Comey said the president may have obstructed justice when he asked him to drop an investigation into former national security advisor (NSA) Michael Flynn. “Possibly. I mean, it’s certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice,” Comey said. “It would depend upon other things that reflected on his intent.”

Trump and his aides have countered Comey’s media blitz by attacking his handling of the probe into Clinton’s emails.

Comey acknowledged in the ABC interview that his belief that Clinton would be elected president “was a factor” in his decision to reopen the email probe 11 days before the US election, a development that Clinton blames for her surprise defeat.

“I don’t remember spelling it out, but it had to have been, that she’s going to be elected president and if I hide this from the American people, she’ll be illegitimate the moment she’s elected, the moment this comes out,” Comey said.

“Unbelievably, James Comey states that Polls, where Crooked Hillary was leading, were a factor in the handling (stupidly) of the Clinton Email probe,” Trump said. “In other words, he was making decisions based on the fact that he thought she was going to win, and he wanted a job. Slimeball!” he wrote. </s> President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday evening, dismissing the former bureau chief in a letter addressing him directly.

"I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," the President wrote to Comey. "I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.

"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau," Trump added.

"It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission."

You can read Trump's letter to Comey below:

White House Statement on James Comey by Katie Reilly on Scribd

Comey's firing came not long after the FBI told the Senate Judiciary committee that Comey had misspoken during his testimony about Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin forwarding thousands of emails to her husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner. </s> There is breaking news from the New York Times tonight. According to two sources, Donald Trump attempted to push the DOJ to prosecute Hillary Clinton and James Comey.

Ari Melber led with this story on The Beat tonight. Here is his opening monologue before the guest panel joined:

"Breaking news on the most significant legal scandal to hit this White House since the report that Donald Trump tried to fire Bob Mueller. This is truly a bombshell. President Donald trump tried to order the Justice Department to prosecute not one but two of his biggest adversaries, Hillary Clinton and James Comey. The story is that in the spring, Donald Trump told his White House counsel, Don McGahn, that he wanted the DOJ officials to explicitly prosecute Hillary Clinton and James Comey. So that right there is a potentially illegal act. And that is quite important, given that obstruction is still under investigation in this White House. What happened next is also important. Don McGahn, according to this New York Times report, refused and then went on to try to show Donald Trump in detail why this was, potentially an impeachable bad idea. White House lawyers wrote this memo described in the Times saying if they went forward, the consequences would be damaging and, yes, would include, quote, possible impeachment. Now that right there is a big deal. It is usually Donald Trump's critics and adversaries who are talking about his potential impeachment. We don't use the "I" word because it is an extreme constitutional remedy. According to the New York Times it was his own lawyers, his chief counsel, Don McGahn, saying, "Mr. President, if you do this, you could be impeached." That's not all. The Times reporting that Donald Trump would go on to continue to privately agitate for these investigations of Hillary Clinton, obviously his chief rival in politics, and James Comey, his former FBI director. 

 This news I want to be clear is a scale way beyond anything else we have seen in legal controversies with Donald Trump. And that's saying something. ...This is a report tonight for the first time that the President of the United States actively and explicitly tried to prosecute Hillary Clinton, a political opponent, and James Comey, the key witness in the obstruction probe. That request, if it happened, that order, if it was given, is blatantly unconstitutional."

If true, this is an abuse of power and obstruction of justice that could open the doors to impeachment. Donald Trump told Don McGahn that he wanted to do this and McGahn "rebuffed" him, saying he could not order that prosecution. McGahn further said that "while he could request an investigation, that too could prompt accusations of abuse of power" and warned that "if he asked law enforcement to investigate his rivals, he could face a range of consequences, including possible impeachment."

McGahn has since left the White House. It is not clear if Trump tried to get Clinton or Comey charged through other means and he has been vocal about his desire to appoint a second special counsel to investigate both Clinton and Comey (for what crimes, no one knows).

Has Trump discussed this with his new lackey, Matt Whitaker? Did he push Jeff Sessions to pursue charges before Sessions was fired? And how much does Mueller know? </s> Former FBI director James Comey unleashes on Donald Trump in a televised interview, saying the US President is "morally unfit" for office and that he treats women like "pieces of meat".

Former FBI director James Comey has unleashed on Donald Trump in his latest television interview, describing the US President as someone who will "stain everyone around him".

Appearing on ABC News in America, Mr Comey said that was the challenge faced by the Trump administration.

"The question is, how much stain is too much stain and how much stain eventually makes you unable to accomplish your goal of protecting the country and serving the country?" he told anchor George Stephanopoulos.

He also said it was possible Russia was holding something over Mr Trump.

"I wish I wasn't saying it, but it's just — it's the truth."

Mr Comey's comments in the interview are almost certain to escalate his war of words with the president and further erode a relationship marked by open hostility and name-calling.

Hours before the interview aired, the president, who fired Mr Comey last year, unleashed a Twitter outburst that labeled Mr Comey "slippery," suggested he should be put in jail and branded him "the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!"

Mr Comey's televised remarks, coupled with the release of his forthcoming book, offer his version of events surrounding his firing and the investigations into Russian election meddling and Hillary Clinton's email practices.

Several of the episodes he describes in detail, including a private conversation about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, are central to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and his recollections could be valuable for prosecutors examining whether the president's actions constitute obstruction of justice.

'Not fit to be president'

Mr Comey answered "possibly" when asked if the president was attempting to obstruct justice when he cleared the Oval Office of other officials last February before encouraging him to close the investigation into Flynn, who by that point was suspected of lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts.

The retired general pleaded guilty last December and is now cooperating with Mueller's investigation.

Mr Comey also said he believed Mr Trump was "morally unfit" to be president and that he treated women like "pieces of meat".

"A person who sees moral equivalence in Charlottesville, who talks about and treats women like they're pieces of meat, who lies constantly about matters big and small and insists the American people believe it — that person's not fit to be president of the United States, on moral grounds," he said.

Mr Comey is currently promoting his new tell-all book, A Higher Loyalty, which is reportedly very critical of Mr Trump.

In the book, due to be released later this week, Mr Comey compares Mr Trump to a mafia don and calls his leadership of the country, "ego driven and about personal loyalty".

In an excerpt shown on Saturday, Mr Comey said his belief Mrs Clinton would beat Mr Trump in the 2016 presidential election was a factor in his decision to disclose the investigation into her emails.

Mr Trump seized on that, saying Mr Comey, "was making decisions based on the fact that he thought she was going to win, and he wanted a job. Slimeball!"

He also suggested Mr Comey should be imprisoned, saying: "How come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail)."

There is no indication Mr Comey is under investigation for doing either. </s> We were shocked to learn President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9, but now we may be learning why he did so. In a statement written by the POTUS himself, he explains why Comey had to be terminated. Was it a result of James’ investigation into Russia meddling with the election? Read Trump’s termination letter here.

FBI Director James Comey was fired on May 9, and in his termination letter, which was written by Donald Trump, the POTUS says:

“I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately. While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau. It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”

Donald Trump: See Pics Of The 45th President

The White House also released its own statement, announcing James’ firing. His termination comes on the same day James Comey came under fire for “misstating in a recent testimony that Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had forwarded thousands of emails to her then husband Anthony Weiner,” HollywoodLife.com‘s sister site Deadline reports. Hillary recently said James cost her the 2016 election.

It must also be noted that James was also heading the investigation into Russian possibly meddling during the election and helping Trump win. Donald Trump didn’t give that as a reason for James’ firing, but the timing seems suspicious.

HollywoodLifers, how do YOU feel about Donald Trump firing James Comey? Tell us below! </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he did not fire James Comey “because of the phony Russia investigation,” contradicting his 2017 statement that he ousted the FBI director last year over the probe.

Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017, as the law enforcement agency investigated alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Moscow and Trump’s campaign. The firing prompted the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to lead the inquiry and look at possible obstruction of justice.

Trump, who has denied collusion with Moscow, on Wednesday posted a tweet referring to “Slippery James Comey” and said he “was not fired because of the phony Russia investigation.” Trump did not elaborate.

American intelligence agencies have said Russia interfered in the 2016 election through a campaign of propaganda and hacking in a scheme to sow U.S. discord and help get Trump elected. Russia has denied interfering in the election.

Two days after dismissing Comey, Trump had explained why he did it in a televised interview with NBC News.

“In fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story,” he said. “It’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.”

The Republican president has escalated his attacks on Comey, calling him a liar and a “slimeball,” as the former FBI director embarks on a media tour to promote his book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership.”

Comey’s book chronicles his brief service under Trump, who he described as “morally unfit” to be president, while likening his leadership style to that of a mafia boss.

Comey, a longtime Republican who said he did not vote in 2016, told ABC News on Wednesday that he no longer considered himself a member of the party. He said Republicans have “lost their way” in adopting Trump and becoming “transactional” instead of maintaining conservative values.
Former FBI Director James Comey doesn’t believe Donald Trump should be impeached, despite saying that he’s “morally unfit” to be president.