Washington (CNN) Former FBI Director James Comey defended the FBI and ripped President Donald Trump's constant criticisms of the agency, detailing how worried they had made his family -- even convincing Comey's mother-in-law that he was going to jail. 

The interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on "Anderson Cooper 360" came the same days as the release of a highly anticipated report by the Justice Department's inspector general that established that the FBI properly opened its investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election but said there were major errors in how the agency conducted the probe. 

In the interview, Comey reiterated many of the points he made in an op-ed for The Washington Post earlier Monday, and said he regrets how much Trump was able to set the tone for the interview's release -- even convincing Comey's mother-in-law he was going to jail. 

"Every time we would visit she would express that worry," Comey said. " I would tell her, look, it's all made up.  There's zero chance of that.  But she believes what she sees on television and she's not unlike millions of others who are drinking this in for two years.  So where does the FBI go to get its reputation back?  We have to talk about this result." 

The report concluded that officials at the FBI had enough information to properly launch the investigation in 2016, and dispel the claim that US intelligence agencies tried to plant spies in the Trump campaign. 

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