James Comey, FBI Agents Should Resist Trump Administration

Former FBI Director James Comey urged FBI and Department of Justice agents to “sleep, love, [and] laugh” as a means of resisting what he called the “evil” within former President Donald Trump’s administration. Comey, who was fired by Trump in May 2017, issued a statement emphasizing the importance of maintaining integrity and joy in public service despite political pressures.

Comey called on federal law enforcement to uphold the rule of law and resist negative influences. He warned agents not to let the “darkness of bad people” deter them from their duties, encouraging them to remain resilient for the long-term good of the country. He characterized some individuals within the administration as “evil” and others as “followers too weak to stand up.”

Comey’s termination came after recommendations from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who cited significant damage to the FBI’s reputation. In 2019, the Justice Department’s inspector general reported that Comey had violated FBI policy by including “Secret” or “Confidential” information in four memos he wrote between January and April 2017 after conversations with Trump.

The former FBI director admitted to leaking some of these memos through his associate David Richman, instructing him to provide them to The New York Times. Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June 2017, stating that his intent was to prompt the appointment of a special counsel to investigate claims of Russian collusion in the 2016 election. The Justice Department ultimately declined to prosecute Comey for these actions.

Comey had previously urged FBI agents not to pursue charges against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over her private email server use while she was Secretary of State. The FBI found that Clinton’s actions increased the risk of classified information being compromised but concluded there was no deliberate misconduct.

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