In a wide-ranging dialog with George Stephanopoulos broadcast on ABC late Sunday, Comey took goal at Trump in no unsure phrases, evaluating his administration to a mafia household, likening his presidency to a forest hearth and asserting there was proof that he had dedicated a criminal offense.

He stated, curiously, that he wouldn’t favour impeaching Trump to take away him from workplace, as a result of that “would let the American individuals off the hook and have one thing occur not directly that I imagine they’re duty-bound to do instantly” – that means by means of elections. However he made clear his view of whether or not Trump was match to carry the place.

“This president doesn’t replicate the values of this nation,” Comey stated.

The interview airs simply days earlier than Comey is about to launch a brand new ebook and embark on a media tour to put it on the market. A lot of what Comey stated to Stephanopoulos mirrors what he wrote, though his televised, extemporaneous feedback are certain to draw the eye of the president, who’s an avid TV viewer.

On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted criticism of Comey, denying a few of Comey’s allegations and alleging that Comey revealed categorized data and lied to Congress.

“Slippery James Comey, a person who all the time finally ends up badly and out of whack (he isn’t good!), will go down because the WORST FBI Director in historical past, by far!” Trump wrote.

The Washington Publish was allowed to evaluate a whole transcript of the Comey interview, which lasted almost 5 hours.

As he did in his ebook, Comey detailed within the interview Trump’s fixation on unproven allegations that he watched prostitutes urinate on each other in a Moscow lodge in 2013, asserting that Trump at one level stated he was considering ordering Comey to research and disprove the incident as a result of he didn’t need “even a 1 per cent probability” that his spouse, first girl Melania Trump, would imagine it occurred.

Comey stated that struck him as odd. “I keep in mind pondering, ‘How may your spouse assume there’s a 1 per cent probability you had been with prostitutes peeing on one another in Moscow?’ ” he stated, including that his evaluation was it’s doable Trump is responsible of the accusation.

“I truthfully by no means thought these phrases would come out of my mouth, however I don’t know whether or not the present president of america was with prostitutes peeing on one another in Moscow in 2013,” Comey stated. “It’s doable, however I don’t know.”

Comey stated it was doable, too, that the Russians might need materials that may very well be used to blackmail Trump.

“Do you assume the Russians have one thing on Donald Trump?” Stephanopoulos requested.

“I feel it’s doable. I don’t know. These are extra phrases I by no means thought I’d utter a few president of america, however it’s doable,” Comey responded.

Comey described in nice element a number of conversations he had with Trump, telling Stephanopoulos of how the president requested for his loyalty and the way that interplay and others reminded him of his time as a prosecutor in New York pursuing mafia households, for whom loyalty to the boss and the organisation had been the one values that mattered.

“It’s the household, the household, the household, the household,” Comey stated.

Trump has denied asking for Comey’s loyalty.

Comey provided a blunt evaluation of a dialog with Trump on February 14, 2017, throughout which Comey maintains the president stated of an investigation the FBI was conducting into former nationwide safety adviser Michael Flynn, “I hope you’ll be able to let it go.” Trump disputes Comey’s account.

“With that course, was President Trump obstructing justice?” Stephanopoulos requested.

“Presumably,” Comey responded. “I imply, it’s definitely some proof of obstruction of justice. That one thing actually essential simply occurred and that I used to be somewhat – one other a kind of outta-body experiences, like, ‘Actually? The president simply kicked out the legal professional normal to ask me to drop a legal investigation.’ Wow, the world continues to go loopy.”

Comey even took goal at Trump’s private look, remarking how his “tie was too lengthy, because it all the time is” and that his face “regarded barely orange up shut with small white – half moons below his eyes, which I assume are from tanning goggles.”

The previous FBI boss acknowledged he had grave misgivings concerning the Trump presidency even earlier than it started.

In a gathering with president Barack Obama within the final days of his administration, Comey says he instructed the president: “I dread the following 4 years. However in some ways, I really feel nice strain to remain to try to shield the establishment I lead.”

Whereas Trump bore the brunt of his criticism, Comey additionally took goal at others – together with Deputy Lawyer Normal Rod Rosenstein, whom Trump has been considering eradicating from his submit.

Comey stated Rosenstein had “acted dishonourably” in authoring a memo lambasting Comey’s dealing with of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal e-mail server whereas she was secretary of state. Trump cited the memo in firing Comey, and Comey stated he got here to imagine Rosenstein was “a part of the household now. I can’t belief him.”

He later stated, although, that he didn’t imagine Rosenstein would hearth Particular Counsel Robert Mueller if ordered by Trump to take action, and that Rosenstein “has a chance in overseeing Bob Mueller to revive a few of his skilled repute.”

As he has prior to now, Comey provided a vigorous defence of his dealing with of the Clinton e-mail investigation.

Components of the interview are prone to revive the fury of Clinton supporters who assume he price her the presidency by reopening the e-mail investigation lower than two weeks earlier than the election.

When Stephanopoulos requested him if the choice was “influenced by your assumption that Hillary Clinton was going to win,” Comey replied: “It will need to have been. I don’t keep in mind consciously desirous about that, however it will need to have been. ‘Trigger I used to be working in a world the place Hillary Clinton was going to beat Donald Trump.”

He additionally stated he was sorry for a way he dealt with the primary announcement in July 2016 that he was closing the Clinton e-mail probe with out in search of any expenses. He says he agrees now with the criticism that his remarks muddied essential points.

“I’m sorry that I brought on every kind of confusion and ache with the best way I described her conduct that led individuals into every kind of facet roads,” Comey stated.

All through the interview, Comey pressured the significance of telling the reality, a theme in his ebook. He described being initially reluctant to prosecute Martha Stewart for mendacity to investigators, however then recalled a case when he was a federal prosecutor in Richmond and had charged a minister with the identical factor.

“And there as soon as was a day when individuals had been afraid of goin’ to hell in the event that they took an oath within the identify of God and violated it. We’ve drifted away from that day. And so as a replacement must be a worry that if you happen to lie and the federal government can show it past an affordable doubt, they may prosecute you so as to ship a message to all of the others who is perhaps known as upon to offer proof,” Comey stated. “We should prosecute individuals who lie in the course of an investigation.”

The feedback come a day after the Justice Division inspector normal launched a report accusing Andrew McCabe, Comey’s former deputy, of mendacity repeatedly as they investigated a media disclosure he had authorised. The inspector normal says McCabe even lied to Comey, although McCabe disputes Comey’s account.

After he was fired, Comey stated, Trump issued an order that he was to not be allowed again within the FBI constructing, even to retrieve his belongings. His firing got here as Comey was visiting the FBI workplace in Los Angeles, and for a quick second it wasn’t even clear if he could be allowed to journey on the federal government airplane again to Washington.

When he did get on the airplane, he determined to open a bottle of wine. “I drank purple wine from a paper cup and simply regarded out on the lights of the nation I like a lot as we flew dwelling,” he stated.