Christian Smith
(NewsNation) – Former FBI Director James Comey told NewsNation on Wednesday that he expects former President Donald Trump to be convicted in the silence case brought by the Manhattan district attorney.
“There is an overwhelming chance of conviction, a significant but much smaller chance of a hung jury and no chance of acquittal,” Comey said on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.”
Comey said prosecutors had built a strong circumstantial case that should resonate with jurors despite the unusual nature of the charges involving bribery to a porn star before the 2016 election.
And despite previously suggesting Biden should pardon TrumpComey said he now believes the lawsuit is justified, given Trump’s actions around Jan. 6 and the Mar-a-Lago case.
Right-wing media claims FBI plot to kill Trump is ‘crazy’
Comey called the right-leaning theory that the FBI planned to assassinate Trump during last year’s search of his Mar-a-Lago residence “crazy.” He said references to armed officers authorized to use lethal force were standard operating procedures included in all such operational plans.
“If I tried to include it in the next book, the editor would cross it out and say, ‘Come on, who would believe that?’” said Comey, promoting his new crime novel “Westport.”
The allegation stems from a document filed by Trump’s legal team that referenced the FBI’s operational plan containing standard language about the use of deadly force being permitted when necessary. However, this standardized policy statement is included in all of these plans as a precautionary measure.
There is no credible evidence to suggest that armed agents intended to kill Trump while carrying out the court-authorized search of confidential records. Trump’s own lawyers have acknowledged that he was not present at Mar-a-Lago during the search.
Comey also addressed the gap in public perception of the FBI relative to local police, suggesting that relentless attacks on the agency by Trump and his allies are likely to blame.
“Part of that is because of the flamethrower that Donald Trump and his enablers have aimed at the FBI,” he said.
He said it has been disheartening for FBI agents to continually internalize these lies and have the integrity of the agency questioned, even as they have had it echoed to them by neighbors in their own communities.
Partisan attacks
While Comey acknowledged that his decisions during the 2016 election infuriated both Republicans and Democrats, he said he hopes to be remembered above all as “a great father, husband and grandfather.”
Comey acknowledged that he faces harsh criticism from both ends of the political spectrum, saying, “I don’t much care what the extremes of our bell curve think — they’re in such bubbles that each thinks I’m on the other’s side. ”
He was referring to being vilified by the left because of his decision to reopen Hillary Clinton email investigation just before the 2016 election, which some think handed the election to Trump.
Comey suggested that “there are a lot of people in the middle” who understand how the FBI works and “feel really good about it,” despite the partisan attacks. He emphasized the love of his family and feeling good about his decisions as the most important thing.
‘I’m going to vote for Joe Biden’
Expressing deep concern about Trump’s attempt to retake the White House, Comey urged voters to carefully examine the evidence of his misconduct rather than being “low-information voters,” advocating that they “watch videos from January 6th” and hear Former Trump cabinet warns he should never return to the Oval Office.
“This election is a moment for people to realize that our political disagreements… fall short of something we should all have in common – a commitment to the rule of law,” he said.
Stating that he considers himself independent, Comey declared: “I’m going to vote for Joe Biden because I know what’s at stake.”
‘Westport’ is the second book in a trilogy
Comey discussed his recently released crime novel “Westport”, which is the second book in a planned trilogy. He based the protagonist, Nora Carlton, on his own daughters — especially the eldest, who is currently a federal prosecutor.
Comey said he tries to draw on his real-life experiences as an FBI agent and federal prosecutor to authentically portray the inner workings of investigations in his fictional writings.
While the first book centered on a mob case, “Westport” finds Carlton working as general counsel for a hedge fund when one of her colleagues is murdered, making her the prime suspect.
Comey joked that the book is “twisted” and will give readers an “interesting” look at this murder case. He also revealed that the third book, which will be released next spring, will address domestic terrorism and the FBI’s efforts against “white identity extremism.”
About SCOTUS Refusals
Comey was unsure whether Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas should recuse themselves from cases related to the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, given their apparent support for Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
“It’s concerning,” he said of Alito’s display of flags associated with the riots. “I just think he should do some of what he did before, which explains ‘why is this there?’”
