James Comey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Comey
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Official portrait, c. 2010–2013
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| 7th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office September 4, 2013 – May 9, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Sean M. Joyce Mark F. Giuliano Andrew McCabe |
| Preceded by | Robert Mueller |
| Succeeded by | Christopher A. Wray |
| 31st United States Deputy Attorney General | |
| In office December 9, 2003 – August 15, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Larry Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Paul McNulty |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office January 7, 2002 – December 15, 2003 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Mary Jo White |
| Succeeded by | David N. Kelley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Brien Comey Jr.
December 14, 1960 Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent (2016–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (before 2016) |
| Spouse |
Patrice Failor
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | College of William & Mary (BS) University of Chicago (JD) |
| Signature |  |
James Brien Comey Jr. (born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer. He was the seventh leader of the FBI from 2013 until he was fired in May 2017. For most of his adult life, Comey was a member of the Republican Party. However, in 2016, he said he was not officially linked to any political party.
During the time George W. Bush was president, Comey worked as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2002 to 2003. After that, he became the Deputy Attorney General from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, Comey left the U.S. Department of Justice to work as a senior leader and lawyer for a big company called Lockheed Martin. Later, in 2010, he became a lawyer for another company called Bridgewater Associates. In 2013, he left Bridgewater to teach about national security law at Columbia Law School. He also served on the board of directors for a bank called HSBC Holdings until July 2013.
In September 2013, President Barack Obama chose Comey to be the Director of the FBI. In this role, he was in charge of the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. His actions during the 2016 U.S. presidential election caused a lot of discussion. Some people believe his decisions just before the election might have made Hillary Clinton lose. This was especially true after he decided to reopen the email investigation less than two weeks before the election. In June 2018, a report from the government's Inspector General criticized Comey's actions during the 2016 election.
Donald Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017. Statements from Trump and the White House suggested that Comey was fired to make things easier for Trump, especially regarding the Mueller investigation. Later that month, Comey arranged for a friend to share notes he had written with the news. These notes described a meeting with President Trump where Trump asked him to end the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn. Some people saw Comey's firing, his notes, and his later testimony to Congress as possible evidence that Trump was trying to stop an investigation. The Justice Department decided not to charge Comey, even though the Inspector General found that he broke FBI rules about sharing his notes. In December 2019, another report found that Comey and other FBI officials did not show political bias against Trump.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Comey was born in Yonkers, New York. His family moved to Allendale, New Jersey, in the early 1970s. His father worked in real estate, and his mother was a computer consultant. Comey is of Irish background.
He went to Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. Comey graduated with honors from the College of William and Mary in 1982. He studied chemistry and religion. He then earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985.
Early Career
After law school, Comey worked as a law clerk for a judge in Manhattan. Then, he worked as a lawyer for a firm called Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. From 1987 to 1993, he worked for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. There, he helped prosecute cases, including those involving the Gambino crime family.
Working for the Government
Clinton Administration (1996–2001)
From 1996 to 2001, Comey worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Richmond, Virginia. In 1996, he also helped with a Senate committee investigating the Whitewater case. He was also the main prosecutor in the case about the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996. While in Richmond, Comey also taught law at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Bush Administration (2002–2005)
Comey was the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from January 2002 to December 2003. One of his first jobs was to investigate President Bill Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich. Comey found that nothing illegal happened in that case. In 2002, he led the prosecution of three men involved in a large identity fraud case. This fraud caused thousands of people to lose over $3 million.
He also led the case against John Rigas, the founder of Adelphia Communications, for bank fraud and other financial crimes. Rigas was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Adelphia had to file for bankruptcy because of $3.3 billion in false loans. This was called "one of the most elaborate and extensive corporate frauds in United States history."
In 2003, Comey was the main prosecutor in the case against Martha Stewart. She was charged with securities fraud and lying to the FBI. She sold shares of a company called ImClone, avoiding a loss of $45,673.
Deputy Attorney General (2003–2005)
As Deputy Attorney General, Comey made Patrick Fitzgerald the special counsel to investigate the Plame affair. This happened after Attorney General John Ashcroft stepped aside from the case.
NSA Surveillance Program
In 2006, The New York Times reported on an event where Comey and other Justice Department officials refused to approve parts of the National Security Agency (NSA) program that watched people without a court order. The Justice Department believed this program was against the U.S. Constitution.
In March 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft was in the hospital after surgery. White House officials Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card visited him to get him to sign papers to restart the surveillance program. Comey, who was acting as Attorney General, rushed to the hospital. He, along with FBI Director Robert Mueller and other officials, refused to approve the program. Ashcroft also refused to act while he was recovering. Comey later confirmed these events in his testimony to Congress in 2007.
Comey and Mueller had planned to resign if the White House forced the program through. However, they changed their minds after meeting with President George W. Bush, who agreed to make changes to the program.
Tough Questioning Methods
In 2005, when Comey was Deputy Attorney General, he approved a memo that allowed the use of 13 "tough questioning methods" by the CIA. These included waterboarding and keeping suspects awake for a long time. Comey disagreed with another memo that said these methods could be used together. He was one of the few people in the Bush administration who tried to stop or limit the use of these techniques.
During his 2013 confirmation hearing, Comey said that he personally believed waterboarding was torture. He also said that even though he thought the practice was legal at the time, he strongly disagreed with it. His objections were eventually overruled by the United States National Security Council.
Private Sector Work (2005–2013)
Comey left the Justice Department in August 2005. He became the main lawyer and senior vice president for Lockheed Martin, a large company that works with the U.S. Department of Defense. He worked there until 2010.
In 2010, he joined Bridgewater Associates, an investment company. Comey received a large payment from Bridgewater, and his total wealth was estimated at $14 million.
In 2013, he started teaching at Columbia University Law School. He also joined the board of directors of the bank HSBC Holdings. He helped the company improve its rules after it had to pay $1.9 billion for not following rules against money laundering and terrorism financing.
Testimony to Congress
In May 2007, Comey testified to Congress about the firing of U.S. attorneys. His testimony disagreed with what former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had said. Comey stressed that the Justice Department needed to be seen as fair and not political to work properly.
Supreme Court Discussions
In 2009, there were talks that Comey might be considered for a spot on the Supreme Court of the United States. However, some liberal groups were concerned about this idea.
In 2013, Comey signed a legal brief supporting same-sex marriage in a Supreme Court case.
Director of the FBI (2013–2017)
In June 2013, President Barack Obama officially nominated Comey to be the next FBI Director. He would replace Robert Mueller.
On July 29, 2013, the Senate approved Comey to a full ten-year term as FBI director. He was sworn in on September 4, 2013. President Donald Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017.
Police and African Americans
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In February 2015, Comey gave a speech about the relationship between police and the African-American community. He said that in the past, law enforcement was often unfair to certain groups, including his own Irish ancestors. He added that the experience of black Americans in the U.S. was much harder. He also talked about problems like a lack of jobs and education that can lead young black men to crime.
In October 2015, Comey expressed concerns that police wearing body cameras might make policing less effective. This idea was different from what President Obama publicly thought.
Comments on Poland and the Holocaust
In April 2015, Comey spoke at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He argued for more education about the Holocaust. After his speech was printed, some people criticized him for saying that Poles were as responsible for the Holocaust as Germans. Polish officials also criticized his comments.
Comey later apologized, saying, "I regret linking Germany and Poland... The Polish state bears no responsibility for the horrors imposed by the Nazis. I wish I had not used any other country names because my point was a universal one about human nature."
OPM Data Hack
In June 2015, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that its computer systems had been hacked. The hack targeted the records of millions of people. Comey later said the number was 18 million. News reports suggested the attack came from China. Comey called it "a treasure trove of information about everybody who has worked for... the United States government."
Hillary Clinton Email Investigation
On July 10, 2015, the FBI started a criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State. On July 2, FBI agents finished their investigation. Comey and his team decided there was no reason to bring criminal charges.
On July 5, 2016, Comey publicly announced that the FBI recommended no criminal charges. He called Clinton's actions "extremely careless" but said "no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case." This was unusual because the FBI usually doesn't announce its recommendations publicly.
On October 26, 2016, just two weeks before the presidential election, Comey learned that new emails related to Hillary Clinton were found on a computer during another investigation. He decided he had to tell Congress that the investigation was being reopened. Justice Department lawyers warned him this was against policy, but he felt it was important to be open with Congress and the public. On October 28, Comey sent a letter to Congress about the new emails. This information quickly became public.
Many people criticized Comey's decision to announce the reopened investigation. Some believed it hurt Clinton's chances of winning the election. On November 6, Comey sent a second letter to Congress, saying that the new emails did not change their original conclusion.
Comey was widely criticized by both Republicans and Democrats. Hillary Clinton said that Comey's letter and Russian WikiLeaks "raised doubts" and made people scared to vote for her. Comey later said it "makes me mildly nauseous to think that we might have had some impact on the election," but he would not change his decision to release the information.
Investigations into Comey's Actions
In January 2017, the Justice Department's Inspector General announced an investigation into whether the FBI followed proper rules in its Clinton email investigation.
In September 2017, two Republican senators said that Comey planned to clear Hillary Clinton long before the investigation was finished. The FBI confirmed this and released a memo from Comey dated May 2. Comey had interviewed Clinton on July 2. Former FBI official Ron Hosko said, "You tend to reach final conclusions as the investigation is logically ended. Not months before."
Comey's first draft of the statement about Clinton said she had committed "gross negligence," which is a crime. However, this was later changed to "extreme carelessness."
In June 2018, Inspector General Michael Horowitz released his report. He criticized Comey's handling of the Clinton email probe, calling it "insubordinate." He said Comey made "a serious error in judgment" and went against established procedures. However, the report found no evidence that Comey or other FBI officials showed political bias against Trump.
Russian Election Interference Investigation
In late 2016, the FBI started investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. Comey asked President Obama for permission to write an article warning the public about Russian interference, but the president said no.
In January 2017, Comey met with President-elect Trump. On January 27, 2017, Trump and Comey had dinner alone. According to Trump, Comey asked to keep his job and said Trump was not under investigation. Comey's associates said Trump asked Comey to promise his loyalty, which Comey did by promising "honest loyalty."
On February 14, after Trump fired Michael T. Flynn, Comey met with the president. Trump asked others to leave and then told Comey, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go." Comey immediately wrote notes about this meeting and shared them with FBI officials. He later said he took Trump's comment as "an order" to drop the Flynn investigation.
On March 20, Comey confirmed to Congress that the FBI was investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. He also said he had no information to support Trump's claim that President Obama had wiretapped his phones.
In early May 2017, a few days before he was fired, Comey reportedly asked the Justice Department for more money and staff for the Russia investigation.
Comey was scheduled to testify to Congress on May 11. After he was fired on May 9, the acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, appeared instead. Comey later testified on June 8. He said he believed he was fired because of the Russia investigation. He also said he took notes of his conversations with Trump because he was "concerned that he might lie." He had not done this with previous presidents.
In June 2018, the Inspector General said the FBI had referred Comey for releasing his notes about Trump meetings to a friend. Some parts of these notes were later classified as "confidential." In July 2019, the Justice Department decided not to prosecute Comey.
In August 2019, another report found that Comey broke agency rules by keeping his memos about meetings with Trump and leaking one to the press. However, it found "no evidence that Comey or his attorneys released any of the classified information."
In July 2022, The New York Times reported that Comey and Andrew McCabe were chosen for a very detailed IRS audit after they were fired. The chances of this happening by chance were very small.
Government Surveillance
In 2013, Comey said that government oversight had enough privacy protections. In 2014, it was reported that Comey kept a copy of the FBI's request to wiretap Martin Luther King Jr. on his desk. This was "as a reminder of the bureau's capacity to do wrong."
In 2016, Comey and the FBI were criticized for asking Apple Inc. to create a "back door" for U.S. spy agencies to use. Comey said, "There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America; there is no place outside of judicial reach."
Dismissal
President Trump officially fired Comey on May 9, 2017. Comey learned about his firing from TV news reports while giving a speech. He was surprised and had to cancel his plans and return to Washington, D.C.
On May 10, Comey sent a letter to FBI staff. He said, "I have long believed that a president can fire an FBI director for any reason, or for no reason at all." He added, "It is done, and I will be fine." Andrew McCabe became the Acting Director.
Reasons for Dismissal
The White House first said Comey was fired based on recommendations from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein had sent a memo listing problems with Comey's actions in the Hillary Clinton email investigation. It was later revealed that Trump had asked for this memo.
On May 10, Trump told reporters he fired Comey because Comey "wasn't doing a good job." White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that FBI agents had lost faith in Comey.
However, by May 11, Trump said in an interview that firing Comey was "my decision" and he "was going to fire [Comey] regardless of recommendation." Trump also said, "when I decided to just do it [fire Comey], I said to myself... 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.'" He called Comey "a showboat."
On May 19, The New York Times published parts of a White House document. It summarized Trump's meeting with Russian officials the day after the firing. Trump told them he "just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job." He added, "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off."
Reports said Trump had been talking about firing Comey for at least a week. He was angry that Comey revealed the FBI's investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election. Trump felt Comey was focusing too much on Russia and not enough on government leaks. Trump also questioned Comey's loyalty and was angry that Comey would not support his claim that President Barack Obama had wiretapped his campaign offices.
Aftermath of Dismissal
Comey's firing caused immediate controversy. Many people compared it to the Saturday Night Massacre, when President Richard Nixon fired a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal. Critics accused Trump of trying to stop an investigation.
In the firing letter, Trump said Comey had told him "on three separate occasions that I am not under investigation." Comey later confirmed this in his testimony to Congress.
Comey said he was willing to testify about his firing in a public hearing. He refused to testify in a private session.
On May 11, Acting Director McCabe testified that "Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does." This disagreed with the White House claim that FBI agents supported the firing.
On May 16, The New York Times reported about a memo Comey wrote after a February 14 meeting with Trump. It said Trump asked him to drop the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn. Comey later explained that he arranged for this memo to be shared with the press. He hoped it would lead to the appointment of a special counsel.
On June 8, 2017, Comey testified publicly to Congress. He said he was confused by the changing reasons for his firing but took "the president at his word that I was fired because of the Russia investigation." He said he took notes of his conversations with Trump because he was "concerned that he might lie."
Writings
In August 2017, it was announced that Comey would publish his first book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership. In the book, he talks about ethics, leadership, and his time in government. The book's release date was moved up to April 17, 2018.
Before his book was released, it became a top seller online. This was partly because of Donald Trump's messages on social media criticizing Comey. Comey replied, "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon." The book was well-received.
Comey has also written the introduction for a book about Franklin D. Roosevelt. He has also written a second book called Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust.
In 2017, Comey confirmed that he was using a secret social media account. In 2023, Comey published his first novel, a legal thriller called Central Park West. He said he wants to write more novels. In 2024, he published his second novel, Westport.
Life After Government
In the summer of 2017, Comey gave a speech and lectures at Howard University, a historically black university. In 2018, Comey returned to his old college, the College of William & Mary, to teach a course on ethical leadership.
In February 2019, Comey wrote an article suggesting that Virginia should remove Confederate statues in Richmond. He said it would show that Virginia "really has changed."
In May 2019, Comey wrote an article in The New York Times. He said that people who lack inner strength cannot resist the compromises needed to survive working for Mr. Trump. He wrote, "He has eaten your soul."
In 2020, a TV mini-series called The Comey Rule showed Comey's time as FBI director. He was played by actor Jeff Daniels.
Political Party
Comey was a registered Republican for most of his life. He donated money to Republican presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. In July 2016, he said he was no longer registered with any party. In 2018, Comey said the Republican Party "left me and many others."
In July 2018, Comey encouraged people to vote for Democratic candidates in the 2018 elections. He wrote that the Republican Congress was "incapable of fulfilling the Founders' design." He said, "All who believe in this country's values must vote for Democrats this fall." He donated to a Democratic candidate and helped her campaign. He also donated to a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 and later supported Joe Biden.
Personal Life
Comey is of Irish background. He was raised Roman Catholic but now belongs to the United Methodist Church, where he has taught Sunday school. He is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) tall.
Comey met his wife, Patrice Failor, in college. They married in 1987 and have five children. They also had a son who died as a baby. He has said that he learned to make good things happen after a tragedy. They have also been foster parents. As of 2023, Comey and his wife live in McLean, Virginia.
Their oldest daughter, Maurene, is a lawyer who works for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York.
In a book, it was revealed that Comey was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006. He had a tumor removed from his colon that year.
See Also
- Inspector General report on FBI and DOJ actions in the 2016 election
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