Former FBI Director James Comey warned the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) would be in danger if former President Donald Trump is re-elected.
Comey discussed Trump's alleged "hush money" trial currently underway in Manhattan, and suggested the rule of law and judicial system in the United States had "passed its stress test" during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC.
Host Alex Wagner asked the former Obama administration FBI director if the organization and Justice Department faced other implications in the event of Trump's re-election, to which Comey agreed.
“Trump is coming for those institutions. He knows their power and I think he has regrets that he didn’t work hard enough to corrupt them last time. So he’s coming for them and that’s a danger for all Americans," Comey said. "He’s gonna put people in positions in those organizations. He didn’t have All-Stars last time; he’ll have the bottom of the barrel this time … people who will want to do his will and that should worry every American."
"This election matters because of a reason like that," Comey cautioned.
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The former FBI director continued his warning to voters: “People have to participate. You cannot sit on the sidelines. I don’t care how you feel about Joe Biden, you must vote for him because the consequences on the other side are too severe.”
Comey has been a figure behind several high-profile investigations regarding Trump, including then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's infamous email scandal and Trump's alleged collusion with Russia leading up to his victory in the 2016 presidential election.
According to Comey's investigation into Clinton, the then-presidential candidate had in fact tampered with her emails, though the FBI did not find "clear evidence" of Clinton's intent to "violate laws governing the handling of classified information."
"As a result, although the Department of Justice makes final decisions on matters like this, we are expressing to Justice our view that no charges are appropriate in this case," Comey stated at the time.
In January 2017, the then-FBI director testified to Congress he had confirmed Russian interference in the prior presidential election, though refused to comment on Trump's knowledge or culpability in the matter. In May that year, Comey was fired by Trump
"I have received the attached letters from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States recommending your dismissal as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have accepted their recommendation and you are hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately," Trump's memo to Comey read. "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau."
