NBC News · James Comey urges Todd Blanche to ‘bone up’ on legal rules amid indictment: Full interview

1. 1. Despite facing a second indictment by the Trump administration, James Comey stated that being under scrutiny has not fundamentally changed his worldview or how he lives his life, beyond a desire to spend more time with his grandchildren.
2. 2. Comey explicitly criticized Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch for discussing the ongoing indictment against him, suggesting Blanch should 'bone up on the rules' regarding federal court conduct.
3. 3. James Comey clarified the origin of his controversial '8647' Instagram post, explaining it was a 'clever political message' inspired by his wife's memory of restaurant slang and his childhood use of '86' to mean 'get out of a place'.
4. 4. Comey asserted his right as a private citizen to post political content on social media, dismissing arguments that a former FBI director should refrain from such activity.
5. 5. James Comey expressed complete faith in the U.S. judicial system, calling it the 'guardian of the rule of law' and declaring his innocence in the face of the indictment.
6. 6. Comey maintained that his 2016 decision to reopen the Hillary Clinton email investigation, despite its political fallout, was the 'least bad option' and one he would make again.
7. 7. Comey views the prosecutions against himself and other former officials like John Brennan, Jim Clapper, and Adam Schiff as politically motivated retaliation by the Trump administration, which he considers illegal and harmful to the republic.
8. 8. Comey lacks confidence in the current top leadership of the Justice Department, particularly when they boast about forcing out career prosecutors, but maintains great confidence in the rank-and-file professionals, urging them to 'hang on' to help rebuild the institutions.