Title: James Comey | Biography & Facts | Britannica
Headings: James Comey
James Comey
American attorney and law enforcement official
Top Questions
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Early life
Legal career and acting attorney general
FBI director: Hillary Clinton e-mail inquiry, Donald Trump, and firing
Memoir and later activities

Content: However, Comey did confirm that since July 2016 the FBI had been investigating whether members of Trump’s campaign had colluded with Russian officials to win the election. Some criticized the director for not having publicly revealed the probe during the election—as he had when the FBI reviewed additional Clinton e-mails. At a Senate hearing in May, Comey defended his handling of the Clinton inquiry and claimed that he felt “mildly nauseous” over the possibility that the FBI’s actions influenced the election. In addition, he touched on his agency’s investigation into Trump’s campaign advisers and alleged that Russian interference in U.S. elections would continue to be a major threat. Less than a week later, on May 9, Trump abruptly fired Comey, citing the recommendation of DOJ officials who faulted Comey’s conduct during the Clinton probe. Notably, the FBI director was accused of treating Clinton unfairly, with both the July press conference and the October letter to Congress being deemed inappropriate. Critics, however, alleged that Comey was dismissed because of the Russia inquiry, and Trump later conceded that the investigation had been one of his reasons for firing Comey. The DOJ’s inspector general oversaw a lengthy investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton case, and the final report was released in June 2018. While it was critical of Comey’s actions—notably, it called him “insubordinate” and concluded that his deviations from the FBI’s standard procedures damaged the agency’s reputation for fairness—it found no evidence that he had been politically motivated. In addition, the FBI was not faulted for its decision not to charge Clinton.