James Comey: Ex-FBI Chief and Thorn in Trump's Side
When Donald Trump pushed James Comey out the door of the FBI last month, he likely hoped to be rid of a thorn in his side -- a man he viewed as a "showboat" or even, some reports said, a "nutjob."
But the shock ouster of the former FBI chief, it turns out, did not prevent Comey from lobbing yet another bombshell into the world of American politics -- as he has done over and over this past year.
In the weeks since he was dismissed, Comey all but vanished from public view, keeping the world waiting to hear his side of the story.
But he reappeared with a vengeance on Wednesday, issuing an explosive statement ahead of his hotly-awaited testimony to Congress on allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election.
In it, Comey disclosed that Trump raised the FBI's sensitive Russia investigation in a series of discussions, and specifically urged him to drop a probe into his former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Recounting their successive meetings in painstaking detail -- how the president asked him for "loyalty," how he himself offered only "honesty" -- Comey revealed his deep unease over what could amount to an attempt at judicial interference.
Comey's statement -- which will be further scrutinized Thursday by the Senate Intelligence Committee -- could mark a crucial new development in the sprawling probe into Russian election interference, in possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
And it is far from the first time the 56-year-old former FBI chief has played a pivotal role in American politics -- first in hampering Hillary Clinton's White House bid, and later as a bugbear of the sitting president.
- Straight shooter -
In the run-up to last year's election, Comey's damning assessment of Clinton's email practices as secretary of state -- and his decision to reopen the case days before the vote -- were blamed by Democrats for costing her the presidency.
When Trump decided to keep Comey -- who was appointed by Barack Obama -- in his job, it raised eyebrows from critics who saw it as a tacit reward for his role in damaging the chances of his rival.
But within months, Comey was back in the national spotlight -- and this time taking aim at Trump himself, in a marathon March hearing on the issue of Russia's alleged election meddling.
Watched on live television by millions around the world, Comey confirmed that his agency was investigating Moscow's alleged interference and its possible collusion with Trump's campaign.
He also flatly rejected Trump's explosive claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor Obama.
A few weeks later, on May 9, Comey was abruptly sacked by the president, sparking a political firestorm in Washington and plunging Trump's young presidency further in turmoil.
Trump later defended his decision, saying the FBI chief had become "a showboat" and "a grandstander."
According to The New York Times, when discussing Comey's ouster with Russian officials in the Oval Office, Trump told them: "He was crazy, a real nutjob."
- Independent -
Comey, the FBI's director from September 2013 until his ouster, has been circulating in political and legal circles at the highest level for three decades, which gave him the confidence to challenge the country's justice department, and even the White House.
A towering figure who stands 6'8" (two meters) tall, he is known as a highly-skilled political operator, and if there is one character trait he is famous for, it is tenacity.
Before his latest brushes with the political world, Comey locked horns relentlessly with Silicon Valley as he sought to convince Apple to unlock a smartphone used by the perpetrator of a terror attack in California. The FBI's own experts ended up breaking into the device.
The burning-hot Clinton investigation -- which saw Comey assailed on all sides -- did much to cement his reputation as a straight shooter, as well as thrust him into the public eye.
Many top U.S. government careers begin in New York, and Comey is no exception -- he hails from the Manhattan suburbs. He cut his teeth as a federal prosecutor in New York and the Washington area.
In 2003, the father-of-five became deputy attorney general.
The following year, he faced one of his toughest showdowns, confirming his reputation for being independent and unafraid.
Comey had become acting attorney general due to the illness of his boss John Ashcroft.
At Ashcroft's bedside, the presidential counsel to George W. Bush, Alberto Gonzales, was trying to persuade him to reauthorize a controversial warrantless eavesdropping program.
Comey -- who was against extending the program -- later revealed the incident to senators, unleashing a political firestorm.
Source: Agence France Presse
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