By Veronica Rocha and Brian Ries, CNN
Former FBI Director James Comey told CNN's Anderson Cooper "it's possible" that the Russians continue to have leverage over President Trump.
Here's the exchange:
Cooper: "You think the Russians have leverage over President Trump?"
Comey: "I don't know the answer to that."
Cooper: "Think it's possible?"
Comey: "Yes."
Former FBI Director James Comey said President Obama "faced a very difficult choice" when it came to notifying the American public that the Russians were meddling in the 2016 election, because it would have helped them meet one of their goals -- destabilizing American democracy.
"The No. one goal for the Russians is to damage our democracy and undermine faith in our electoral process," Comey explained.
"If [Obama] makes an announcement that the Russians are coming for the election, has he just accomplished their goal for them? And is he giving Donald Trump an excuse to say Obama fixed the election?"
"I get why he struggled with it," Comey said, adding that Obama did a "very sensible thing" by trying to get the bipartisan leaders of Congress to jointly tell the American people it was happening.
"In my view, to their everlasting shame, the Republicans refused," Comey said.
McConnell didn't see it that way: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed concerns in March 2018 from Obama's former chief of staff that he didn't respond properly to suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying, "I'm perfectly comfortable with the steps that were taken back then."
Former FBI Director James Comey should consider President Trump's character when their voting for the country's next president.
"To my mind, this question at the top level is so obviously answered, you cannot have a president who's a chronic liar. I don't care what your passions around tax cuts or regulation or immigration. I respect difference there," he said.
Comey continued:
"The President of the United States cannot be someone who lies constantly. I thought Republicans agreed with that. It's one of the reasons I'm no longer a Republican. I hope the American people will realize we have to start at that values level no matter what our political background and answer that question first. And if that's a close question in an election, then get to the important policy differences."
Asked if he thinks President Trump should be charged based on evidence in special counsel Robert Mueller's report, former FBI Director James Comey said the Department of Justice should "take a serious look at that.
"I think the Justice Department will have to take a serious look at that. Whether it's a wise thing to do to a former president, I don't know. That's a harder question, a much bigger question than the facts of the case."
CNN's Anderson Cooper went on to ask if he through there was enough evidence to prosecute Trump.
Comey said: "Sure looks like it's there with respect to at least a couple of those episodes of obstruction."
Former FBI Director James Comey says he believes there is a chargeable case for obstruction and witness tampering against President Trump, based on what he saw in special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
Asked if Trump showed "corrupt intent," Comey said he thought so.
"It sure looks like he did in connection with a couple of episodes," the former FBI director said, citing Trump directing Former White House Counsel Don McGahn to get rid of Mueller. He called that a "flaming example."
He added that, without a doubt, he agreed with the 800 former federal prosecutors who signed a statement saying that Mueller's findings would have produced obstruction charges against President Trump -- if he weren't president.
"No doubt," Comey said.
Asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper if James Comey accepts President Trump's assertions that special counsel Robert Mueller's report found no collusion. "Is that something you accept?" Cooper asked.
Comey responded, "Well, that's actually not what the report says."
"He found there was not sufficient evidence to charge a conspiracy between Americans and the Russian effort. That strikes me as a reasonable conclusion, and I accept it," he said.
James Comey said nothing in special counsel Robert Mueller's report surprised him.
"There were a lot of facts in the Mueller report that I didn't know, but I knew it would be high quality work if we got a chance as a country to read it. And what he describes about Russia's intervention in our election didn't surprise me at all. It confirmed what I knew from when I was at the [FBI]. And what he lied out about -- the President's efforts to obstruct justice was broader in scope than I personally knew, but given what I had seen, it didn't surprise me, honestly," he said.
Comey added that he believes Mueller got everything about him right.
CNN's Anderson Cooper, citing President Trump, asked if James Comey believed special counsel Robert Mueller was "in love" with him.
Anderson Cooper: "Is Mueller in love with you?"
James Comey: "I respect him. I don't think we have that kind of relationship."
Cooper: "You just want to be friends with him."
Comey: "He's certainly not obsessed with me in the way some others seem to be."
Former FBI Director James Comey said he was talking to staff about the importance of the FBI's mission when he found it was fired -- from the television in the room.
"I was numb because I didn't expect to be fired," he said.
Comey said he thought it was a prank.
"I knew by that point the President didn't like me, but I thought that's OK because that will keep a separation. So it still feels a little bit numbing, frankly, like it happened yesterday and a lifetime ago," he said.
After learning that he was fired from the news, Comey shook hands with his staff and called his wife. She said his kids saw it "all over the internet."
"And then with the help of my assistant in Washington, I figured out a guy was actually down knocking on the door of the FBI in Pennsylvania saying he had a letter for me from the President that I was fired. Long before I got the letter the media was told. That's how it happened," he said.