Former FBI Director James Comey could play a political wild card following his indictment on Thursday, argues political analyst Michael Wolff.
Speaking with the Daily Beast’s Executive Editor Hugh Dougherty on Friday, the author of Fire and Fury advised that Comey should take a page out of President Donald Trump’s playbook if he wants to get further under his skin—and possibly save himself from prosecution.
“James Comey should immediately declare that he is running for president himself,” Wolff said.
“Trump ran for president in 2024, not least of all because he was facing the possibility of all these indictments, and to run for president meant that he could make an argument that this was all political.”
Trump’s 2024 election run was marred by four separate criminal cases brought against him, which he argued were frivolous “hoaxes” designed to prevent him from taking office a second time.
“Clearly, in James Comey’s case, it is all political,” Wolff said. “But if I were him, I would use this as the platform. He is now arguing that people have to do something. OK, let’s do it, James Comey.”
Wolff was reacting to the video shared by Comey on Instagram following his indictment on two felony charges of obstruction and making a false statement to Congress.
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” a defiant Comey said in response to his indictment. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”
The former FBI director initiated the investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election, and suspected that members of the Trump team had colluded with foreign adversaries. The report ruled there was “sweeping and systemic” Russian interference, but did not find that the president committed a crime.
Comey was fired by Trump in 2017 and has been an outspoken critic of the president ever since. In May, the 64-year-old stirred up controversy after posting an image of the numbers “86″ and “47″ to Instagram, which the administration interpreted as a death threat.
Comey is just one of a number of political opponents singled out by Trump for prosecution. On Sept. 21, the president publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to bringing cases against Adam Schiff and Letitia James, in addition to Comey. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!,” the president wrote.
“I’m not afraid, and I hope you’re not either,” Comey continued in his video. “I hope instead you are engaged, you are paying attention and you will vote like your beloved country depends upon it, which it does.”
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