♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE'RE BACK WITH THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE F.B.I. AND THE
AUTHOR OF "SAVING JUSTICE."
JAMES COMEY.
IN THE BOOK, YOU ALSO WRITE ABOUT THE CLINTON E-MAIL
INVESTIGATION AGAIN.
WHY DID YOU WANT TO REVISIT THAT?
HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR THOUGHTS OVER WHETHER YOU DID THE RIGHT
THING?
>> NO, I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO REVISIT IT.
IT'S A NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH I CAN'T AWAKEN, BUT I COULDN'T
TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY AND OPERATING IN A
WAY WITHOUT POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN INVESTIGATIONS WITHOUT AT
LEAST TOUCHING THAT IN A BRIEF WAY AS I DO.
I WOULDN'T-- I WOULDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING, EXCEPT I WOULDN'T BE
INVOLVED IF I HAD A MAGIC WAND.
EVEN IF I COULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME, I CAN'T MAKE A DECISION
BASED ON POLITICS, AS PAINFUL AS THAT IS.
AND DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF ENORMOUS
PAIN FOR ALL OF US, INCLUDING ME.
>> Stephen: DID YOU WATCH THE SHOTIME SPECIAL WITH JEFF
DANIELS AS JIM COMEY?
>> I DID.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU THINK?
WAS THAT-- WAS IT ACCURATE?
>> IT WAS ACCURATE.
I-- THE ONLY FEEDBACK I GAVE HIM IS HE SHOULD HAVE ACTED TALLER.
AND HE SAID, "THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THEY CAN DO."
BUT I WAS INTIMIDATED BY-- THAT HE WAS PLAYING ME, AND I
ACTUALLY WAS VERY EMOTIONAL WATCHING IT.
IT BROUGHT BACK THE PAIN OF THE CLINTON E-MAIL SITUATION MY
INTERACTIONS WITH TRUMP.
HE CAPTURED THAT PAIN AND THE VALUES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE AND THE F.B.I. IN AN AMAZING WAY.
HE'S AN INCREDIBLE TALENT.
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT BRENDAN GLEASON, RIGHT?
BRENDAN GLEASON IS THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED DONALD TRUMP.
I HAD NEVER SEEN A DEPICTION OF DONALD TRUMP THAT WASN'T IN ANY
WAY COMEDIC.
AND I FOUND IT POWERFUL AND CHILLING.
WAS THAT ACCURATE TO THE MAN YOU SAW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?
>> YES.
I WAS ONLY ON SET ONE DAY, AND IT WAS TO WATCH THEM FILM THE
LOYALTY DINNER.
SO JUST ME AGAINST TRUMP, AS YOU MENTIONED, SEVEN DAYS AFTER HE
TOOK OFFICE.
AND WHAT GLEASON CAPTURED IS THE MENACE, THE PRIVATE MENACE OF
DONALD TRUMP THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T GET TO SEE.
AGAIN, WITHOUT SATIRE, WITHOUT OVERPLAYING THE COMMUNICATED THE
MENACE OF THIS LA COSA NOSTRA BOSS THAT IS OUR PRESIDENT.
IT WAS SO POWERFUL IT LEFT ME WITH A SICK FEELING IN MY
STOMACH.
>> Stephen: ON PAGE 188 YOU WRITE, "I TRIED TO LIMIT MY
CONTACT WITH THE PRESIDENT, AVOIDING THE 'EYE OF SORREN' AS
I EXPLAINED O MY STAFF."
IF TRUMP IS SORIN, WHO ARE YOU IN THE SCENARIO.
I GUESS TREE BEARD, BUT DO YOU PICTURE YOURSELF AS ANY OF
CHARACTER.
>> I WAS BORN TO BE ONE OF THANTS AND HOPE TO BLEND INTO
THE FOREST LIKE I TRIED TO DO WITH MY BLUE SUIT YOU.
>> Stephen: ENDED OUR LAST INTERVIEW, WHICH WAS I THINK 17
YEARS AGO-- IF I COUNT THE RINGS IN MY SOUL-- BY SAYING YOU'RE
OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS COUNTRY'S VAVALUES ARE STRONG ENOUGH THAT
WILL NOT ONLY SURVIVE THIS.
WE WILL THRIVE.
ARE YOU STILL OPTIMISTIC AS WE FACE THE PRESENT CRISIS?
>> I AM.
I AM.
I THINK IN A WAY THIS WILL SERVE AS THE INFLECTION POINT THAT WE
NEEDED SO BADLY.
AND YOU SEE IT IN SOME OF THE MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY PUBLIC
OPINION SURVEYS.
I THINK THE-- THOSE PEOPLE LOST IN THE FOG OF FRAUD, OF LIES,
MORE AND MORE OF THEM WILL LEAVE THAT FOG BECAUSE OF EVENTS LIKE
THIS AND WANT REST OF US WILL BE AWAKENED TO THIS THING THAT
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID OUR FOUNDERS GAVE US A
REPUBLIC, MADAM, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT.
WE HAVE TO KEEP IT, AND THIS IS THE MOMENT TO REMIND OURSELVES
OF THAT.
>> Stephen: FINAL QUESTION, IN OCTOBER OF 2019, YOU TOLD "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" "I HAVE A FANTASY ABOUT JANUARY 21, 2021,
DELETING MY TWITTER AND MOVING ON TO SOMETHING ELSE."
WE ARE NOW NINE, EIGHT-- HOW MANY DAYS?
EIGHT DAYS AWAY.
DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE THAT?
>> I DO, BUT I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THOSE MOVIE WHERE'S THAT DATE IS
MOVING AWAY FROM ME.
IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY LONG EIGHT DAYS FOR ALL OF US.
BUT WHEN THAT DAY COMES, THE 21st COMES, I LOOK FORWARD
TO MOVING ON TO SOMETHING ELSE.
>> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT'S NEXT?
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU PLANNING?
MORE BOOKS?
>> I'M DONE WRITING BOOKS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT.
I'M TELL YOU THAT.
I'M GOING TO TEACH.
I SIGNED UP TO TEACH AT COLUMBIA.
SO I'LL BE TEACHING LAW STUDENTS AND BUSINESS STUDENTS AND OTHER
STUDENTS WHICH IS SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS LOVED.
AND THEN I'LL FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT TO DO BEYOND THAT.
>> Stephen: DIRECTOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
HIS BOOK "SAVING JUSTICE: TRUTH, TRANSPARENCY, AND TRUST" IS
AVAILABLE NOW.
JAMES COMEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE STAR OF "RIVERDALE," LILI
REINHART.
♪ ♪