Former FBI Director James Comey had the trust and confidence of his employees at the bureau, according to new internal survey results released by the FBI. The survey counters claims from President Trump and the White House that Comey had lost the support of his agents before his firing.
The FBI published three years of internal questionnaires documenting bureau employees’ attitudes toward Comey on Wednesday. The surveys were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests from several news outlets.
Trump fired Comey in May as he was overseeing the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and potential connections between Trump campaign officials and Russia.
According to the most recent survey, conducted in March, FBI employees gave Comey high marks—between a 3.81 and 5.0 on the FBI’s scale—in nearly every item posed. According to the FBI, a score of 3.81 or higher indicates success in a given area. The scale is between 1 and 5.
Comey received a score of 4.47 from employees when asked to grade the former director on the “trust and confidence” they have in him as a leader. The former FBI director received a 4.48 from subordinates on whether they would work for Comey again, and a 4.22 when asked if he is humble.
Employees gave Comey a score of 4.38 for being someone more interested in leading than being liked.
Comey’s scores for 2017 dipped in some categories from 2016, but the former FBI director largely received similar scores in surveys from the past two years.
While the survey findings reflect otherwise, Trump criticized Comey and his ability to lead the FBI when explaining why he ultimately fired the former FBI director.
In an interview with NBC in May, days after he unexpectedly fired Comey, Trump called the former FBI director a “showboat” and a “grandstander.”
“The FBI has been in turmoil,” Trump said. “You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago. It hasn’t recovered from that.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said after Comey’s firing in May that Trump, the Justice Department, and “the rank and file at the FBI” had all lost confidence in the director.
But claims from the White House were contradicted by Comey’s colleagues at the FBI.
During a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said Comey “enjoyed broad support within the FBI.”
