Former FBI Director James Comey said he could “potentially” testify against his former deputy in a criminal trial.
“Sure, given that the [inspector general’s] report reflects interactions that Andy McCabe had with me and other FBI senior executives, I could well be a witness,” Comey told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a Thursday afternoon interview following reports the Justice Department’s inspector general sent a referral to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington to criminally charge former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Comey also said he feels “conflicted” about the McCabe debacle since he likes him, but added it is “not acceptable” for someone in the FBI to lie.
“I like him very much as a person, but sometimes even good people do things they shouldn’t do,” Comey said.
The IG’s 39-page report released last week determined that McCabe “lacked candor” on four separate occasions, three when he was under oath.
McCabe — who was fired as FBI deputy director last month — hit back at Comey Wednesday, saying he was not telling the truth in an interview earlier that day when he cited the IG report’s finding he lied.
“Comey has relied on the accuracy and the soundness of the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) conclusions in their report on Mr. McCabe. In fact, the report fails to adequately address the evidence (including sworn testimony) and documents that prove that Mr. McCabe advised Director Comey repeatedly that he was working with the Wall Street Journal on the stories in question prior to publication,” said Michael Bromwich, counsel for McCabe.
In an appearance on ABC’s “The View” earlier Wednesday, Comey said he ordered the probe that eventually led to McCabe’s firing, and believes McCabe lied about his conversations with the media.
“Neither Mr. Comey nor the OIG is infallible, and in this case neither of them has it right,” McCabe’s lawyer said Wednesday.
