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Whose version of events that led to the firing of former FBI Director James Comey do you believe?
- President Donald Trump
- James Comey
- Neither one
- Truth is somewhere in between their versions
In his first public interview since being dismissed by Trump in May 2017, Comey will allegedly “shock the president and his team,” during the one-hour “20/20” special, which will air at 10 p.m. on Sunday, according to an Axios report, citing a source present at the taping.
According to the report, the interview “will generate headlines and ‘certainly add more meat to the charges swirling around Trump.” The interview reportedly lasted five hours, though it will be condensed to just one for television. It comes as his book “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership” - already an Amazon best-seller - is set to release next week.
“The Comey interview left people in the room stunned - he told George things he’s never said before,” the report states. “Some described the experience as surreal. The question will be how to fit it all into a one-hour show.”
Comey testified last June that Trump lied both about the circumstances of Comey's dismissal and the status of the FBI in nearly three hours of testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Comey said Trump lied to the American public when the president said the FBI had lost confidence in Comey and was in disarray prior to his firing.
“Those were lies, plain and simple,” Comey said. "I am so sorry the FBI workforce had to hear them."
Comey also said the White House was misleading when it initially said Comey was fired because of his job performance and because of his controversial handling of the investigation of Chappaqua resident Hillary Clinton's email server.
In an interview with NBC News shortly thereafter, Trump himself cited the investigation into possible collusion with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign as the reason for the firing.
“He (Trump) had repeatedly told me I was doing a great job and he hoped I would stay,” Comey said. “He told me repeatedly he had talked to lots of people about me including our current attorney general and had learned I was doing a great job and was extremely well-liked by the FBI.”
“It confused me when I saw the president on TV saying he actually fired me because of the Russian investigation. I was also confused by the initial explanation offered publicly that I was fired because of decisions I’d made during the election… That didn’t make any sense to me.”
Comey lived in Yonkers until he was a teenager. He is the grandson of longtime Yonkers police officer - and former Police Commissioner William Comey and served as a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York before being chosen by then President Barack Obama to head the FBI in 2013 on a 10-year appointment.
Comey and his wife sold a home in Westport in January, 2017 for $2.475 million, which is $575,000 less than they paid for it in 2010.
The “20/20” interview with James Comey will air on ABC at 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
To read the Axios report and see the video promo for the ABC-TV special, click here.
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