“The man is a lying demagogue you can not trust,” the former FBI chief said.
After a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump held a siege on the US Capitol and Trump was subsequently charged with inciting an uprising, former FBI Director James Comey expressed concern about the general information equipment that Trump may receive after his term has expired.
Ana Navarro, co-presenter of ‘The View’, told Comey on the show on Friday that she was bothered by the possibility that Trump, once he leaves office, could disclose sensitive information to people who are not authorized to do so. receive or sell information to foreign adversaries, such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin or North Korean Kim Jong Un.
Navarro has asked Comey to discuss the types of briefings Trump could receive after the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20.
“My understanding is that former presidents, not regularly, but regularly, get general information about the state of the world and threats to the country,” Comey said.
He said it “makes sense” because presidents often speak domestically and internationally after leaving office.
“We want to give them an idea of what’s going on in the world,” Comey said. “They also get specific information if there is a threat to them.”
Comey said intelligence information to the presidency is usually “controlled” by the director of national intelligence, “who will have to look very closely at whether Donald Trump needs information, including any information that may be sensitive to the security of the United States.”
“The man is a lying demagogue you can not trust,” Comey said. “You want to be very, very careful about what you give him.”
“I hope he will be stripped of the benefits of a former president by being convicted by the U.S. Senate and banned from further participation in public office,” he added. “Maybe that’s a reason for them to cut him off completely.”
Comey’s remarks come on the heels of the vote to accuse the president on Wednesday, one week after a mass of his supporters rioted on Capitol Hill. At least five people have been killed as a result of the violence.
Trump is the first president in American history to be charged twice. It was also the largest dual accusation in American history.
To convict Trump in the Senate prosecution trial, every Democratic senator will have to vote in favor of conviction, and they will also have to get the support of 17 Republican senators. In a statement issued Wednesday night just after the House passed the indictment, McConnell said it would be best for the country to wait until Biden is sworn in next week to hold a Senate hearing. .
In Comey’s book “Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust,” which he said was completed in the fall of 2020, Comey wrote that Biden should consider forgiving Trump if Trump faces federal charges. He explained why in ‘The View’.
“It was a very difficult and narrow question. It’s even harder and closer now, and I’m not sure I’m right,” Comey said. “But I’m worried about what will happen to our country if we give it the center of attention in Washington, DC.”
Comey proposed a scenario in which “Trump moves through the courts in DC, and he is constantly there while a new president tries to heal the country, mentally as well as physically, while we fight this terrible pandemic.”
‘I would rather have him convicted by the Senate, excluded from office and prosecuted by local prosecutors in New York for the fraudster he was before he arrived. [into] office, “Comey said. It would be better if we turned off the Klieg lights and chased him locally, rather than giving him the center while Joe Biden tried to lead us. “
Each episode of ABC’s award-winning talk show “The View” is now available as a podcast! Listen and subscribe for free to Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher or the ABC News app.