Rudy Giuliani has said he regrets hiring James Comey to the US Attorney’s Office in the 1980s, saying the former FBI director soon became “out of control, “publicity hungry, and eventually “weaponized” the political justice system against his opponents.
Giuliani, who led the US Attorney’s Office before becoming mayor of New York City, and later Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, claims he first became concerned about Comey’s priorities after Comey prosecuted lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart in an insider trading scandal in the early 2000s.
Giuliani’s comments follow Comey’s indictment by a grand jury on one count of making a false statement to Congress and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
Comey was fired from his role as FBI director in 2017, during Trump’s first presidential term, amid the fallout of an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump has repeatedly called for Comey’s imprisonment, calling him a “dirty cop”, while Comey has referred to Trump’s presidency as a “forest fire”.
The charges against Comey mark an escalation in Trump’s apparent retribution campaign and willingness to use the justice system against political adversaries.
Speaking on Newsmax’s Sunday Agenda, Giuliani, who remains loyal to Trump, said the charges against Comey serve to highlight his long-held concerns about the former FBI director.
“It is very extraordinarily disappointing to have hired him,” Giuliani said.
“I’m pretty realistic about things like that. I don’t worry myself about guilt that I can’t do anything about, because there’s plenty that I can do something about. I had no idea that he was anything but quite a good, but I can’t say great, but I can say average. He was a better-than-average to very good assistant U.S. attorney candidate.”
“I thought the Martha Stewart case was the sign of a publicity-hungry, out-of-control prosecutor because of an unnecessary case,” Giuliani said.
“You could look into your soul and very easily say, without any doubt, the case never would have been brought if it were your next-door neighbor, or just somebody else, or even a wealthy financial guy.”
Giuliani stated that during his tenure as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, he typically pursued civil penalties – rather than criminal charges – for first-time insider trading offenses.
In his view, Stewart should have received a fine and trading restrictions rather than a prison sentence. “He went ahead. He made a big deal out of it. He made a jerk out of himself doing it,” Giuliani said.
After his indictment, Comey issued a statement declaring his innocence and accusing Trump of being a “tyrant.”
“My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” Comey said. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I am innocent, so let’s have a trial,” he added.
The president celebrated the charges in a Truth Social post, calling Comey “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to.”
“He has been so bad for our country, for so long, and is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our nation,” Trump added.
Meanwhile, Giuliani has been ordered this month to pay $1.36 million in legal fees he incurred during investigations into his efforts to overturn President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.
