Former FBI Director James Comey has described President Donald Trump as 'obsessed' with him, revealing that Trump frequently attacks him on social media late at night while Comey sleeps. In an exclusive interview, Comey discussed the extraordinary public feud, his two recent indictments which were later dismissed, and his new novel 'Red Verdict'.
Trump's Late-Night Attacks and Legal Harassment
Comey, 65, was sacked by Trump in May 2017 after refusing to pledge 'personal fealty' during a private White House dinner. Since Trump's re-election in November 2024, Comey has faced what he calls politically motivated prosecutions. In September 2025, he was indicted for making a false statement to Congress and obstructing proceedings regarding the FBI's Russia investigation. His lawyers successfully argued the charges were baseless and vindictive, and they were thrown out in November 2025.
In April 2026, Comey was indicted again after posting an Instagram picture of seashells spelling '8647', which prosecutors bizarrely claimed threatened Trump's life. The case remains active, but Comey cannot comment for legal reasons. 'As odd as it sounds, I've gotten used to the president staying up to all hours attacking me on social media while I'm sleeping soundly,' Comey said. 'Being innocent and indicted is disorienting the first time. The second time, not so much. The third time, which will surely come because Trump is obsessed and all guardrails at the Department of Justice are gone, will probably feel quite ordinary.'
Justice System Under Siege
Comey expressed deep concern about the state of American justice. 'Our justice system is being tested like never before,' he said. 'The bad news is that the leadership of the Justice Department has utterly lost its way and become an embarrassing adjunct to Trump's retribution tour. The good news is that the genius of the American constitution – an independent judiciary with judges serving for life – has saved us.' He noted that judges appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents have upheld the rule of law.
Comey believes most Americans regret Trump's second term. 'We continue to pay for that mistake, but I sense a turn that will have lasting positive consequences,' he said. 'Historians say that most authoritarian efforts around the world are followed by a strong U-turn. I think America is about to experience a reversal of historic size as we finally finish with Trump. I think we have found the bottom in the long history of the American presidency, and we've had some bad ones. The good news is that most Americans feel it, which is why Trump's approval ratings are approaching those of Richard Nixon.'
'Red Verdict' and Real-Life Inspiration
Comey's new novel, 'Red Verdict', is the fourth in his Nora Carleton series. The book follows prosecutor Nora Carleton and Special Agent Benny Dugan as they confront a murderous espionage plot involving a Russian spy. 'It's not based on a specific case,' Comey said. 'What's real is the feeling of that work and the process of making the cases.' The character Nora is inspired by his daughter Maurene, who prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021. Benny Dugan is based on the late FBI agent Kenny McCabe.
Comey explained his fascination with espionage: 'I hadn't yet written about the spy world, which sometimes overlaps quite a bit with criminal case work. It's an enormous part of the FBI's responsibilities and tends to go unnoticed unless there's a big success or a big failure. Hundreds of agents, analysts, and support folks spend every day trying to meet the threat from foreign services, especially the Russians and the Chinese, who deploy enormous resources – including many spies and Americans co-opted by spies – to steal our secrets and manipulate us. It's not your parents' John Le Carre thing; it's here every day, now.'
Future Plans and Optimism
Comey plans one more Nora book focused on street-level policing before writing a non-fiction history about a 1933 case that gave birth to the modern FBI. Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic about America's future. 'America's upward sloping line has always been jagged, with periods of progress followed by retreat followed by progress, on and on. You're about to see the next upward jag. I wish I were 20 years younger because it's going to be very exciting.'
'Red Verdict' by James Comey is published by Bloomsbury at £20.
