WE'RE BACK WITH THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE F.B.I. AND THE

AUTHOR OF "SAVING JUSTICE."

JAMES COMEY.

IN THE BOOK, YOU ALSO WRITE ABOUT THE CLINTON E-MAIL

INVESTIGATION AGAIN.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO REVISIT THAT?

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR THOUGHTS OVER WHETHER YOU DID THE RIGHT

THING?

>> NO, I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO REVISIT IT.

IT'S A NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH I CAN'T AWAKEN, BUT I COULDN'T

TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY AND OPERATING IN A

WAY WITHOUT POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN INVESTIGATIONS WITHOUT AT

LEAST TOUCHING THAT IN A BRIEF WAY AS I DO.

I WOULDN'T-- I WOULDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING, EXCEPT I WOULDN'T BE

INVOLVED IF I HAD A MAGIC WAND.

EVEN IF I COULD TRAVEL BACK IN TIME, I CAN'T MAKE A DECISION

BASED ON POLITICS, AS PAINFUL AS THAT IS.

AND DONALD TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF ENORMOUS

PAIN FOR ALL OF US, INCLUDING ME.

>> Stephen: DID YOU WATCH THE SHOTIME SPECIAL WITH JEFF

DANIELS AS JIM COMEY?

>> I DID.

>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU THINK?

WAS THAT-- WAS IT ACCURATE?

>> IT WAS ACCURATE.

I-- THE ONLY FEEDBACK I GAVE HIM IS HE SHOULD HAVE ACTED TALLER.

AND HE SAID, "THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH THEY CAN DO."

BUT I WAS INTIMIDATED BY-- THAT HE WAS PLAYING ME, AND I

ACTUALLY WAS VERY EMOTIONAL WATCHING IT.

IT BROUGHT BACK THE PAIN OF THE CLINTON E-MAIL SITUATION MY

INTERACTIONS WITH TRUMP.

HE CAPTURED THAT PAIN AND THE VALUES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

JUSTICE AND THE F.B.I. IN AN AMAZING WAY.

HE'S AN INCREDIBLE TALENT.

>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT BRENDAN GLEASON, RIGHT?

BRENDAN GLEASON IS THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED DONALD TRUMP.

I HAD NEVER SEEN A DEPICTION OF DONALD TRUMP THAT WASN'T IN ANY

WAY COMEDIC.

AND I FOUND IT POWERFUL AND CHILLING.

WAS THAT ACCURATE TO THE MAN YOU SAW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?

>> YES.

I WAS ONLY ON SET ONE DAY, AND IT WAS TO WATCH THEM FILM THE

LOYALTY DINNER.

SO JUST ME AGAINST TRUMP, AS YOU MENTIONED, SEVEN DAYS AFTER HE

TOOK OFFICE.

AND WHAT GLEASON CAPTURED IS THE MENACE, THE PRIVATE MENACE OF

DONALD TRUMP THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T GET TO SEE.

AGAIN, WITHOUT SATIRE, WITHOUT OVERPLAYING THE COMMUNICATED THE

MENACE OF THIS LA COSA NOSTRA BOSS THAT IS OUR PRESIDENT.

IT WAS SO POWERFUL IT LEFT ME WITH A SICK FEELING IN MY

STOMACH.

>> Stephen: ON PAGE 188 YOU WRITE, "I TRIED TO LIMIT MY

CONTACT WITH THE PRESIDENT, AVOIDING THE 'EYE OF SORREN' AS

I EXPLAINED O MY STAFF."

IF TRUMP IS SORIN, WHO ARE YOU IN THE SCENARIO.

I GUESS TREE BEARD, BUT DO YOU PICTURE YOURSELF AS ANY OF

CHARACTER.

>> I WAS BORN TO BE ONE OF THANTS AND HOPE TO BLEND INTO

THE FOREST LIKE I TRIED TO DO WITH MY BLUE SUIT YOU.

>> Stephen: ENDED OUR LAST INTERVIEW, WHICH WAS I THINK 17

YEARS AGO-- IF I COUNT THE RINGS IN MY SOUL-- BY SAYING YOU'RE

OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS COUNTRY'S VAVALUES ARE STRONG ENOUGH THAT

WILL NOT ONLY SURVIVE THIS.

WE WILL THRIVE.

ARE YOU STILL OPTIMISTIC AS WE FACE THE PRESENT CRISIS?

>> I AM.

I AM.

I THINK IN A WAY THIS WILL SERVE AS THE INFLECTION POINT THAT WE

NEEDED SO BADLY.

AND YOU SEE IT IN SOME OF THE MOVEMENT IN THE EARLY PUBLIC

OPINION SURVEYS.

I THINK THE-- THOSE PEOPLE LOST IN THE FOG OF FRAUD, OF LIES,

MORE AND MORE OF THEM WILL LEAVE THAT FOG BECAUSE OF EVENTS LIKE

THIS AND WANT REST OF US WILL BE AWAKENED TO THIS THING THAT

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID OUR FOUNDERS GAVE US A

REPUBLIC, MADAM, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT.

WE HAVE TO KEEP IT, AND THIS IS THE MOMENT TO REMIND OURSELVES

OF THAT.

>> Stephen: FINAL QUESTION, IN OCTOBER OF 2019, YOU TOLD "THE

NEW YORK TIMES" "I HAVE A FANTASY ABOUT JANUARY 21, 2021,

DELETING MY TWITTER AND MOVING ON TO SOMETHING ELSE."

WE ARE NOW NINE, EIGHT-- HOW MANY DAYS?

EIGHT DAYS AWAY.

DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE THAT?

>> I DO, BUT I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THOSE MOVIE WHERE'S THAT DATE IS

MOVING AWAY FROM ME.

IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY LONG EIGHT DAYS FOR ALL OF US.

BUT WHEN THAT DAY COMES, THE 21st COMES, I LOOK FORWARD

TO MOVING ON TO SOMETHING ELSE.

>> Stephen: WHAT-- WHAT'S NEXT?

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU PLANNING?

MORE BOOKS?

>> I'M DONE WRITING BOOKS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT.

I'M TELL YOU THAT.

I'M GOING TO TEACH.

I SIGNED UP TO TEACH AT COLUMBIA.

SO I'LL BE TEACHING LAW STUDENTS AND BUSINESS STUDENTS AND OTHER

STUDENTS WHICH IS SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS LOVED.

AND THEN I'LL FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT TO DO BEYOND THAT.

>> Stephen: DIRECTOR, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

HIS BOOK "SAVING JUSTICE: TRUTH, TRANSPARENCY, AND TRUST" IS

AVAILABLE NOW.

JAMES COMEY, EVERYBODY.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE STAR OF "RIVERDALE," LILI

REINHART.

♪ ♪