James Comey ABC Interview: Trump Possibly Obstructed Justice

WASHINGTON, DC — Fired FBI Director James Comey says President Donald Trump might have obstructed justice and could be compromised by Russia. The explosive words came in a highly anticipated interview between Comey and ABC's George Stephanopoulos, which was lambasted by the president himself even before it aired Sunday night.

Comey's autobiography "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership" comes out on Tuesday and he is embarking on a publicity tour to promote it. The book details his version of what lead up to his May 9 firing, as well as details surrounding the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

If you missed the interview or want to watch it again, excerpts will air on all ABC News broadcasts, including Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, Nightline, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos, as well as ABC News Radio and ABCNews.com.

Those who have a cable subscription can live stream the interview on the ABC Go website.

If you're not a cable subscriber — and don't want to venture into the darker corners of the internet — you can stream the 20/20 interview on Hulu, but it won't be live. The show's episodes are usually published shortly after airing. Click here to sign up for a one-month free trial with Hulu.

You can read a full transcript of the interview here.

Obstruction

For the most part, Comey didn't say much that wasn't already published regarding the Russia investigation. But he did say Trump had to have known it was "improper" when he asked other top aides to leave the room and then asked Comey to drop the FBI's investigation into his fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

“If he didn’t know he was doing something improper, why did he kick out the attorney general and the vice president of the United States and the leaders of the intelligence community?” Comey said. “It’s certainly some evidence of obstruction of justice."

Russia

Comey said he can't with any confidence deny that Russia might have dirt on the president. Comey said he realizes that's a "stunning" possibility and something he didn't think he'd never say about any other American president.

The Steele dossier, which includes salacious allegations that Trump cavorted with prostitutes in Moscow, also came up in the interview. He said he wasn't sure about the validity of the allegations.

"I honestly never thought this words would come out of my mouth, but I don't know whether the ... the... current president of the United States was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow in 2013. It's possible, but I don't know."

Comey said the allegations could have exposed Trump to blackmail by the Russian government.

Trump took to twitter on Friday to stave off any potential topics covered in the interview.

"James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR," Trump tweeted. "Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and.....untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst “botch jobs” of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!"

Trump fumed against Comey on Sunday over the upcoming book, calling him "slippery" and "the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!"

Slippery James Comey, a man who always ends up badly and out of whack (he is not smart!), will go down as the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2018

In his book, Comey says Trump sought his loyalty — an assertion Trump vehemently denies as "Just another of his many lies."

"His 'memos' are self serving and FAKE!" the president tweeted.

I never asked Comey for Personal Loyalty. I hardly even knew this guy. Just another of his many lies. His “memos” are self serving and FAKE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2018

He suggested Comey should be behind bars, saying "how come he gave up Classified Information (jail), why did he lie to Congress (jail)."

Comey also writes that Trump lacks ethics.

“This president is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values,” Comey writes. “His leadership is transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty.”

He compared Trump's presidency to a "forest fire," The New York Times reported.

In an excerpt revealed on Saturday, Comey also said he thought Clinton was going to win the 2016 presidential election and that it contributed to his decision to tell the public they had reopened their investigation into her email practices. Comey's disclosure angered Democrats, who laid her defeat at the feet of Comey. In her book, "What Happened, Clinton herself said the disclosure deeply affected voters.

Trump himself has said he fired Comey over the handling of the FBI's investigation into Clinton's email practices.

Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images