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Former FBI Director James Comey on Trump, his new Crime Thriller and The Politics of Justice

Politics &
Economics

On Trump, Kamala Harris and the future of American politics

James Comey is the former FBI Director turned crime novelist who has spent a career fighting organised crime and hostile threats to American democracy. In 2016 as head of the FBI, he reopened a previously closed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails from her time as Secretary of State. In 2017 he oversaw an investigation into then President Trump and his allies over possible collusion with Russia. That led to Trump firing him as FBI Director. 

In July 2024 Comey came to the Intelligence Squared stage for our first ever event in Brighton, where he discussed the themes of his latest crime thriller Westport, a murder mystery set in the world of high finance, which sees the tables turn on prosecutor Nora Carleton as she finds herself the suspect in a murder investigation. As with Central Park West, Comey continues to draw on his own experiences as a prosecutor and general counsel for a hedge fund to tell a thrilling story.

Speakers for the motion

  • James Comey

    Former Director of the FBI and crime novelist. His new novel is Westport.

Chair

  • Josh Glancy

    Editor of News Review at The Sunday Times

Speakers

Speaker

James Comey

Former Director of the FBI and crime novelist. His new novel is Westport.

Director of the FBI from 2013 - 2017 until he was fired by President Donald Trump. He previously worked as an assistant district attorney in New York, prosecuting organised crime figures, and on terrorism cases as assistant DA in Virginia. He moved into federal law enforcement working in the FBI for many years. He is the author of books including A Higher Loyalty and thrillers Central Park West and the forthcoming Westport. 
Chair

Josh Glancy

Editor of News Review at The Sunday Times

Editor of News Review at The Sunday Times where he also contributes regular columns and features. Previously he was the paper’s special correspondent, writing about everything from politics and football to AI and monarchy. Before that, Josh spent five years in America, where he was the paper’s Washington correspondent and before that New York correspondent, also contributing a regular magazine column on life in the States. Josh has been nominated three times for feature writer and interviewer of the year, at the Press Awards and British Journalism Awards.